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At the beginning of the New Year, we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany. Last year, as I reflected on the story of the Wise Men following the Star, I began looking at some of the epiphanies I had experienced in my life.
At different times in my life, a star shone and called me to follow. It attracted me, prompted me to leave, to set off on a journey into the unknown.
In order to be true to myself, I always had to keep my eyes on the Star, not on things or on people who could distract me, not on those who would not understand or who would try to dissuade me.
Nor could I keep my eyes on my feelings of boredom or disappointment because no one really knew me by my name. The Star was the only One who truly guided me on the path from one epiphany to the other.
There were times when I simply got a momentary glimpse of the Star that passed by like a luminous flash, through a word or a person. Yet that was enough to set me off on the journey.
The Star guides me, shows me the Way that leads me to my heart, to my truest identity, to my integrity, to my dignity and beauty as created by God.
The Magi were masters of the secrets of the heart. Each one shared his dream with other travelling companions who had the same dream.
There were times in my life when I had to set off on the road all alone, that is, when the Star was my only guide, my only compass.
There were other times when I discovered companions with whom I could travel. If there were some, they were gifts because they led me to discover a little more of the Star and a little more of who I am.
In a whole lifetime, I do not believe that we meet many people who truly know us by our name, who can see us in our true identity. There may be one, two, or three persons at the most. If there have been such people, they were gifts.
What I would like to say is this: every time the Star invites me to set off on the road because of an insatiable hunger that gnaws within me in secret, when I find the One whom my heart longs for, I am filled with indescribable joy.
I can only fall to my knees with gratitude to worship Him and to thank Him for enabling me to find the One whom my heart seeks and loves. And in return, I can only offer Him the gift of who I am—the gift that I received from Him in the first place.
