Guiding Star

A Reflection on the Gospel for Sunday, January 4th, 2026:
Epiphany of the Lord

---

Matthew
2.1-12

​In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”

When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the Prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd my people Israel.’”

Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.”

When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.

On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Pause. Pray. Reflect.

Have you ever been outside in the dark of night and suddenly looked up and noticed specks of light? Then, as your eyes adjust to the darkness, the specks brighten. And brighten still, until you realize the whole sky is filled with stars! In what seemed to be a deep darkness, there is light. Star-filled skies never cease to amaze me. I have many memories of sitting on the shore or lying on the grass or sitting around a campfire – at night – and looking up into the darkness and seeing light. I could sit and gaze at the star-lit sky for hours, just in awe. In doing so, I am often struck by two thoughts: 

That I am so small.
That there is so much more.
 
I am so small. Not that I am insignificant. Granted, I am five foot nuthin’ and often out of the line of sight for many. Rather, I am so small because the world is big. Really big. Someone in a whole other country from me, possibly speaking a different language than I am, and living a different life from mine, is seeing the same sky. The same stars.

Secondly, there is so much more. Out there. God created so much more than me and the part of the world that I occupy. He created the heavens and the earth (Genesis 1.1) and everything in them.

Yet no matter how captivated I’ve been by the night sky, I can’t say I’ve ever been compelled to follow a star. I wouldn’t know the first thing about being guided by the stars. I’d get 10 steps, then pull out my phone to consult Google Maps. Yet for centuries, explorers, sailors… wise men were guided by the stars. Being able to be guided by the stars means having a level of knowledge from being taught, having understanding borne of experience, and having trust – trust in the One who created the sky and everything in it. 

For the wise men of whom Saint Matthew speaks, there’s a difference. They were not simply looking for directions to a new place. Rather, they were looking for a new person – Jesus, the ultimate Guiding Star. Yes, they were taking their direction from a star, but truly, they were also being guided by the creator of that star, God. 

If I choose to be guided by God, it means I must be open to knowing Him as He teaches me of His transformative love. I must seek to understand God more deeply by accepting the opportunities to practice and experience that love. And most importantly, I must trust God, knowing He trusts me – explicitly. Even when I may not make the right choices or am temporarily veering off the path He has set for me, God trusts that I will make my way back to Him. With the help of the Guiding Star.



​Aurea Sadi

---