Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
One of the great images of the Epiphany is the star. And sometime in the fall of last year, we heard that the conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn, which some postulate was the “star” of Bethlehem and led the magi to the Holy Family, was going to be visible on 21 December. This was a seeming bright spot in a very dark year, and many people were excited to be able to see this celestial phenomenon, which one could even do while being social-distanced. But, just to make 2020 feel even more 2020ish here in Flint, it was, of course, cloudy. Lucky for them, the magi weren’t trying to find the newborn king in Michigan, because our usual cloudiness during this time of year would’ve made that nearly impossible!
Because we’ve heard the story so often, we probably gloss over what the magi, the wise men, went through to find the Christ Child. They were likely from modern-day Iran, a foreign land, which was not a friend of Israel or the west. It was the Babylonians (in modern-day Iraq) who had conquered and exiled the Jews from the Chosen Land. After the Persians took over the Babylonian Empire, they were not always friendly to others around them. Recall that King Leonidas of Sparta at the Battle of Thermopylae fought against the Persians, some 500 or so years before Jesus was born. The Persians (now referred to as Parthians) had kicked Rome out of Judea in 40 BC, but the Romans had regained control in 37 BC, and held it until centuries later. All of this is to say, they were foreigners, and probably not necessarily welcome visitors. In fact, it was a Herod who had helped the Romans to kick the Parthians out of Judea.
Depending on where the magi came from, they may have traveled upwards of 700 or more miles, perhaps from Babylon, a great center of learning that the Persians took over from the Babylonians. That’s 700 miles, and assuming the camel was carrying them and the supplies at about 3 mph, and traveling for maybe half a day (taking time to rest and eat), it would have been more than 20 days of travel, if everything went well. It’s clear from the fact that they go to see Herod first that they were not exactly sure where this newborn king was supposed to be. But Herod, after asking the chief priests and scribes, informs the magi that it will be in Bethlehem, which is about 5 miles away from Jerusalem by foot. All that way, to see a little child, in the home of a carpenter and his wife, probably not much to speak of. But they were guided by the light of the star, and they adapted their lives around that light because of the importance it had for them.
Isaiah prophesies in our first reading that Jerusalem’s light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon it. While the world is in darkness and clouds, the Lord shines upon His people, and even other nations shall be guided by that light from the Lord (a foreshadowing of the magi, those from other nations, coming to see the Lord Jesus). The light of the Lord was to allow the Chosen People to see clearly, to not trip over obstacles, or lose their way.
That’s what the Lord wants to be for us, as well. He wants to be the one who guides our way, who helps us to see clearly, who gives us the ability to avoid obstacles that will hurt us or wrong paths that will not take us to our destination. Is He that light for us, or have we allowed clouds to cover up that light?
The magi, for a king that they would see only for a short time, traveled some 700 miles. They likely left behind family and friends to bring fine gifts to an unknown child. They risked much for someone who wasn’t even part of their religion, but whom, they knew, they had to see. How much effort do we put into seeing Jesus? Which lights guide us, and where do they lead?
God wants to be the light in our life. Jesus will refer to Himself as the Light of the World. Light allows us to see and interact with the world. Are we guided by the light of Christ, or by other lights? Jesus reveals to us how the world truly is, and where we want to go. But how often do we find other paths, or prefer to stumble around in the dark?
I think that many people know what God wants them to do; they understand Jesus’ teaching; but their will is not in relationship with Jesus; they are not willing to follow that star. Following the will of God is sometimes very difficult, because, like Herod, the world or even simply our fallen will would rather be in charge, and doesn’t want competition. It seeks to snuff out the light, or to present us with other, dimmer lights that are pale reflections of the true light and do not lead us where we want to go. We prefer our way to God’s way. We bristle, especially now, at any institution which tells us how to live our life, as if guidance means that we lose control. We prefer to stumble in darkness, and are then surprised when it hurts. We follow lesser lights to places we are not meant to go, and then are shocked that we can’t find happiness.
The life of a Catholic is meant to be a life that follows a star, the Morning Star, Jesus Christ, in everything. God, through His Son Jesus, and the one Church that Jesus founded, the Catholic Church, reveals to us what we are to believe and how we are to live in order to be happy. Sometimes that means that we have to give up things that we desire, or things that others, sometimes many others, say will make us happy. Sometimes it means that, while the rest of the world goes one way, we go another. It means when we come to significant or major decisions, we take them to prayer and evaluate them by Scripture and the teachings of the Church, not just think about them and decide what we want to do.
The magi followed a star to a foreign country to briefly see a king from a different religion. For us who claim to follow Jesus, to belong to the religion He founded, are we willing to follow Him, our Star? Are we willing to conform our life to Him in order to find the happiness we all desire?
