Come and SeeDecember 22, 2025

The season of Advent is a time, usually about four weeks, before Christmas. It is a time to prepare ourselves with spiritual practices for the feast of Christmas. It is time to be about soul things.

Advent is a call to patient waiting. It is a call to following the star, however, the star is manifested to us. It is a call to embracing the journey to salvation, which is born again within us. As this Advent ends for 2025, we can still spend time to quiet our hearts. We can still quiet the busyness of our lives. We still have time to listen to the call and to follow the star of new life. How, can I turn my attention inward with all the demands of this time of year? Perhaps the story of Befana may help to point the way to the star this year.

Befana is an Italian Legend of the three Kings. The legend begins as all of the stories of the Kings begin with them following the star. Theirs is not an easy journey across deserts and mountains. The journey takes them into many small villages and the star is often clouded over. So, they visit Herod in hopes that the reigning Monarch can aid their search. But alas, as many administrators he is suspicious and fearful of competition and asks them to stop back with directions to the new born King. It doesn’t seem the Monarch’s request portends good will and they learn in a dream that this is a bad idea, that Herod intends no good for the new King.

As they continue on their journey, the heat and the tedium bring on a weariness that threatens their health. So, the wise Kings stop at the Inn of Befana. She invites them in, provides a place for rest and some nourishment and hospitality for the night. Befana is busy about maintaining the cleanliness of the Inn. She spends most of their visit cleaning and cooking. The Kings are delighted with this service. They are very grateful for her kindness and as they share a meal she has prepared, they tell her of their journey to worship the newborn King. They also say that the newborn King is an answer to the prophets of old.

The Kings, in return for her kindness offer her the spiritual nourishment of traveling with them to see the newborn King. “Come with us. The star proclaims the birth of a new savior for the world. We are grateful to you for all your kindness and wish to gift you with this opportunity to see what God is doing in the world today.”

Befana is busy about many things, such as laundry, tidying up after guests, and just getting her house back in order. But, she agrees to the journey and says that she will be right behind them. “Just follow the star,” they say and are off to do just that.

After a night of straitening the house, Befana takes off to follow the star but unfortunately for her the clouds have covered up the possibility of seeing the star. Befana soon gives up and returns home. She chides herself for her foolish choice and laments missing her chance to worship the Prince of Peace. “What was I thinking,” Befana says to herself. “I have missed a wonderful opportunity for my life. My guests were Kings offering me a chance to meet the newborn King. They even said that Herod heard of him and was afraid to lose his power.” Befana laments at her choice, “The star was so bright. It obviously marked the coming of a new age for the world.”

Befana’s life changed with the visit of the kings. Each year around this time, she sets out again with a bag of toys in hopes of finding the Child she missed. She does not ever find that babe swaddled in a stable but she finds new life nonetheless. Befana is now aware that her need for cleanliness clouded the vision of the life that the Kings offered to her. Just as the clouds blocked her way to the newborn babe in the manager, she often blocked the vision of new life through her own choices.

I hope that this story is a reminder that there is always a new way to follow the God of our salvation. Sometimes it is a call to drop our busy-ness and accept the surprise invitation to come and see. Sometime a beautiful star is visible to those who have faith. Sometimes it is an opportunity to say yes to wherever we are led. As we end this holy season of Advent let us embrace this opportunity to be more than we can imagine as we are called to Christmas birth.

Let us pray.

Holy One, keep us alert to the many stars that lead our lives toward you. Help us to un-cloud our vision that the things of the world do not keep us from you. Teach us the most important choices are always ones that are engendered by love. May we shine as stars for all eternity Amen.

Sister Mary Ellen Brinovec