St John of the Cross Ascent of Mount Caramel
, 1.11
matter that the bird is held by a thin wire or a rope? The thread that holds a slight thought the bird as it remains attached to the rope, and while he will not have broken, he can fly ... And yet he only needs a good kick-wing to break the thread that bound.
Benedict
XVI Homily January 6, 2007
We have seen his star in the East and are come to worship the Lord (cf. Mt 2, 2). What convinced the Magi that the child was "King of the Jews" and the King of nations? They certainly have been persuaded by the sign of the star they had seen "rise" and who had stopped precisely on the whereabouts of the Child (cf. Mt 2, 9). But even the star would not have sufficed if the Magi were not people who are profoundly open to the truth. Unlike King Herod, absorbed by his interest power and wealth, the Magi were directed toward the goal of their research, and when they found it, although they were cultured men, they behaved like the shepherds of Bethlehem: they recognized the sign and adored the child, offering him the precious and symbolic gifts they had brought with them.
