And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
Quite a few years ago, I had the privilege of hearing a reflection by Fr. Paul Berg on the star that led the magi to their encounter with the baby Jesus. He explained that we usually think of the star cosmically–as the brightest amongst those in the night sky. Instead, he encouraged us to think of the star relationally. Very rarely, if ever, are we guided by the cosmos. Most often, we are guided by people. People lead us through and out of our darkest times, keeping us steady on the right path. People lead us to Christ.
This Epiphany, let’s spend a little time reflecting on who has been a guiding light in our lives. People can guide us by the advice they offer. However, I’ve been guided more often by the example of life that people around me offer. My sister, Celeste, and her husband, Eddie, exemplify this. They included me in many of their adventures when I was a teen, and I observed how they treated people with compassion and concern. After they married and had their child, Amie, they opened their home to a young man who had been kicked out of his house and was trying to put himself through high school at De La Salle. He became a part of the family, graduated, went on to college, and now works for DTE with his own family.
When my brother, Bruce, went through a divorce because of his addictions, he was not often around to take care of his children, Ian and Alyza. Celeste and Eddie welcomed them on the weekends, providing them with a loving and stable place of refuge during this turbulent time in their young lives. Alyza is now married with four children of her own, and Ian just got engaged.
When Amie was in high school, one of her friends was kicked out of her house. Once again, Celeste and Eddie added another child to their family. They explained to Amie that if they invited Jackie to live with them, she would be a part of their family, regardless of what happened. Jackie was with them only three weeks before finding out she was pregnant. Nine months later, they welcomed little Mackenzie into the family. Over the next three years, they tried to help Jackie with addictions, parenting, etc. She became pregnant a second time, and after Jayden was born, Jackie left. They have raised Mackenzie and Jayden on their own, helping them grow into loving and productive young ladies. They held true to their commitment when welcoming Jackie into their family.
Have my sister and brother-in-law lived perfect lives? No, they have had their struggles, just like the rest of us. However, their faithful love lived out for others inspires me to be a better disciple of Christ. We all have people who show us the way. Who are yours? How do they inspire you to live Christ’s love in your life?
– Fr. Chris Talbot
