Have you ever looked into the night sky and observed the thousands of stars in the galaxy?  It is an amazing site!  I think one of the most common human experiences is looking up at all of those stars and asking how it all came to be.  Where do we fit into this vast cosmos?  Does god really “see me” in my ordinary life?  How can I compare with the brilliance of even the dimmest star that I see?

In October 1957, the night skies suddenly changed.  The Soviet Union launched Sputnik, the first unmanned satellite, into orbit around the earth.  Almost immediately everyone’s eyes became fixed on the night sky.  I remember my Dad stopping the family car, a red Dodge station wagon, on the road by our farmhouse in Traverse City, MI, and pointed out to us the constellations in the night sky.  He wondered aloud about the possibility of life on other planets, flying saucers, and if he would be able to recognize them or Sputnik if either passed overhead.  Now and then he would claim to see something that didn’t look right, something that didn’t look quite natural in that night sky.  Try as I might, I never saw anything but a sky full of stars.  I guess I wasn’t looking through the right eyes.

As I read today’s gospel, I couldn’t help but wonder what the night sky looked like leading up to the birth of Christ.  Twenty-first century astronomers tell us that there was an unusual celestial phenomenon of some kind that occurred around the time of Christ’s birth.  Perhaps it was a huge comet, or the convergence of several planets that gave off an unusually bright light.  Was that what the Magi saw in the night sky?  I can only wonder.

But, what I really wonder about is what moved the Magi to leave their homes and follow the star.  I understand the various theories about the Magi being wise men, astrologers, or members of a priestly caste of the Medes.  Whatever they actually were, I wonder about their response to the appearance of the star.  Whatever their usual life was, traveling across a vast desert, by camel, was far more difficult and dangerous.  Why did they notice the star that obviously failed to attract the attention of nearly everyone else in the Holy Land?  What was it about that star that moved them to follow it and leave their comforts for an uncertain destination?

I think it is reasonable to propose that the Magi saw the star with what one writer called “eyes of faith.”  They did not know what they were going to find at the end of their journey; in fact, I think their expectations must have been vastly different from what they found.  According to popular legend, they found a baby lying in a manger, surrounded by people of no wealth or position, and several farm animals.  Do you think that expectation would have sent them on their journey?  I certainly don’t.  But, as I said, they must have viewed the star with eyes of faith, and they trusted that the one who had given this sign had something of great value and importance for them to see.

And what about inattention of the inhabitants of Judah, how did they miss this sign that was so obvious and compelling to the Magi?  Perhaps they were so caught up in their lives that they failed to take note of the signs of God’s presence around them.  They had shops to keep, and flocks to tend.  They had taxes to pay, and children to raise.  They had crops to plant, and elders to care for.  They were so busy in their everyday lives, that they didn’t take the time, or make the time, to look for the signs through which God was revealing Himself to them.  They were so caught up in what they expected the Messiah to look like, that they failed to recognize him when he was right there under their noses.

And what about the way I live my life?  I think of the lives of the Israelites of Jesus’ time, and I see my life in how they lived theirs.  I’m busy tending the store, raising the kids, paying the taxes and caring for the elders just like they were.  And so I have to stop and ask myself, “Am I missing the signs that God is sending to me to reveal his presence in the world of 2009?  Am I making the time to look for those signs, or am I waiting for God to send me something spectacular to get my attention?  Do I need a Sputnik launch or a fantastic astral event before I’ll pay attention?”  If I do, then it is sad for me.  Because just as the Christ child did not fit Israel’s expectation of a Messiah, the signs that God gives us today often don’t fit our expectation of what divine communication should look like.

Do we recognize God speaking to us in the daily trials of raising and supporting our families?  Do we recognize God speaking to us in the struggling economy?  Do we recognize God speaking to us in the plight of the homeless?  Do we recognize God speaking to us in time of peace and plenty?  I don’t believe God sits back callously and allows pain and suffering the world.  God speaks to us through these awful situations and challenges us, individually and collectively, to be his hands on this earth.  It is our job to work to alleviate the suffering of all of his children.  And by doing so, we will become that bright star that compels others to follow and come to know God.  It is in our actions that we illuminate the night sky, and invite others to look with “eyes of faith” and say, “There is good reason to follow the star.”