An Advent Prayer for December 5

Holy Star

William Cullen Bryant (19^th century)

 

O Father, may that holy Star

Grow every year more bright,

And send its glorious beams afar

To fill the world with light.

 

 

            Our granddaughter, the lovely Madelyn Simone, is quite the singer.  One of the first songs she learned was “Twinkle, twinkle, little star, how I wonder what you are.”  Indeed, that must be the question addressed to the star that greeted the birth of Christ.  What are you? 

The ‘holy star’ that Bryant writes of was preserved for the ages by Matthew, who quotes the group of wise men: “Where is the child?  We saw his star in the east.”   The answer to their question came through the star, for “the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.”

            Was the star supernaturally bright?  Was the star at its zenith in the days following the birth of the baby? Or were the eyes of the wise men opened to what had been present all along? Perhaps the answer is all of the above.

            While Bryant may have prayed for the light to grow supernaturally, it was in Christ that the everlasting light shone in the darkness. He told his followers, “I am the light of the world.”  Indeed, in Him the people who walked in darkness have seen a great light. 

            But the light of the star and the light of his own presence wasn’t enough for Jesus.  He turned the tables as he so often did and told his followers, “You are the light of the world.”  When the light of Christ is reflected in his followers, the holy Star grows brighter.  “Shine, Jesus, shine!”

 

Prayer Focus: the light of Christ