Follow your star…”
Salesian Perspective
by Fr. Barry Strong, OSFS
The old song inquires—would you like to swing on a star, carry moonbeams home in a jar, and be better off than you are, or would you rather be a mule? (Not to mention a pig, a fish, or a monkey!) Well, would you? Today’s feast of the Epiphany rivets our eyes upon a star and upon the one the star makes manifest so that we may become infinitely better off than we could have been otherwise. Today’s feast also poses some questions for our reflection and enlightenment.
Have you ever packed up and followed your star’s lead? The Magi did. They are patron saints of people with a journey to make. Journeys aren’t packaged tours. Journeys tend to be uncomfortable, continue through the darkness of wrong turns, and stay focused on the goal, not knowing when the goal will be reached or even how the ending will be recognized. Francis de Sales says this was the nature of the Magi’s journey: “The kings from the East can find pleasure neither in the beauty of the city of Jerusalem, nor in the magnificence of Herod’s court, nor in the brilliance of the star. Their hearts seek the little cave at Bethlehem and its little Child.” (Treatise on the Love of God, Book 5, Chapter 7). Their journey does not allow for diversions. Chasing starlight in the dark is to end with their enlightenment. They see the light—the light who is Christ! Are we willing to pack up and journey toward the light who is Christ? It will change us. We, like the Magi, will never be the same.
Where is your star leading and are you willing to pay the price of the journey? The Magi followed the star that led to the manifestation of the Christ child. The Magi placed their time, talent, and treasure at the service of their mission. Their hearts were set on it. Where are our hearts? What are they set on? What’s the object of our hearts’ desire? Francis counsels us: “Keep very close to the crib….If you love riches you will find there the gold that the Kings left; if you love honors you will find incense, and if you love things that delight the senses there is the sweet-smelling myrrh which scents the whole stable. Be rich in your love for your dear Savior, full of honor in the private audience you have with him in prayer, and full of delight in the joy of feeling within yourself all those holy inspirations and affections which come of belonging completely to him” (Letter to Mme. Gasparde de Ballon). When we invest our hearts in finding Christ no matter what the cost, we find that treasure is ours in abundance. We discover the clarity we seek—the purpose of our lives and our place within the world.
Where does the star of Bethlehem shine today? As Christians, we claim to have recognized the star that leads to Christ, the light of the world. We say that we have found him and have found the journey to be worth the cost. We profess that we have taken on his mission as our own. To the extent that is true, then the star of Bethlehem shines brightly over us. It is now our star. We are infinitely better off than we could have been and know why. That star will lead others who search for him across our paths. We have been enlightened by Christ and empowered with the mission of Epiphany, to make his glory manifest. We are called to be light for others, to be Christmas stars for those whose hearts still seek.
Rev. Barry Strong, OSFS lives and works in Wilmington, Delaware