A few years ago I had a conversation with a man in his late thirties. He told me that many of his contemporaries had no real source of guidance in their lives. “They have no north star,” is the way he put it. It is certainly true that there is a breakdown of trust in our society. Many people have lost faith in the major institutions that have been the bedrock of our way of life. We are missing a moral compass and things like consumerism, individualism and the social media are filling the vacuum.
On the feast of the Epiphany, sometimes referred to as ‘little Christmas’, we meet three men known as the Magi who had the courage to follow a new star that appeared in the sky. Their journey brought them to an unfamiliar place and to an unexpected discovery. They found a child who had come into the world to offer its peoples guidance and hope. So convinced were they of their discovery that their lives took a whole new direction and were given a new sense of purpose. It is not surprising we are told that they returned home by a different route (see Matthew 2:1-12).
The truth is there is a moral compass to guide us. We do have a ‘north star.’ This star is the person of Jesus discovered by the wise men in a stable in Bethlehem. Jesus is the Word of God who came among us to speak the truth that sets us free. He is the Wise Man who inspires and guides us. The teachings of Jesus provide us with meaning and give purpose and direction to our lives.
Let’s not allow the failures of the Church and her ministers prevent us from hearing the message of Jesus. The Church in her weakness may confuse and disappoint us, but Jesus will not. He has words of comfort and hope, words that will change the way we see ourselves, other people and the world around us. Peter once said to Jesus, “Lord, who else is there to go to; it is you who have the words of eternal life” (see John 6:68). Jesus is still the only one who can offer us the message of eternal life. It is he who is our ‘north star.’