On your marks, get set…. GO! Drawing new maps of hope in the New Year by Michelle Tan

“Seeing the sun, the moon, and the stars, I said to myself, who could be the Master of these beautiful things? And I felt a great desire to see him, to know him, and to pay him homage.”

(St Josephine Bakhita)

Yes, we are still in the Octave of Christmas, the celebration of the arrival of Emmanuel—who is, who was and who will be—God-with-us forever. And in a few days, the Church will be celebrating the Solemnity of the Epiphany—the revelation of Christ to the world—as symbolised by the Magi who sought, and then found, Him by following the Star of Bethlehem.

The Gospel of that day tells:

“Falling to their knees, they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.”

(Matthew 2:11–12)

Having personally encountered the Lord, they went home by a new route, filled with new hope, drawing—for all whom they witnessed to along the way—a new map of hope to lead them, in hope, to Hope Incarnate.

Stars of Bethlehem

Maps and navigational aids like compasses did not exist in the time of Christ. Ancient mariners and travellers relied heavily on landmarks, memories of roads traversed, familiar coastlines, and the sun and the stars for navigation. Inclement weather made travel very hazardous, especially at sea.

When the Magi returned from Bethlehem to their respective countries by a different route, they had to navigate by observing differing positions of the sun and stars through unfamiliar terrain. Doubtless it took all their wisdom and ingenuity to make it back safely. But it is unlikely they undertook such a challenging journey alone.

As Catholic educators, to whom Christ has been revealed in as diverse ways as there are Christians, we too are not alone in our educational challenges. Our help comes from unexpected allies, as Pope Leo XIV revealed during the Jubilee of the World of Education in the 2025 Year of Hope.

At a private audience in Rome, he told the students in attendance that they were “not just recipients of education, but its protagonists.”

He called on them “to join forces to open a new season of education, in which all of us—young people and adults—become credible witnesses of truth and peace.”

He said:

“Each of you is a star, and together you are called to guide the future.”

Stars, Like Saints

Stars are made of clouds of dust and gas.

Man was created from the dust of the earth.

When gravity pulls gas and dust clouds closer together, and its mass, pressure and temperature rise enough to trigger nuclear fusion in its core, the intense energy released generates heat and light, and a star is born. When the power of the Holy Spirit works within us, our zeal for God and His gifts are fanned into a flame and a disciple is born—bringing the Word of Life and Light of Christ to the world, just as the light of the sun brings life on earth.

Stars come in different sizes, colours, temperatures and levels of brightness—the biggest and hottest stars are blue and blaze bright, while the coolest and smallest stars are red and dim. We too are of different sizes, colours and builds, with different gifts and charisms, and different levels of spirituality.

Stars burn for billions of years before their internal fuel runs out, and they die. We were created to shine for all eternity.

But, as St Anthony of Padua wrote:

“The saints are like the stars. In his providence, Christ conceals them in a hidden place that they may not shine before others when they might wish to do so.”

And, as Pope Leo warns:

“Without silence, without listening, without prayer, even the light of the stars goes out…”

If we do not have a deep relationship with the Holy Spirit—the engine of spiritual growth—without whom we are unable to call out “Abba, Father!” or proclaim “Jesus is Lord!”, our stars may burn bright, but briefly.

Catholic Schools, Like Constellations

In the universe, stars are seldom solitary (although they appear to be so because of their vast distances from earth)—they naturally gravitate into star clusters, nebulae or galaxies.

Pope Leo observed:

“A single star on its own remains just a point of light. But when it joins with others, it forms a constellation, like the Southern Cross.”

On the cusp of the Epiphany of the Lord, as Catholic educators in Catholic schools, let us meditate on the Pope’s words that followed:

“When many lives, like stars, come together and form a pattern, we form educational constellations that guide the path forward.

Do you know how many stars there are in the observable universe? An impressive and wonderful number: a sextillion stars—that is, a 1 followed by 21 zeros! If we divided them among the 8 billion people on Earth, each person would have hundreds of billions of stars.

With the naked eye, on clear nights, we can see about five thousand. Even though there are billions upon billions of stars, we only see the closest constellations; yet these are enough to point us in a direction, as when navigating the sea.

Travellers have always found their way by the stars. Sailors followed the North Star; Polynesians crossed the ocean by memorising star maps. Even the Magi followed a star to reach Bethlehem and worship the Baby Jesus.

Like them, you too have guiding stars: parents, teachers, priests and good friends, who are like compasses that help you not to lose your way amid the ups and downs of life. Like them, you are called to become shining witnesses for those around you.

Education brings people together into lively communities and organises ideas into constellations of meaning. As the prophet Daniel writes, ‘Those who lead many to righteousness shall shine like the stars forever’ (Dan 12:3).

How wonderful! We are stars indeed, because we are sparks of God. To educate means to cultivate this gift.

Education, in fact, teaches us to look upward, always higher. When Galileo Galilei pointed his telescope at the sky, he discovered new worlds: the moons of Jupiter, the mountains of the Moon. Education is like a telescope that allows you to look beyond and discover what you would not see on your own…”

A New Year Resolution

We spent 2025 building up spiritual muscle and preparing ourselves to be ON OUR MARKS—the 5 Essential Marks of Catholic Schools.

During Advent, we were preparing to GET SET in heart and mind to launch ourselves not only towards Christ’s First Coming at Christmas, but also for His Second Coming at the end of time, when all Creation as we know it will be made new.

In this New Year ahead, let us GO to be guiding lights leading others to an encounter with Christ, and then giving them a new map of hope to show them a new way home.

In the words of St Paul, let us GO to:

“Shine out like bright stars in the world, proffering to it the Word of life.

Then [we] shall have reason to be proud on the Day of Christ, for it will not be for nothing that [we] have run the race and toiled so hard.”

(Philippians 2:15–16)

Emmanuel, Morning Star and Prince of Peace, have mercy on us!

Mary, Mother of God and Star of the Sea, pray for us!