It’s been one month since we celebrated Epiphany. Even though the Magi and all the other statues in our Nativity scenes are now packed away again in storage, we can imagine that if the real Magi had left Bethlehem in January, by now they might be back in their home countries.

We call them Magi, Wise Men or the Three Kings, though we may not know exactly who they were. We may not precisely know their roles in their home countries, but tradition tells us their names were Gaspar, Balthazar and Melchior.

These men studied the stars and probably prophecies of their faith traditions, and having identified a star they hadn’t seen before, they decided to see where it would lead them.  

They arrived in Jerusalem, a place where they thought the king of the Jews would reside. But from their encounter with King Herod (who was not born a Jew; historians believe his family were converts) and the Jewish leaders there, the Wise Men learned about the Jewish prophecy indicating that the Christ Child would be born in Bethlehem, not Jerusalem. 

After they found the Baby Jesus, adored him and presented him with their gifts, Scripture says they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod but to return to their own lands by another way (Matthew 2:12). 

We don’t know how far out of their way the Magi had to travel in returning home, but they likely left quickly and quietly.

Their dream and route change are symbolic of our own life journey as Christians, several Church Fathers have written, explaining that their obedient response to the dream shows their faith. 

St. Gregory the Great said in a homily that “we may learn much from this return of the Magi another way. Our country is Paradise, to which, after we have come to the knowledge of Christ we are forbidden to return the way we came. We have left this country by pride, disobedience, following things of sight, tasting forbidden food; and we must return to it by repentance, obedience, by contemning things of sight, and overcoming carnal appetite.”

Christ himself may have appeared to the Magi in their dream, another Father wrote (per the Catena Aurea, a compilation of the Church Fathers’ writings and homilies done by St. Thomas Aquinas; part of the Glossa Ordinaria, another summary). “The Magi’s new route is the Lord, who said, ‘I am the Way’ (John 14:6). Not that the infant actually speaks to them, that His divinity may not be revealed before the time, and His human nature may be thought real.”

Because of their faith, the Magi didn’t protest going the new way, St. John Chrysostom wrote, “for it is the special character of true faith that it asks for no reasons for the precepts put upon it but simply obeys what is commanded.” 

What about us? Which way are we headed?

For most of us, it’s not by mapping the stars but by using our GPS system that we reach unfamiliar locations. If we take a wrong turn from the route that’s shown on the car dashboard, GPS “recalculates” and finds a new way to our destination. 

Just as our GPS doesn’t leave us for lost if we don’t follow the digital arrow when we find ourselves on a precipitous path that may include uncharitable, judging, rash, presumptuous, impure thoughts, or even just worry, it’s also possible to “return by another way.”

Stopping and recognizing that we’re going the wrong direction in our thoughts is the first step in changing course. By casting ourselves upon the Lord’s mercy, I’ve found that He does make a way out to keep us from sinning or adding to our sins. 

Our Lady also will help us get out of a bad thought pattern if we meditate on the mysteries of the Rosary. Another way to “recalculate” is to recite a Psalm or Scripture passage. St. Paul explicitly guides us in what to think about in Philippians 4:8. 

Scripture says that the Magi rejoiced to see the star and the Newborn Lord (Matthew 2:10). I believe, despite the change of route, these first Gentiles to adore the Christ Child experienced peace and joy as they returned home. When we become stuck in negative thoughts, we also can find peace and joy if we let the Lord help us “return by another way.”