Epiphany

It has always struck me how the Magi studied and trusted the guidance of the stars. Their journey to Bethlehem was not one of faith in a strange God, but one of trust that the presence of one star was announcing the arrival of a new-born king, and trust that this same star would lead them to him.  The journey meant leaving their comfort zone, traveling for weeks or even months into a foreign land. They went first to the Jewish capital, Jerusalem, to the palace of King Herod, where logically a new king would be born.  Herold himself then pointed them in the direction of Bethlehem, a short five and a half miles away.  There they found Mary, Joseph, and the new born Jesus in a  manger.  They did not know the string of events that had led Mary and Joseph to be in Bethlehem, and finding them huddled together in a place that was meant for animals, did not cause the Wise Men to doubt this encounter. This scene was their epiphany.  The light of that trusted star now enlightened their awareness that the birth of this baby was of significance to the whole world.  Right then and there, they humbly knelt in the stench of that holy manger and gave their royal gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh.

Sr. Barb Krakora