We often think of the Feast of Epiphany as an exotic story of travelers in the desert—magi, astrologers, men from foreign lands in strange and elaborate costumes, riding camels and elephants and carrying treasures from the Orient. But while their culture and background might be different than ours, the longing in their hearts is something we know all too well. It’s the longing for something to believe, something that will assure us that we’re on the right path, that we’re following the right star. I love going out in the yard in the winter to look at the stars. The clear, cold air makes them seem brighter. Different stars are visible in the winter than at other times of the year. As the constellations wheel overhead, there’s a sense of vast possibility in the universe, but also a sense of permanence. The sun, the moon, the stars, and our own earth travel through time and space but there’s nothing random about those movements. Each has an orbit, an appointed path to travel. Our lives, too, have an appointed path. We move through the seasons of the year, and the seasons of a lifetime. Sometimes it seems as though the only constant is constant change. But the eternal feasts of the Christmas season remind us that the eternal keeps our feet grounded on the earth and our eyes fixed on God’s star, the plan God has for our lives.
—from the book The Peace of Christmas: Quiet Reflections from Pope Francis
by Diane M. Houdek
