Follow th Star - A Christmas reflection 2022
EDante, AIT house 9 28 December 2022 One early evening I walked with our poodle dog Mochi at the football ground of the Asian Institute of Technology (AIT) campus where we live. While walking, I was struck by the unusual appearance of the moon setting in the west and appearing much larger than usual. It seems to be pointing to a particular place on earth. Instantly, I got reminded of the Star in Bethlehem that guided the Magi from faraway lands. I have been puzzled by the idea of a star so distant away from earth guiding travelers on earth. It seems impossible in my mind. How can people in the past make use of a star as if it is a present-day GPS or Google Maps? In this piece, I will explore the current knowledge about the Star in Bethlehem, the wonderful story of the Magi and the lessons from the story based on the Gospel of Matthew (Matthew 2:1-12), other church documents, and the writings of Maria Valtorta (Poem of Man-God or Poem for short). The common belief is that the Magi found the Baby Jesus in the manger soon after birth, hence we see this in the Christmas Nativity scene of the Magi with the shepherds adoring the baby. However, Matthew 2:11 tells that the Magi entered a house (not a manger) to see the Child and His mother. From the Poem, we learned that the Holy Family left the manger soon after birth and lived in a poor house in Bethlehem, owned by the mistress (or owner) of the shepherds, for about a year before they escaped to Egypt. Mary and Joseph had to remain in Bethlehem in obedience to their cousin priest Zechariah. Zechariah insisted that the Messiah must grow up in Bethlehem according to his understanding of the prophecy presented in Matthew 2:6. It gave great sadness to Mary and Joseph to give up their comfortable home in Nazareth and find a new home and livelihood in a new place while providing the best comfort and care to the Child Jesus. It is believed there were three Magi based on the number of gifts mentioned in Matthew 2:11. Church tradition identifies them as Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar. They are venerated in the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox Church, Anglican Communion, and Lutheran Church. These Magi are astrologers, possessing great knowledge (wise men) and belonging to the priestly people from the “East”, which is the southern part of Asia where Turkey, Afghanistan, and Iran are located. From the Poem, we understood that these men lived separately and were unknown to each other until they met in one place near Jerusalem. They lived a strict honest life and had faith in their science and God. From their respective homes, they saw the new Star of unusual brightness appearing in the sky. Their maps of the sky had never mentioned such a Star. Its name was unknown to them. They spent many months, foregoing sleep and food, to study the zodiac and examine their hearts. Their study told them the name and secret of the Star. Its name: “Messiah”. Its secret: “The Messiah had come to our world.” The Magi likely knew of the writings of the prophet Daniel who lived in Persia about 500 years before. Daniel’s writings contain many prophecies about the birth of the Messiah. Having known the Star, each decided to take a long journey to Palestine, over mountains, across deserts, along valleys and rivers, facing great danger and risking their lives, to see the Messiah. They could only travel by night because they had to follow the direction of the Star. When they met at a point near the Dead Sea, God performed a miracle allowing them to understand and speak to each other in their different languages, the same phenomenon was experienced by the apostles at Pentecost. They traveled together to Jerusalem because they thought that the Messiah was born there since He was to be the King of the Jews. But then when they arrived in the Holy City, the Star had concealed itself and they felt their hearts breaking with pain and examined whether they had failed to deserve to see God. In Matthew 2:2-11, we learned that the Magi applied to King Herod saying “Where is the new-born King of the Jews? We saw His Star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” The Magi learned that the Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem according to a prophecy. When they left Jerusalem, they were overjoyed at seeing the Star again. The Star preceded them until it came and stopped over the place in Bethlehem where the Child was. Since the time of the birth of Jesus, there have been numerous theories about the origin and nature of the Star. Some believed it was a conjunction (or alignment) of the planets Jupiter and Saturn. However, conjunction normally does not create a spectacular sight that could have attracted the Magi. Others accepted the theory of a comet. It was found that Halley’s comet was visible in 12 BC. More recently, in 2005, some scientists claimed that it was a supernova (or a catastrophic explosion of a star). A recent BBC documentary on the subject concluded that the Star of Bethlehem must have been a comet because comets create a spectacular sight, they are moving and are pointing in a certain direction. This seems to match with the characteristics of the Star described in the Gospel of Matthew. Another approach to understanding the Star of Bethlehem is to say it had nothing to do with astrology. Many Fathers of the Church, including St Thomas Aquinas, St Augustine, and St John Chrysostom, believed that the Star of Bethlehem did not belong to the heavenly system. It was a special Star that behaved differently from normal stars. They argued that the Star’s movement was not continuous like other stars. When the Magi had to continue the journey, the Star moved on. When they had to stop, the Star stood still. In the Poem, the Star was seen as of unusual size and the moon seems small in comparison. It was close enough to earth that the Magi were able to see where it was heading towards. It lit up the entire town of Bethlehem in silvery color. The Star was seen to stop over a little house and transfigure the house with its light and radiation. It was a poor house, in the poorest town in Judah. The sight humbled the Magi because they knew that behind that poor wall, there is God. The God they have always called, but never had the least hope of seeing. Out of respect for the Child, the Magi waited until the following day for the visitation. They spent the night of their arrival in Bethlehem in ardent prayer and examination of conscience making sure that there is nothing against God in their hearts. It was a final preparation for a divine appointment, an infinite joy, and an ultimate goal of man. In man’s life, there is no greater joy and fulfillment than encountering God with a clear conscience. The Magi entered the house with their best clothes and saw Mary sitting with the Child in Her lap and Joseph standing near Her. The Child was about nine to twelve months old. Mary greeted them “May God be with you”, and the Magi stopped for a moment, completely astonished. They then proceeded and prostrated themselves at Her feet. The oldest of the Magi spoke on behalf of them all. He explained to Mary about the Star, their long journey, and their ardent desire to worship the Child God. Meanwhile, the Magi gave their gifts, gold which befits a king, frankincense which befits a God, and myrrh because the Child is also a man who will experience the inevitable law of death. After some time of contemplating the Child God and speaking with Mary, the three men went down the steps of the house and proceeded on their long journey back home. Jesus explains that the Magi is a story of faith. They had faith in everything, in science, in their conscience, and in God’s goodness. They had nothing supernatural to assure them of the truth. They were the only ones who understood the meaning of the Star. They took the long and dangerous journey, traveling over 1,000 km and trusting that God’s goodness would guide them to the unknown destination. They understood that the Messiah is both God and man while most Jews, including those in the temple of Jerusalem, expected a human king, like David, who would free the Jews from the Roman occupation and establish an earthly kingdom of Israel. Until now, 2,000 years after the birth of Jesus, present-day Jews are still waiting for this earthy and human messiah who would never come because he does not exist. The Magi also represent all the Gentile nations (non-Jews), including us, who come to adore the King of the Jews and become Christians. We have not seen the Star, but we have heard and believed the stories of Christmas and felt the love of God in our hearts. Faith is sufficient for us to come and adore God in our lives. In the Catholic tradition, the 12 days of Christmas end with the Feast of the Epiphany on 6 January 2023 this season. The Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the Magi who represent all the different religions outside Judaism. It signifies that God can reveal Himself to all people, in all religions, who sincerely seek the true God in their hearts and live with honesty and goodness. |
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