| December 14, 2020 Good afternoon, ” The Three Wise Men ( Magi ) ask the world, ‘ Where is the child who has been born the king of the Jews ? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage. ‘ ” Matthew 2:2 ( This week’s blog will reflect on the STAR. ) These three ( or more ) people with power, saw a certain star in the sky, and heard a message that a new king was to be born. By the time they arrive, the baby is born. The Magi were possibly from Persia. They were people who looked at the stars for wisdom. We might call them astrologers today. They may have forecasted the future for their own people as part of their role in society. How did they go from seeing a new star, and knowing a new King was coming ? Maybe a dream ? One night, I would think, they noticed a new star in the sky. Or, maybe, someone else pointed it out to them . I would think they had to observe its movement for a month or maybe even a year. Then they must have decided, ” Let us hit the road.” I believe they must have had a large group of animals ( they needed food as well ), servants and other officials along with them. It may have been a great sight for this large group to enter the small town of Bethlehem. Today, many Christmas cards have the ‘Star’ in them. We see it as being over Bethlehem. On December 21, Jupiter and Saturn will be aligned in such a way to be called the ” Christmas Star “. Maybe, maybe it was the Star that the Wise Guys saw. There was a space conjunction in 7 B.C of these two planets. Maybe it took seven years for Melchior, Gaspar and Balthazar ( the names given to the three by the traditions of the church ) to figure it out, when exactly the time was for the King to be born ?! Most of my reflections today are from my imagination. Let the imagination of God becoming part of this world, as the baby wrapped in swaddling clothes, be part of your Christmas celebration this year. Find the Star in the sky, and in your hearts . Fred Tread on bold new paths Fireflies flash new direction Hope springs eternal! Monika Pieper Landoni 2020 |
