The Three Wise Men’s journey to Bethlehem reminds me of a journey I made in August 2011. I got on a plane to Rome to begin my seven-year training for the priesthood. At the time, I thought I was merely making a physical journey, a geographical journey from London to the Eternal City. But it didn’t take long for me to realise that, in fact, I was making a spiritual journey. Like the three Wise Men, I had a destination in sight – my priestly ordination seven years down the line – but I had no idea what was going to happen before I got there.
Today, we’re celebrating the Epiphany of the Lord when we remember the three Wise Men journeying to see the baby Jesus. The journey of the three Wise Men from the East must have appeared foolish to many. They could have stayed in their comfortable homes, but they did not. No doubt they encountered many difficulties, and faced moments of doubt and danger. Yet, they persevered and were rewarded when they finally found Jesus in Bethlehem.
Though the light of a star guided them, they did not know where the star would lead them. Just as I knew, or at least hoped, that my journey in 2011 would lead to my ordination, though I had no idea of the struggles and challenges that I would be facing. Hence, the three Wise Men’s journey was very much a journey of faith. And even when they saw the child, they still had to make an act of faith. Seeing is not necessarily believing. They needed faith to know that the baby in the manger was indeed the Word made flesh.
The journey of the three Wise Men symbolises our journey of faith, and it can serve as a model for that journey. We all have spiritual journeys to make. It is part and parcel of being a Christian. A Christian’s life does not stand still. There is a journey each of us has to make through which we can get to know ourselves, our neighbours and our Creator. And just as the three Wise Men were guided by the light of a star, so we are guided by the light of faith.
You will have noticed that the Wise Men travelled as a trio, not as individuals. They travelled in a little community of three, three believers. In this way, they supported one another. Likewise, as Christians, we must not try to make the journey of faith alone. I would never have completed my training in Rome if I did not have companions along the way. Here at St Theresa’s, we too travel with our brothers and sisters in the Christian community we call a parish, and so are able to support one another.
We have one great advantage over the three Wise Men. At the start of their journey, they knew nothing about Christ. We already know Christ, and have encountered him in faith. Nevertheless, the fact that we haven’t seen him face to face means we haven’t yet arrived at our final destination. In that sense, we are still searching, still journeying.
I am an ordained priest now. My Roman adventure is over, but my my spiritual journey is not. The journey of faith is the journey of a lifetime, and in a sense we never arrive in this life. The goal of our journey is to arrive at the heavenly Bethlehem, to see Christ in glory.
