“Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come; the glory of the Lord shines upon you.”

The Feast of the Epiphany reveals Christ as Light—not only to Israel, but to all nations. Today we contemplate how God draws souls to Himself through light, grace, and divine guidance. Our Lord proclaims, “I am the light of the world; he who follows Me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” In the Nicene Creed we profess this same truth when we declare that Jesus Christ is “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.” Christ is not merely a teacher who points toward the truth; He is the Truth. He is the Light that dispels the darkness of sin, confusion, and death.

The star that led the Magi to Bethlehem was a special grace from God. While it may have appeared as a physical or astronomical phenomenon, it was far more than that. Alongside the visible star was an interior light—a supernatural prompting that stirred their hearts and moved their wills. This divine guidance led them from distant lands to seek not an earthly ruler, but the King of kings. God Himself drew them forward, step by step, until they knelt before the Christ Child in humble adoration.

Like the Magi, our own supernatural life is guided through this world toward eternity by grace. We cannot reach heaven by our own strength. Our Lord makes this clear when He says, “Without Me, you can do nothing.” We first received grace at Baptism, when original sin was washed away and sanctifying grace was infused into our souls. This sanctifying, or habitual, grace is a stable and supernatural disposition that enables us to live in friendship with God and to act according to His will. Alongside this, God gives us actual graces—supernatural helps granted at specific moments to enlighten the mind and strengthen the will. These graces assist us in performing good and salutary acts and pass once the action is complete.

The Magi themselves were moved by such actual grace. It made them attentive to the star in the sky and responsive to its meaning. They followed where God led, even when the journey was long, difficult, and uncertain. In the same way, actual grace can lead an unbeliever to seek the truth and ultimately to receive sanctifying grace through Baptism. It can lead a soul to come to know, love, and serve God in this life, so as to be happy with Him forever in heaven.

As we enter this New Year, let us pray for two things. First, for the actual graces we need to grow and strengthen our union with God. Second, for those who do not yet know His love. May fallen-away Catholics return to the harbor of truth, and may those who have never entered follow the light within their souls, until it leads them to the light in the sanctuary, proclaiming the living presence of Christ in the Blessed Sacrament.