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Center for Catholic Education at UD

Be the Light

By Lindsey Bronder

As a child, I always enjoyed celebrating the Epiphany with the Gospel story of the three wise men and singing the Christmas hymn “We Three Kings” at Mass. My family used to even leave out hay the night before to feed the camels of the wise men as they made their journey. According to legend, three wise men or kings visited the baby Jesus to pay homage to him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Also known as magi, these three were astrologers or people who watched the stars for signs. As said in “We Three Kings”, they followed a ‘star of wonder’ that guided them to Bethlehem from the comfort of their homeland in the Far East.

Since they were foreigners and Gentiles (not Jews), this story shows that Jesus came to save all people, not just his fellow Jews. As Catholic educators, this story can be an important reminder that we should, like the star, guide all of our students to Jesus. So how can you strive this year to be a star leading those who are not Catholic closer to Jesus? How can you encourage them to embark on a journey of faith, to leave behind what they know and what is comfortable? What can you do to make that journey more comfortable for them as they seek out God? Just as I used to leave out hay for the wise men’s camels, as teachers we can nourish our students seeking God by giving them gentle encouragements to explore the Catholic faith. We can encourage them to be like the wise men: to be curious and open to the mystery of God.


Edited by Barb Miller.

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