On the feast of the Epiphany, 2006, my son and I attended mass at St. Procopius Abbey. The abbot, Fr. Dismas Kalcvic, presided. And he preached a sermon on the passages from the gospel of Matthew regarding the coming of the Magi after the birth of Jesus.

I won't try and reproduce the sermon verbatim here. Instead, I've added this bit of commentary here, in my section on self-criticism, as I feel that, whether you are a Christian, an atheist or of any or no particular belief these observations apply to daily life in a way we should all be aware of. Now it may not be, in your world system, a star portending divine intervention, but it may be something that marks a need for change or action. And as such, I hope my paraphrasing of the abbot's words may be of some use to you.

To summarize the basis for the sermon for those not familiar with the gospel writings (Matthew 2: 1- 12) Jesus has been born in Bethlehem. His age is not given but it's assumed to be less than two years old from other later parts of the writings (not discussed here). From the east come travelers variously described as "wise men", "kings", "magicians" or "astrologers." It is traditionally believed there were three but that is not clear from any documentation available. They have some knowledge of both the stars and the Hebrew tradition of the Messiah. In their observations of the stars they have seen a sign (a star) that this Messiah, the King of the Jews, has been born. And they have traveled from their homelands to pay him homage. They meet with Herod, current king in Jerusalem, and ask about the birth of this new king. Herod, shocked and troubled at a possible rival, consults his religious counselors who tell him and the wise men that the king is to be born in Bethlehem. Heord sends the visitors off with instructions to find this king and report back to him so that he too may come to worship. The wise men find the child and off both homage and gifts (of gold, frankincense and myrrh: symbols of kingship, divinity and death respectively). In a dream they are warned not to return to Herod and so they go back home via another route.

The abbot pointed out that this story contains five separate points that we would do well to use in our lives. His points centered on God's presence in our lives but a more secular interpretation is possible regarding how to live. I will keep to the abbot's premise but I think the thesis is of wider applicability.

First: be aware. These wise men searched the sky, on a regular basis, looking for a sign of divine will and intervention. They were attentive. They kept their eyes open as it were.

Second: when they saw the sign of God's presence they acted. This is something we can do: open our eyes and when we see the signs act! And the action we are called to take may not be either easy or simple. The wise men had no easy mode of transportation. They packed what they needed and set off willing to brave whatever obstacles were in their path. If we are really seeking God, the abbot noted, we may not find an easy route.

Third: we may meet people who will impede us or be duplicitous. Herod pretended to be interested but was really watching out for only his interests. We may find that there are many who, for whatever reason, have other agendas than those we are called to.

Fourth: when we reach our goal we need to give our all. The wise men offered their best. And if we are seeking God we will be called on to offer our best and not hold back.

Fifth: if we really follow this process we will find that the old roads we traveled in life are no longer appropriate. We have changed/been changed by God and cannot go back the way we came.

In any action in life I think these simple principles have some relevance: from a search for the divine to a desire to do the right thing. Thoughts and comments on this little essay are welcome.