Followers of the Star

It is the most wonderful time of the year. In just two days, we will celebrate the remembrance of the Incarnation of Christ. This is a time for love and a time for cheer. For a short season, we are a little more gracious, a little more compassionate towards out family and neighbors. We give each other gifts, not in a spirit of materialism or worldliness, but always keeping before us the true image of Christmas, that of the Savior made flesh and born humbly unto us. It is good to indulge in the merrymaking of this season. We can drink a little more eggnog and eat a few more cookies than is strictly good for us. We can pause for a moment in our ever more busy lives to listen to a Christmas carol or two.

That being said, Christmas is above all else a time for remembrance. Just as we might distract ourselves from the ways of this world by watching a classic movie like "It's a Wonderful Life" or "White Christmas," we should immerse ourselves within what happened in Bethlehem so long ago, the "word that has come to pass which the Lord hath shown to us" (Luke 2:15). With the same sense of wonder with which we as children waited for Santa and his sleigh, let us gaze upon the infant King, the Godhead on Earth, the Word made flesh and dwelling among us.

When Jesus was born, "there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem" (Matthews 2:1). Arriving in the domain of Herod, these learned magi appeared before him and asked "Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East and have come to adore him (Matthew 2:2).

In a way, these magi were the earliest followers of Jesus. Unlike His first disciples, the magi did not know Him by word of mouth or by hearing him speak. When they found him, Christ was not yet old enough to talk and yet his Kingliness was both inherent and apparent. The magi knew him by His star.

These magi were likely skilled astronomers from Persia. In those times it was believed that when a new king was born his star would appear in the sky. Calling Him king of the Jews, perhaps the wise men were also familiar with the prophecy of Numbers 24:17 - "a star shall rise out of Jacob and a scepter shall spring up from Israel."

In the verbiage of our times, the magi would be considered scientists and academia. Their knowledge was so great that it was often mistaken for magic. These men were true seekers of the truth. They were no pseudo-scientists who would rather appear on TV than study the intricacies of the external world. Bill Nye, Neil De Grasse Tyson and their ilk are more apt to mock Christians and pursue progressive social agendas than pursue the truth. They are nothing like the magi.

Why did the wise men travel so far? Why did they traverse hundreds, maybe even thousands of miles just because of what they saw in the sky? We can ask much the same questions about the saints. Why did they live in die by a law contrary to that of the world? Why did they give up the things of this world and even more often than not their lives simply for a creed?

Both questions have the same answer. Because it is more than a star and more than a creed. The magi and the saints searched for the same thing: Jesus. Both came "to adore him." These wise men from the East were not looking for a merely political figure. Their gifts demonstrate this fact. Gold for a king, frankincense for a priest, and myrrh for a sacrificial lamb.

Finding the King and His star, the magi were "overjoyed." Despite all their earthly power and domain, despite their knowledge and studies that gave them powers beyond that of normal men, the wise men "prostrated themselves" at the feet of the child on Mary's lap. They worshiped the King born of a virgin. Human reason and power knelt before the Throne of the Incarnation.

The magi were truly "wise men." They searched for and found the promised heir of David, Jesus Christ of whose kingdom their is no end. But what can we learn from these searchers? Is there anything that we can take away from the actions of these men who lived two millennia before us?

We find ourselves in this season, in the same position as the wise men. We have been led into the foothills of Judea. The star is in the sky. But what are we going to do? The meaning of the star was no secret. Herod's scribes and chief priests were able to explain its significance to him easily enough. Why then was it only the wise men who came searching for Jesus when so many others could see the star in the sky? The shepherds came, yes, but only after an angelic host appeared in front of them, singing celestial hymns. The wise men did not need to see the angels. They believed.

We can see the star, but are we followers of it? The existence of God is as evident as the stars in the sky. There is no such thing as a true atheist. It is impossible. No human being can absolutely deny the existence of God. It is a truth that we cannot run from.

But faith is more than the Creed we say at every Mass. It is more than simply accepting the existence of God. Faith needs to be alive in order to function. It needs to be expressed through its sister virtues of love and hope. In a letter to the Emperor Gratian, St. Ambrose wrote "Faith, therefore, august Sovereign, must not be a mere matter of performance, for it is written, The zeal of your house has devoured me. Let us then with faithful spirit and devout mind call upon Jesus our Lord, let us believe that He is God." This Christmas season, let us be more than idle stargazers. Let us be followers of the star just as the wise men were. Let us be followers of Jesus Christ.

Let us pray for the same faith that led the magi to the scene of the Nativity when the Son of God, the Word, assumed our flesh so that He might die for our sins. Let us pray for the same willingness to subjugate the things of this world to the will and Majesty of God.

Unwrap those presents from beneath the tree. Celebrate with your family. Go to Mass on Christmas (and hopefully every Sunday and holy day of obligation). Above all else, be followers of God. Reject being lukewarm in the spirit, that tepid and tasteless condition that finds no favor with God. Be rather on fire with love of God. Let your love be something that consumes your soul. Let it be something that consumes your life. Be ye faithful unto death and always submitting to the will of God.

Deus Volt!

Living in the World

Life is hard. C'est la vie as the French would say. The world is not perfect, far from it. People get hurt, they lose their jobs, their families, their lives, their faiths. Terrorists, natural disasters, and accidents kill innocent people, good people. In case you want to be depressed, just turn on the news. All of this and more. Our times are tough.

That is not to say that every age does not have problems of its own. At least we don't have to deal with the Black Death or marauding Vikings. Our generation, however, has a few problems of our own that are particularly troubling. Part of it is technology. Part of it is culture. All of it is bad.

We have been given an opportunity that no people in history have ever been given. In the space of a decade, the amount of data and information that we have access to has exponentially increased. In a matter of seconds, you can find just about anything you need to know. Want to know who the foreign minister of Austria was in 1815? That's easy, its Metternich. Need to know the Mandarin word for pig? Done, its zhu. It's that easy.

Technology is not all bad. Nothing is inherently evil. The advancement of our age allows for an unprecedented level of global connectedness and information. The problem is that we abuse this power just as we abused the tree of knowledge of good and evil in Eden.

What do we do with this wealth of information that is literally at our fingertips? We play games. In the space of a few days, a new application can spread across the country and even the world. Games and apps, whistles and bells, all of the bright colors and sounds, they're all so distracting. It can even become addicting. How many times have you been at a restaurant and seen someone playing a game on their phone instead of talking to the person sitting in front of them? How many hours are wasted tapping a screen that could have been spent forging better relationships, praying, or following your vocation?

Bingewatching is even worse. Netflix has become synonymous with sloth. We consume an incredible amount of TV, streamed or otherwise. And how much of it is good for us? There is only a handful of shows that are not utterly morally corrupt. All too often, television glamourizes sex and violence. It normalizes homosexual attractions and deviant behavior. Rather recently, the show, Scandal, had an episode that featured the main character getting an abortion for the sake of convenience - on the screen. It was little less than a long advertisement for Planned Parenthood. Pay attention to what you watch! The eyes are the windows to the soul. Windows work both ways.

And these are the tame things that the world distracts us with! The number of people, adults and children, men and women, who are addicted to Internet pornography is insane. You can find images of violence, terrorism, abuse, and anything you could possibly think of all too easily. Drugs run through our streets, ruining families and lives. Underage, premarital sex has become a veritable fact of life. Abortion is called a "right." Sexual perversity in the form of homosexual "marriage" has been legalized. Every single day, people lie and steal and hurt each other. When will it end?

It is hard not to fall into despair seeing the hardness of our times. We hope for distraction, a way out of the pain and the hurt of the world that we find ourselves in. And that is the doorway for the very lies of the world we try to run from. The world offers us distractions from itself that only leads us deeper and deeper into sin. Deeper and deeper into darkness. There is so much noise in this world that it is nearly impossible to think straight.

As a Christian, one of the hardest things to do is live within the world. We walk an edge, the line between earth and heaven. Our stewardship of this earth is not something to be forgotten. God has given Himself to us through the True Presence in the Eucharist, but He also appears to us in the form of our neighbors. "Amen: I say to you, as long as you did it not to one of these least, neither did you do it to me." Matthew 25:45.

At the same time, we cannot forget that we were made for heaven. "Our hearts are restless until they rest in you." St. Augustine said. This is our challenge: to be children of God while on His earth.

This is a challenge that Jesus Himself lived and breathed. For "we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." Hebrews 4:15.

Jesus knew exactly how hard life is. He ate and dined with the lowly of the world - prostitutes and tax collectors - instead of the celebrities of His age - the Pharisees and Sadducees. His friend Lazarus died when he was away. He was betrayed and abandoned by His closest friends at the time He needed them the most. When He died on the Cross, the thousands that heard Him preach were gone or were now mocking Him. He felt the cruel sting of the lash. He felt the weight of the tree as it bore down upon His shoulders. The earthly ministry of Christ was no vacation. It was life in all of its vivid colors.

How do we live in the world? There's an easy answer. Live as Jesus Christ lived. Actually following the way of Christ, now that's the hard part.

We have been blessed with more information than all ages past. Some of that information is actually knowledge. Use it! No one has an excuse for not being able to find the Teachings of Christ and His Saints. While technology can be a gateway to sin, it can also be a tool for holiness. There are apps where you can find the Holy Bible, the Roman Missal, and the spiritual writings of holy men and women who lived this life and walked this road before us.

In this life, we must have one foot in Earth and the other in Heaven. Mental prayer is a great way to connect to God while remaining an active part of the world. Simple prayers, the Our Father and the Hail Mary, can counteract the distractions of the world by turning our eyes to God. "Say the Holy Rosary. Blessed be that monotony of Hail Mary's that purifies the monotony of sins!" Speaking of the saints, St. Josemaria Escriva is an excellent model of faith for this day and age. His "Way" is both accessible and profound. It is a truly life changing work.

 With every breath you take, whisper "Jesus my Savior." How hard will it be for you to fall into sin when you have Christ's name on your lips every second of the day?

Yes, life can be hard. But it can also be great. Remember that Jesus has already won the war and do not despair. Death has already been conquered. We must now find the strength by God to live out our lives as Jesus would. Through us, Jesus can walk the earth once more. That is the will of God. That is how to live in the world.

Deus Vult!