“Follow the star to a place unexpected
Would you believe, after all we've projected
A child in a manger?
Lowly and small, the weakest of all
Unlikeliest hero, wrapped in his mother's shawl
Just a child
Is this who we've waited for?”
These are the opening words of the song “How Many Kings,” written by Jason Germain and Marc Martel of the Christian Rock group known as Downhere. The song presents the discovery of the infant Jesus as a surprising revelation. Where is the king? Where is the mighty warrior? What am I doing here and why did I make the effort to find Him if this is all there is? But this is precisely the point; there is more to come, a lot more. The light of the star only opened the mind of the Magi; it is up to them to open their eyes and see with faith the wonder of God in their midst.
The light of the Star of Bethlehem is symbolic of God’s inspiration that awakens our minds and enlivens our hearts. In Book 2, chapter 9 of the Treatise on the Love of God, Saint Francis de Sales writes, “Inspiration comes down from heaven like an angel. It strikes straightway on the poor sinner’s heart and arouses him so that he is lifted up out of his iniquity.” God always makes the first move, inviting us to find and love Him. We sense it as “stirrings” within us, writes DeSales. It doesn’t come with the exigency of a trumpet blast, but simply and gently as a newborn reaching for us, stimulating a flutter in our stomachs and smiles on our faces.
Is this what we have waited for? A small baby and gentle stirrings? Not only would Saint Francis de Sales answer in the affirmative, but I also think he would say that it is essential because it allows for a voluntary reception of God’s grace. Grace will never overwhelm or coerce us. If we are to love God, we must remain free to choose to accept or reject His inspiration to love and to place our faith in His son born lowly and small.
Is this who we have waited for? The only way to get a personally convincing answer to this question is to respond to the “stirrings” that God’s inspiration implants within us. When the Magi returned home, did they leave God’s inspiration behind? Did their brief encounter open their eyes of faith so they could see that they had to continue to follow the star, the inspiration of God, for the rest of their lives? What about us? God’s stirrings are within us, right now, in fact. Those stirrings lead us to God’s son. It is up to us to open our eyes in faith and see the one we have waited for is indeed in our midst!
Father Robert Rutledge, OSFS
Holy Infant Catholic Church
Durham, NC
