The disciple said to the elder:
“Father, yesterday at noon, when the sun was burning without a cloud, I saw you sitting quietly and looking upward. And you said: I am watching the stars. How can anyone watch stars in full daylight?”
The elder answered:
“Son, the stars are not seen only with the eyes. They are seen with a heart that is not blinded by the brightness of the world. Noon hides them, but does not move them.”
The disciple said:
“And in church, when everyone was singing, you were silent. And you told me: I am singing; only the stars hear me. How can silence be a song?”
The elder said:
“Song is not only voice, son. It is the placing of the heart in its right place. When the heart sings, the stars hear, even if people hear nothing.”
The disciple said again:
“And on the road, Father, you were walking slowly, as if counting your steps. And you said: I walk from star to star. What does that mean?”
The elder answered:
“Son, the one who knows his path does not walk according to the haste of the world, but according to the light that does not change. The stars are no joke; they are the only things that remain in their place, no matter the noise, the hour, or the pace.”
The disciple asked:
“But why does no one see them, Father?”
The elder said:
“Because people look only at what shines loudly. The stars shine truly. The heavens declare the glory of God even when no one sees them — and especially then.”
The elder concluded:
“Son, the man who seeks the stars at noon is not foolish. He is simply a man who does not want to forget where he stands.”
