How striking is the symbol of the star that recurs in all the images of Christmas and Epiphany! It still gives rise to deep feelings although, as with so many other sacred signs, it risks becoming common place because of its commercial overuse. Restored to its original context, the star we contemplate over the crib also speaks to the mind and heart of the man of the third millennium. It speaks to secularized man, awakening in him the nostalgia of his condition as pilgrim in search of the truth with a deep desire for the absolute. The etymology of the word “desire” reminds us of the experience of sailors who find their way at night by observing the stars called in Latin the “sidera“.
3. Who does not feel the need for a “star” to guide him on his earthly journey? Individuals and nations both feel the need. To satisfy the universal yearning for salvation, the Lord himself chose a people to be the guiding star for “all the families of the earth” (Gn 12,3). With the Incarnation of his Son, God then expanded his choice to every people, no matter what their race or culture. Thus the Church came into being, formed of men and women who, “united in Christ and guided by the Holy Spirit, press onwards towards the kingdom of the Father and are bearers of a message of salvation intended for all men” (Gaudium et spes, n. 1).
The oracle of the Prophet Isaiah that we heard in the first reading rings out for the entire ecclesial community: “Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you…. And nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your rising” (Is 60,1.3).
Blessed John Paul II
Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
Sunday, 6 January 2002
