O my God, I thank Thee for the inestimable gift of faith which Thou hast bestowed upon me. Grant that I may always acknowledge this Thy mercy with thanksgiving; and this not only in words, but in making a good use of it. This grace I ask through Thy sweet name, Jesus. Amen.
In trying to lead a good Christian life you will often meet with contradictions and persecutions, even from your associates. But the Wise Men included the myrrh of mortification among their gifts. He who wants to lead a life of purity will necessarily meet with many persecutions and crosses, and only when he has taken up the cross can he follow the divine Redeemer. The faith of Christ cannot exist without the bitter herb of mortification. This faith is the power that conquers the world, and the world's insults. Let us then be firm in our faith as the three kings were in all their trials, for they had many a one to encounter before they found the cave of Bethlehem. Let us show our appreciation then by our zeal and our holy lives. "He is my God, and I will glorify Him: the God of my father, and I will exalt Him."--Exod. xv. 2. The holy man Job will be an example to us as to how we should serve God in trials and tribulations. Though the Lord allowed great sufferings to come upon him, and precisely because he had been good, still he remained true and firm and would not make a compromise with the devil, his persecutor. Job was thankful for everything that came from the hands of God. He praised God for it all his days.
O my God, how good it is to serve Thee thus, and to give ourselves wholly to Thee. Give to me as Thou didst to the Magi the spirit of wisdom, of prayer, and of sacrifice, so that, following Thee through all my life, I may reach a happy eternity. Amen.
It is a singular fact that the star disappeared at Jerusalem, though that was not, as yet, the place where the new-born King of the Jews was to be looked for. Herod was the temporal king of Jerusalem; the high priest and the doctors of the Law were also there. As this was the seat of the religion of the people of God, here were made many prophecies that were to be accomplished. We should have thought that here also the star would have been seen. Jerusalem, however, remains in darkness, the people that were to be the recipients of God's promises are passed over, and the great grace of vocation was given to men who knew nothing of the testament of God--to pagans. The star appears to them and illuminates the darkness in which they find themselves, and calls them to a heavenly light. Our Lord explained this Himself afterwards, when He said that from the rising to the setting of the sun would come those who would sit at His banquet, while the "children of the kingdom" should go out empty-handed, for they deserved no better treatment because of their infidelity and presumption.