“Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” (Is 60,1) “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” (Mt 2,1) Often in our lives we are waiting for that one star — that star that will guide us into a future full of hope. We are looking for that light that shines brighter than any other light and that promises to bring true meaning and purpose to our lives – a great light, a great truth, our one great love. Like the wise men in our gospel reading, we long for a greater light, a light that will bring us joy in seeing it, a light that will fill our hearts with wonder and awe, a star that will be for us the glory of life, the glory of God that is revealed for us.

The wise men of the gospel are star-gazers. They have spent their lives looking up at the night sky and seeing the many stars that illuminated the night sky. Each of these wise men was waiting for that one star that would shine brighter than the other stars in the darkness of night and that star would be the star that would guide them and lead them out of the darkness and into a new life, a new love and a new joy. These wise men were scholars that studied the night sky and gazed up at the many stars. There were countless stars but each star was just one among many. The stars were beautiful and each star was a small light that dispelled a small measure of the darkness of the night but no star was distinct, no star carried the weight of eternal glory.

Life is full of stars, full of little truths that shine brightly in the night and dispel a small amount of darkness but we long for a greater light, a star that signifies a greater truth that is worthy of shaping our entire future. There is a lot of wisdom and knowledge in the world but each bit of wisdom and knowledge is just one truth among many, one star that stands among the many stars in the night. With the wise men our hearts long for that one star to rise that is different from all the other stars in the night, that one star that is brighter and speaks to our hearts of a greater glory, truth, purpose and meaning in life.

Isaiah the prophet speaks to us of the promise of that great light that will shine upon God’s people: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; upon those who dwelt in the land of gloom a light has shone. You have brought them abundant joy and great rejoicing…For a child is born to us, a son is given us; upon his shoulder dominion rests. They name him Wonder-Counselor, God-Hero, Father-Forever, Prince of Peace.” (Is 9,1-5) The little child Jesus is the light of the world, the greater star, the one who carries the full weight of God’s glory and the glory of living and who reveals to us the true meaning of life. He is not just one light among many, he is the Great Light that casts out all darkness and gloom. He is the one who brings us joy and peace. He is the one who reveals to us the glory of God, God’s love and mercy, and is the friend who lays down his life for us in that greater love, and who will always be with us.

Antoine de Saint-Exupery in The Little Prince gives us the image of how a star can bring us a special joy: “All men have stars, but they are not the same things for different people. For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides. For others they are no more than little lights in the sky. For others, who are scholars, they are problems… But all these stars are silent. You-You alone will have stars as no one else has them… In one of the stars I shall be living. In one of them I shall be laughing. And so it will be as if all the stars will be laughing when you look at the sky at night..You, only you, will have stars that can laugh! And when your sorrow is comforted (time soothes all sorrows) you will be content that you have known me… You will always be my friend. You will want to laugh with me.”

“And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage…they departed for their country by another way.” (Mt 2,9-11) The encounter with Jesus, the light of the world, the glory of God revealed, brought great joy to the wise men and gave them a new way of living. The entire direction of their lives was changed by their encounter with Jesus. Now they would forever carry the light and joy of the star in their hearts. Forever, he would be their joy and their hope.