Portent: 'What’s going on in the Sky?'

Por·tent  noun 1. a sign or warning that something, especially something momentous or calamitous, is likely to happen.

Imagine it's a mild winter night over 2000 years ago in Bethlehem and you are there walking through the town, just pulling your donkey by a leash, minding your own business, when you see a crowd gathering in the distance. As you approach them you hear their voices buzzing with wonder and awe. They point to the sky and strain their necks to see something extraordinary.

A woman cries out, "What's going on in the sky?"

When you look up you see it too. "Whoa! That's so strange! What is that?" you ask.

"It's a star...I think", says one man. "Why is it hovering over us? It must be something bad", says another. 

Suddenly, you have an ephiphany. "It must be a sign. Perhaps, a new King is to be born? Maybe this is the advent of the Christ Child!"

They all reply in unison..."Ya right. Ha, Ha good one." 

What’s going on in the Sky? Drones? Aliens? Government Secret?

Fast foward to the year 2024...As Christmas approaches we again hear the same anxious cries, "What's going on in the sky?"

While UFO sightings have always been in the news off and on there has been something different happening for the past few weeks. A series of unidentified drone sightings near U.S. military installations and over residences in New Jersey, Connecticut and Oregon since mid-November. The U.S. Government has no answer. Everyone is frustrated by their incompetence or deception. 

“Mystery Drone sightings all over the Country. Can this really be happening without our government’s knowledge. I don’t think so!” Trump wrote on Truth Social on Friday. “Let the public know, and now. Otherwise, shoot them down!!!”

The current freak out over the ongoing mysterious 'drones' or UAP’s or UFO sightings is happening at a time when Christians are currently thinking about a strange portent in the sky over 2000 years ago which the Magi, Wise Men from the East followed, the Star of Bethlehem. In the case of the Star of Bethlehem the portent was momentous because it signified good news: the coming of the King, the birth of the Messiah. It was accompanied by the angels descending on the hillsides of Bethlehem to bring glad tidings to the shepherds. 

A Portent of Calamity

That’s not to say everyone was happy about it. For Herod the Great it was his worst nightmare. It was, for all wicked people and demons, a portent of calamity. It marked the end of the reign of Satan over the world. As C. S. Lewis put it, the nativity scene represented the King coming to overthrow his enemies, “Enemy-occupied territory---that is what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed, you might say landed in disguise, and is calling us to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.”

Experts are Baffled

Scientists today acknowledge that there was likely something unusual in the sky over Bethlehem when Christ was born. If you ask them what it was, their answers sounds like the American government’s answers about the mysterious ‘drones’. "We are not sure what it was that the Wise Men or Magi were seeing. It could have been several planetary bodies converging as one giant luminous mass or it could have been Haley’s Comet or it could have been a supernova”. 

A Miraculous Sign 

For believers, the Star of Bethlehem was a miraculous sign given by God and confirmed by his angelic messengers.  

“...magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,  saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage” (Mt 2:1-2).

It was a common ancient belief that a new star appeared at the time of a ruler’s birth. Matthew also draws upon the Old Testament story of Balaam, who had prophesied that “A star shall advance from Jacob” (Nm 24:17), though there the star means not an astral phenomenon but the king himself.

“And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary, his mother”  (Mt 2:9-11).

A Star or Angels?

In the book of Revelation stars represented angels in heaven. This is why in Rev 12:4, a  "dragon sweeping away stars" refers to Satan, depicted as a dragon, bringing many other rebellious angels with him to earth before he is cast out of heaven by Saint Michael and the good angels. 

In the gospel of Luke angels are the luminous portent in the sky above the shepherds not a star.  “Now there were shepherds in that region living in the fields and keeping the night watch over their flock. The angel of the Lord appeared to them and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were struck with great fear. Since they were angels they had a message: 

The angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for behold, I proclaim to you good news of great joy that will be for all the people.For today in the city of David a savior has been born for you who is Messiah and Lord.  And this will be a sign for you: you will find an infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.” And suddenly there was a multitude of the heavenly host with the angel, praising God and saying: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests” (Lk 2:8-14). 

Wise Men still seek Him

Like the Star of Bethlehem, "Wisdom is radiant and unfading, and she is easily discerned by those who love her, and is found by those who seek her" (Wisdom 6:12-16).

It’s important to know what is flying over our homes and people should be aware and concerned but we run the risk of losing our Advent focus if we become fearful and overcome with dread. Whatever is happening over the sky in New Jersey and other states we ares till in Advent and so we can be sure that the Savior is coming. We are preparing for that momentous occasion.

In a few weeks at Christmas Mass He will be born again in the hearts of the faithful. No matter the distractions, His star is still shining over his Church, the House of Bread,  and our eyes should never be drawn away from it.  Fools set their eyes only on the things of this world. Wise men, like the three from the East 2000 years ago, still seek Him.