The Entire Thought

Where the River of Stars Flow

Has it ever occurred to you that neither King Herod nor his scribes could see the star the magi saw? Otherwise Herod would not have had to tell the magi to “go and search diligently for the child” and “when you have found him bring me word” (Mt. 2:8). He and his scribes would surely have followed the star themselves, if they could have seen it. Which raises the question: Why? Why could Magi from the East see what a king could not?
Of course, we cannot know the answer for sure; we can only guess. But perhaps it had something to do with their motives. We all know what Herod’s motive was: to destroy this newborn king of the Jews because he threatened his sovereignty. In contrast, the motive of the magi was “to do him homage” (Mt. 2:2) that is to acknowledge his sovereignty.
“When you look for me, you shall find me,” God once promised through the prophet Jeremiah. “Yes, when you seek me with all your heart, you shall find me with you” (29: 13-14). The adult Jesus echoed this sentiment by saying: “Seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things shall be given you besides… seek and you will find” (Mt. 6:33; 7:7).
Most of the time, it is God’s will that we seek and find him so that we can grow in our love relationship with him. (The exception may be when God allows a dark night of the soul to purify our love.) So if God wants us to find him, why wouldn’t he give us signs along the way to help us? He is the treasure that all of us are seeking, whether we realize it or not. We have something in common with the magi. As God provided them with a star, God has provided us with signs that point to his presence. If we’re having trouble seeing these signs, maybe we should examine our motives.
Why do we come to Mass on Sundays? Is it to satisfy a certain minimum requirement, or is it to bring the Lord homage/worship? Do we come to receive gifts, or to offer the gift of ourselves? If we are looking for the Lord in our daily lives, are we looking to ask for favors, or do we just want to be with him and thank him for our blessings? God knows our motives. If he delays in granting our prayers, it may be because he is trying to transform our motives. Perhaps he is calling us to seek first his kingdom, his righteousness, his will.
We have something in common with the magi. We are on a spiritual journey together guided by the stars that God provides. Some of those stars may be different for each of us, but we do share some in common. The sacraments, the Scriptures, and the Church are all ways that God shines light upon our paths. Like the Magi, in order to follow the light of these stars we may need to leave some things behind, temporarily or permanently.
Each week we can relive something of the Magi’s journey to Jesus, a journey which climaxes with the Sunday Eucharist. We may encounter trials and darkness along the way, but God faithfully leads us back, week after week. Here, like the magi, we open up the treasure of our lives to the Lord, and He offers us the gift of himself. Gradually our motives can be more purified and sanctified. Then we may find ourselves, like magi, returning home “by another way.”

Fr. Ernest

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