Wise

What is the first image that comes to mind when you hear that word?  It’s an easy answer for me – the three wise men following the star.   For many, once Christmas Day is over, that is the end of the season.  Trees and decorations get taken down, music on the radio returns to “normal” and our mindset is on to the new year and what surprises that may bring.  However, in our home, we’re getting excited about celebrating Epiphany, which is recognizing and being thankful for the challenging journey that these three men took, believing that they were following something that was so much larger than themselves.  To honor their journey, my husband and I, in the past, have extended invitations to our small group of amazing church friends for breakfast in our home on Epiphany Sunday, following Mass.  None of our friends were asked to bring any food.  My husband and I love to prepare the feast, and I actually save recipes all during the year in anticipation of our event.  We also lovingly select, purchase and wrap a special gift for each couple, to thank them for their friendship all during the year, just as the three wise men brought gifts to the baby Jesus.  When this word, wise, came to me, I was curious – Why were they called wise men?  What denotes when someone is considered wise?   So, naturally, I pulled out my phone (isn’t technology wonderful) and typed in “Why were they called wise men?”  Various sources came up, but the one that piqued my curiosity was from answers.com.  After reading through the article, just one sentence was all I needed to hear.  “They were wise because they recognized the sign (a star) and acted.”  The next sentence was “they were astrologers, which required a type of education, and therefore, they were considered wise.”  Education and learning are important for our self-knowledge and growth, but true wisdom (I believe) comes from a different kind of knowledge.  Being wise is more than being “book smart.”  When you and I make decisions, we might think later, “Was that a wise decision?”  I bet the three wise men asked that same question along their journey.  There are many times in our lives that we’ve made both wise and not so wise decisions.  Many times, we “follow” things and people that take us off our path towards the true wise one – Jesus.   We think WE know what the wise thing is to do, but our vision suddenly gets clearer when searching for the star that matters most.  Let’s remember to ask ourselves what is the true star we are following, and will it take us to the place when the baby Jesus is laying in his manger?  I know I want to be one of the wise “men” simply because I recognized the signs all around me, every day, and acted.  How about you?

“When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with great joy.  And going into the house, they saw the child with Mary, his mother, and they fell down and worshiped him.”  Matthew 2:10-11