Author: Joseph Wehbe
By now most of us have put up Christmas lights, are listening to Christmas carols and hymns on replay (this I am guilty of), have set up a Christmas tree and placed a nativity under it. Oh, and don’t forget the star on top of the tree! Why the star you may ask? Well, the star is the sign that leads to the manger. The star is the light that points toward the true light as it is sung in the famous Christmas carol, We Three Kings (if you end up singing it out loud as you read it, you’re not the only one):
Ooo Ooo Star of Wonder, star of night, star with royal beauty bright. Westward leading, still proceeding, guide us to Thy perfect Light.
The Maronite divine offering, for the joyous birth of John the Baptist (Maronite Liturgical Calendar this Sunday), alludes to the star as a person. That person is the newborn John, the son of Zechariah and Elizabeth. Zechariah, his father, prophesied in his praises to God: “you will go before the Lord to prepare His way...to shine on those who dwell in darkness and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” (Luke 1:76,79)
In a couple of weeks, the Christmas novena will begin. This is a tradition in the Maronite church that consists of fasting, abstinence and adoration of the Eucharist daily. It is a way to prepare our bodies, minds and hearts for the coming of Jesus. During adoration a prayer is prayed that focuses on a unique characteristic of who God is and why He chose to become incarnate through His Son Jesus. One of the hymns chanted called Arsal Allah also known as God sent His only Son, is a reflective journey of the events that took place leading up to the glorious birth. As I mentioned in my previous article, most of the hymns in the Syriac Maronite tradition reveal the faith of its people and the beliefs that they cherish and live by. In the second stanza of the first verse the lyric reads “His star was seen on high, shining brightly in the East, as foretold in Balaam's words.” Balaam was a wise man who prophesied of a star that would be a sign of the coming of a king: “a star shall come out of Jacob, and a sceptre shall rise out of Israel.” (Numbers 24:17) This is fulfilled by the journey made by the wise men as the hymn goes on to say: “Wise men, led by the star, to the place where Jesus lay.”
The star was not just a sign for those who lived 2023 years ago, it is a sign for us today. God, the provider, is giving us a sign to prepare for the gift of His only Son. He desires to lighten up the dark areas of our lives and hearts with a light of hope, a voice that cries out good news for us all.
Holy Spirit, through the intercession of St John the Baptist, place us as a star in the sky of the lives of those who are seeking out a sign of hope. Amen.
Joseph is a lay Chaplain at Catholic Care Western Sydney and Blue Mountains, Volunteer Assistant Chaplain at Westmead Hospital and is currently undertaking a Graduate Certificate in Missionary Leadership in 2024 at the Arete Centre for Missionary Leadership. He is also Choir Leader and assists with Adult faith formation at St Raymond’s Maronite Parish in Sydney.
