Every Sunday, Bishop Edward Malesic writes a Scripture reflection for the faithful. Follow the bishop on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Click HERE for the readings.
Some say that we should follow our star. What does this mean?
To most, I imagine, it means that we should set our own direction in life, we should march to the beat of own drum.
That is not the lesson of the magi. They were willing to risk following someone else’s star instead of their own.
So, they set out to be led by the star that appeared to them as a gift from Heaven. It led them to the infant Jesus. When they found him, they gave their gifts and their homage to him.
What is this star that is not of our own making? It is the star of faith. Faith, like the star that led the Magi, is God’s gift to us, a light for our souls. It always leads us to Jesus.
More importantly, our Gospel today shows us that faith is a gift that everyone can receive, even three Magi from the East who had followed a pagan religion. Faith is not confined to the geography of Israel but is held out to the whole world. It is like a star that can be seen by everyone who looks for it.
We are invited to search our hearts for the star of faith and then follow it, not unlike the Magi of old. But, to follow the star of Jesus is an invitation. It is never forced on us.
So, once again we have a choice to make.
Whose star will we follow? Do we follow our own star? Do we follow the made-up stars of celebrities and famous personalities? Or do we follow the star that leads us to Jesus?
And once again we must choose wisely. Only the star that leads to Jesus is the star that we can use to navigate to happiness, peace and eternity. Faith is the light that shows our way, like a streetlight that enlightens a sidewalk at night.
And once we have found Jesus, all we can do is bow down, adore, and give him every gift we have.
May we always follow the bright shining star of faith that leads us in the right direction.