Epiphany highlights wise men who sought God, leaving comfort to follow a resounding prophet’s voice, revealing words like Isaiah’s “Rise, your light has come,” so they go after the source of real life.
Rise, lift your eyes, and take a moment to gaze upwards and around you. Look for a narrow opening, a corner of the sky, see the guiding star, and from up there, like Isaiah, find the newborn light of the world.
The Gospel recounts the search for God as a journey at the pace of a caravan, at the pace of a small community: they walk together, attentive to the stars and caring for each other.
The Magi’s path is full of mistakes: they lose the star, find the big city instead of the small village, and the most surprising moment: they ask a child murderer about the newborn; they look for a palace and will later find a poor house.
But they have the infinite patience to begin again. Our challenge is not to avoid falling but to avoid giving up after we fall. And behold, they persevered and arrived at the right place. They saw the child in his mother’s arms, prostrated themselves, worshipped, and offered gifts. The Magi’s most precious gift was their perseverant journey.
A desire stronger than deserts and toil; God longs for us to welcome Him joyfully. He thirsts for our unfinished longings. And once we find Him, like a tired deer, Our souls will find rest.