When Jesus was born in the village of Bethlehem in Judea, Herod was king. During this time some wise men from the east came to Jerusalem and said, “Where is the child born to be king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” Matthew 2:1-2

‘We saw his star in the east’.

The grandeur of Tissot’s Magi delights me each year. The caravan suggests importance, substance and intent in the journey. For me this is a large front and centre statement directed at the viewer about curiosity: Follow your curiosity!

In Ignatian terms this may translate into ‘follow the movement’ ie notice when something stirs within your body or emotions, typically. It asks us to pay attention, to look for and expect hints as to where God may be active for and in us. We watch, we wait and we pray. This is an Advent motif but also works well for us through out the year.

If the Sprit of God is within us transforming us into God’s likeness then presumably we can increasingly expect to trust ourselves. Its not carte balance (we are also advised to be humble about really knowing our motives, Proverbs 16) but what might Christ likeness look and feel like? A familial tug, a kindred sense, an intuitive smell for Presence perhaps? We all

ought to be explorers...
For a further union, a deeper communion
Through the dark cold and empty desolation
-TS Eliot, East Coker V, The four Quartets

There is another painting, by Leonart Branmer, that has caught my eye. It echoes Eliot’s ‘dark cold and empty desolation’ depiction. I forget that bandits and wild animals were a threat on such routes. But I also like the idea of angels leading them, provoking the possibility of joining curiosity with divine leading - the wise men are guided through the unknown and into deeper communion and further union.

Leonaert Bramer, Journey of the three Magi to Bethlehem