Here is the text of the reflection I shared with the community at prayer this weekend, thoughts about the encounter with the Magi and the quest for the light of faith.
A few years ago, young people from all over the world were invited to gather in Cologne, Germany for the celebration of World Youth Day. Cologne is the city where the mortal remains of the Magi, spoken of in today’s gospel, can still be found today, so for that gathering of faith, youth were invited to make a pilgrimage to the tombs of the Magi. Like the travelers who came to visit with the child Jesus, those who came to Cologne were seekers.
When they set out on their quest, perhaps the wise men thought that they would visit some royal palace; after all, they themselves were asking: Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? I wonder if they were surprised by what they found. After months of travelling, the king they sought turned out to be a child lying helpless in his mother’s arms. This king lived not in a palace but in the humblest of dwellings. Yet the visitors from the East were able to see beyond the child’s poverty and vulnerability. In fact, it was because of these very traits that they recognized the object of their quest.
Like the Magi, we too are on a pilgrimage; we too are seekers. Whether or not we realize it, we are all on a journey, seeking the child king of the Jews. Why? Because he alone can bring us the peace and joy that are the true gifts of Christmas. He alone can furnish the answers to our most haunting questions. He alone can give us the gifts that will truly satisfy our deepest longings.
The prophet Isaiah speaks of one who will fill us with light, a light that is capable of dispelling even the deep darkness that covers the earth and blinds all people to the truth. In Jesus, this light has appeared to us. This light guided the Magi as they journeyed in search of the child. This light caused Herod to fear because this light calls us to truth and Herod preferred to hide in the shadows where he could at least pretend to define his own truth. This light calls us to honesty, but if Herod was honest with himself, he would have realized that none of us can build an empire focused on ourselves. This light calls us to the integrity of knowing that Jesus is our king and we are all children of God. This light dispels all shadows of doubt, and leaves no place for dishonesty, greed or self-interest. This light calls us out of ourselves, and directs our attention to the needs of all the humble children who we meet, in the most simple and unexpected of palaces.
Like the Magi, we too must be willing to seek out this child. We too must follow the star that guides us. At times its light can be hidden by clouds of doubt and despair, and we can be tempted to feel that our prayers are not being heard, but these are the times when we must seek even more diligently, because even in our moments of deepest darkness, the light of faith is always present. It illuminates our hearts and fills us with joy when we celebrate the marriage of a young couple or the birth of a newborn child, and it guides us and envelops us with its tender love even when we experience the death of someone who is very near and dear to us.
Atop the Cathedral of Cologne, there are three steeples. Two of them tower over the doors that welcome visitors, while the third is crowned with a star that calls out to every pilgrim, like the star that guided the Magi whose mortal remains lie within. When they discovered the Christ-child, the wise men offered him treasures of great value and worth, but none of them is more precious in his eyes than the gift of faith that we can offer him, the gift of hope that he offers us, and the gift of love that is the focus of the entire story that continues to unfold.
At its rising
A few years ago, young people from all over the world were invited to gather in Cologne, Germany for the celebration of World Youth Day. Cologne is the city where the mortal remains of the Magi, spoken of in today’s gospel, can still be found today, so for that gathering of faith, youth were invited to make a pilgrimage to the tombs of the Magi. Like the travelers who came to visit with the child Jesus, those who came to Cologne were seekers.
When they set out on their quest, perhaps the wise men thought that they would visit some royal palace; after all, they themselves were asking: Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? I wonder if they were surprised by what they found. After months of travelling, the king they sought turned out to be a child lying helpless in his mother’s arms. This king lived not in a palace but in the humblest of dwellings. Yet the visitors from the East were able to see beyond the child’s poverty and vulnerability. In fact, it was because of these very traits that they recognized the object of their quest.
Like the Magi, we too are on a pilgrimage; we too are seekers. Whether or not we realize it, we are all on a journey, seeking the child king of the Jews. Why? Because he alone can bring us the peace and joy that are the true gifts of Christmas. He alone can furnish the answers to our most haunting questions. He alone can give us the gifts that will truly satisfy our deepest longings.
The prophet Isaiah speaks of one who will fill us with light, a light that is capable of dispelling even the deep darkness that covers the earth and blinds all people to the truth. In Jesus, this light has appeared to us. This light guided the Magi as they journeyed in search of the child. This light caused Herod to fear because this light calls us to truth and Herod preferred to hide in the shadows where he could at least pretend to define his own truth. This light calls us to honesty, but if Herod was honest with himself, he would have realized that none of us can build an empire focused on ourselves. This light calls us to the integrity of knowing that Jesus is our king and we are all children of God. This light dispels all shadows of doubt, and leaves no place for dishonesty, greed or self-interest. This light calls us out of ourselves, and directs our attention to the needs of all the humble children who we meet, in the most simple and unexpected of palaces.
Like the Magi, we too must be willing to seek out this child. We too must follow the star that guides us. At times its light can be hidden by clouds of doubt and despair, and we can be tempted to feel that our prayers are not being heard, but these are the times when we must seek even more diligently, because even in our moments of deepest darkness, the light of faith is always present. It illuminates our hearts and fills us with joy when we celebrate the marriage of a young couple or the birth of a newborn child, and it guides us and envelops us with its tender love even when we experience the death of someone who is very near and dear to us.
Atop the Cathedral of Cologne, there are three steeples. Two of them tower over the doors that welcome visitors, while the third is crowned with a star that calls out to every pilgrim, like the star that guided the Magi whose mortal remains lie within. When they discovered the Christ-child, the wise men offered him treasures of great value and worth, but none of them is more precious in his eyes than the gift of faith that we can offer him, the gift of hope that he offers us, and the gift of love that is the focus of the entire story that continues to unfold.
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