Looking up to the Stars

“Ideals are like stars; you will not succeed in touching them with your hands, but like the sailor who has set out deep on the waters, you choose the stars as your guides, and in following them, you may reach your destiny, find your way home.” -Carl Schulz, USA Senator from Wisconsin

We are all on a journey. And sometimes it can be a rough one. It’s so easy to get tossed around by the waves of life that we can find ourselves completely lost. We need stars, fixed points in the sky that aren’t subject to the movement of the waters, by which we can navigate our ships and make our way home.

For Saint Francis and Saint Clare of Assisi, the life of Christ and his Blessed Mother were their stars, their ideals. No matter how high the waves may get, no matter how crazy or difficult life may become, like the saints, we too can look up to these stars to rise above it all, to feel their constancy, to enjoy their beauty as they shine brightly against the dark sky, and to make our way home.