Star-Gazer: Elizabeth Seton’s Journey of Faith Epiphany, season of journeys, offers starlight as guide for the yet-uncharted paths of our own interior life. With the Magi and Elizabeth Ann, we ‘walk by faith and not by sight.’ prepared by Sr. Mary McCormick, SC

Response “You will come at last to know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” (Jn 8:32) Leader Star of Bethlehem, you were a maverick, appearing out of some deep corner of space, following no predictable course, sent to guide the Magi … who searched for truth and found Jesus, the morning star that never sets. Their place at the table of welcome acts as assurance for all who come to Jesus looking for light, looking for a place to call home.

Response “O my God! … your word is truth and without contradiction wherever it is! One faith, one hope, one Baptism I look for wherever it is, and I often think my sins, my miseries, hide the light. Yet will I cling to my God to the last, begging for that light, and never change until I find it.” (Praying With Elizabeth Seton, p.36) Leader Elizabeth, you risked everything to follow your own star, hoping against hope that it would lead you into a larger truth about home, presence, belonging.

Response “…we will go to judgment together, and present Our Lord with His own words; and if He says, “I did not mean that,” we will say, “Since You said You would always, even to the end of ages, be with this church you built with your Blood-- if you ever left it, it is your Word which misled us. Therefore, please pardon… (us) for Your own word’s sake. (Praying With Elizabeth Seton, p.36) Leader Elizabeth, maverick that you were, once convinced of the truth of your new-found belief, you let nothing stand in your way. Sailing on the high seas, confronted by danger on all sides, you plotted your own course to the Church, your ‘ark of refuge’.

Leader Elizabeth, like the Magi, you allowed yourself to be open to the surprises of God who cannot be contained in the ordinary and predictable. You walked in darkness, and found yourself transformed by the light. Response “Is it nothing to sleep serene under his guardian wing, to awake to the brightness of the glorious sun with renewed strength and renewed blessings— to be blessed with the power of instant communication with the Father of our spirits, the sense of his presence, the influences of his love.” (Praying With Elizabeth Seton, p.40)

Reflection What have been the-- perhaps surprising-- ways in which I have been led by the star of my truth? When did it bring me to a place where I knew ‘the sense of God’s presence, the influence of God’s love?’

Intercessions Let us pray for those who: Seek fulfillment in all the wrong places Cannot seem to find their way to peace or reconciliation Are caught in the grip of poverty, homelessness, war Fall through the cracks of our economic, health and judicial ‘systems’ Are neither wanted nor loved And who…

Let us pray As we celebrate your feast today, Elizabeth, we rejoice in your courage, fidelity, integrity. When the shadows of the night threaten to overwhelm us, let us remember that darkness is the pre-requisite for seeing starlight. May the star that guided your journey be with us to enlighten ours. We ask this in Jesus’ name. Amen.