A meditation by Fr. Eric Nicolai in Lyncroft Centre, Toronto, on January 3, 2021.

For the Church which believes and prays, the Wise Men from the East who, guided by the star, made their way to the manger of Bethlehem, are only the beginning of a great procession which winds throughout history.

Readings of today's Mass are from Book of Isaiah 60, 1-6 and Psalm 71 (72)

Isaiah 60, 6: "…camels in throngs will cover you, and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord."

Pope Benedict XVI says that all kinds of factors could have combined to generate the idea that the language of the star contained a message of hope. But none of this would have prompted people to set off on a journey, unless they were people of inner unrest, people of hope, people on the lookout for the true star of salvation. The men of whom Matthew speaks were not just astronomers. There were “wise.” They represent the inner dynamic of religion toward self-transcendence, which involves a search for truth, a search for the true God and hence “philosophy” in the original sense of the word.”

Restless? Meaning anxious to tap into something great and beautiful, outside ourselves, beyond ourselves, beyond what we can even imagine.

Music: Adrian Berenguer, Fall, Album Singularity (2017)

Image: Georges Trubert, France 1469, "The Adoration of the Magi". From the J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles.