Ahead of Them, Went the Star
- Fr Raphael Ma, CR
- Matthew 2: 1 - 12
A Resurrectionist Vocation Minute for January 5, Epiphany of the Lord
Ahead of them, went the star.
Sometimes the journey of faith can seem lonely, like you’re the only one who is going through whatever is going on in your life. Sure there are other people at Church, and maybe you even belong to one group or another, but at some level, there are things that nobody else seems to really be able to share with you.
But even though there are parts of our lives as Christians in this world which will always be unique and personal to us, it’s just not true that we are alone. There are other people if we stop and think about it, who are examples to us of discipleship. They may not be good at everything, and we may even see some of their flaws, but God has placed people in our lives without whom our faith would be a little different.
The late Pope Benedict XVI once said in a homily on the feast of the Epiphany in 2013:
“The saints are God’s true constellations, which light up the nights of this world, serving as our guides. If you live with Christ,…then you too…will become stars which go before men and women, pointing out to them the right path in life.”
It was the star that brought the wise men in today’s Gospel to find the child in the manger, and there have been people if we stop and think about it, who in one way or another, knowingly or unknowingly, have been stars which guided us to find the same child who was born for us at Christmas. If God can lead us through others, God can do the same through us, no matter what our vocation in life, and whatever may be happening right now.
“We believe that God calls us to live together as brothers—sharing the gifts that we have received, supporting one another, praying and working together for his glory. He has called us to BE a community, which is a living sign of the gospel values of justice, truth and love.”