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Where's the Star? The Feast of the Epiphany is one of Miles Jesu’s main feasts, since we are “Sons and Daughters of the Immaculate Heart of Our Lady of the Epiphany.” The Epiphany has many different aspects. An important one is the faith and perseverance of the Three Wise Men in the following of the star. They were moved by sheer faith because they did not know exactly where they were going. They had only a glimpse, an idea. Their faith was tried, too, because the star disappeared. But when they lost the star, they didn’t lose their enthusiasm. They consulted the experts in the revelation of God in Scripture. That’s how they knew the Saviour should come from Bethlehem. Then they were able to continue their journey with no star, with no inspiration. This is a very beautiful example for us today which we need to follow. Yes, we have a star in our vocation at the beginning, whether it is priesthood, religious life, total dedication as a lay person, or marriage. But how many times the star of our vocation disappears and what do we do? People who have no faith leave their vocations: priests, sisters, married people—it has become the thing to do. The single want to be married, the married want to be single; priests want to be laymen, laymen want to be priests; old want to bc young, young want to be old; men want to be women, and women want to be men. Some people call the star being in love. Sometimes we may wish we were always in love, but it is not possible for our human nature. We cannot be at that peak of being in love 24 hours a day seven days a week for the rest of our lives. We would wear out too quickly because it is too strong of an emotion. I’m not speaking about sex. I’m speaking about that lofty feeling when everything is heaven on earth. Our Lord says that we cannot be on Mount Tabor all the time, we have to come down and just live an ordinary life. It’s healthier. Some couples get married thinking that everything is going to be heaven on earth. But they find out it is not so. After a little while difficulties come and have to be faced. This is when the star disappears. The same thing happens in a life of consecration. At the beginning everything is so new and great. But after doing the same things for two or three years you say, “oh, not again.” The star, the glowing external things, disappear. Sooner or later everyone goes through serious temptations against their vocation. See how many divorces we have. Why is that? Because couples have no temptations? If there are divorces it is because not only are there serious temptations, but there are serious consents given to the temptations. The Holy Father, speaking to priests, told them to remember when they first entered their vocation. Go back. This is a very wholesome thing. St. Bernard used to say the same thing, “For what purpose did you come to the monastery?” Many couples need that today, too. They need to go back and remember when they fell in love, how they fell in love, and the things they went through, so to renew their commitment to each other. The star of the inspiration of our vocation must disappear to try our faith. St. John of the Cross says that the dark night of the soul must come, so we can be purified and continue walking in faith. This is very wholesome psychologically and spiritually because we have to accustom ourselves to act not on feelings and emotions but on faith and reason. And if we continue walking, eventually the star comes back. The advocates of divorce say, "Why force a couple to live together when they cannot get along?" But they should live together (there are exceptions). They will go through some rough years—two, three, four, five.., but eventually the rough years will pass. Afterwards they will say, "It was good. We really went through rough years, but now we are better for it." The same thing happens in, the religious vocation. Even if my emotions are telling me to leave, i should not go that way. This is just basic in the human life, upon which the spiritual life has to be based. Airplane pilots are told, "Do not follow your senses, follow the instruments.'' When flying in a storm, for example, the plane could be upside down, but the senses can lie to you making you feel that things are right side up. If the pilot follows his senses instead of the instruments, he can crash. How many people today crash in the flying of life because they follow their senses, their feelings, rather than reason and faith! The disappearance of the star followed by the Three Wise Men was meant by God to teach us an example. Eventually the star reappears. Then we go and find nothing less than God Himself, God-made-man, the Lover of man, Who comes to save us. Let's pray to the Three Wise Men especially for their wisdom in life to be faithful to our vocations until death. |