Is your celebration of Christmas over yet? --Not ours, nor the Church’s -- for today we celebrate a feast often referred to as “Little Christmas,” or the Feast of the Epiphany, or the Feast of the Three Kings. Traditionally, it was celebrated in the Western part of the Catholic Church on January 6th, right after the 12th day of Christmas (hence “little” Christmas). It was the real day when gifts were exchanged. In the earlier centuries, it was considered an even more important day than the feast of Christmas itself. Sadly, it has lost a lot of its significance, so much so that the Catholic Church decided to put it on a moveable date: the first Sunday after the first of the New Year, when it could be celebrated with greater attendance at Mass.
The symbolism of this Gospel story today gives us deeper insight into God’s love for us, and how we can better live the Christian life. Most of us have sweet memories of that time that our parents first brought us, as little children, to kneel at the Christmas crib and marvel at the peaceful scene before us. I recall that the baby Jesus had His arms reaching out, as if to embrace everyone in the world. That image sums up perfectly the meaning of His Epiphany (manifestation), to the Magi or Wise Men from the East. Jesus, sharing in our humanity, invites men and women of all nations and races to share in His kingdom.
The Magi were Gentiles, sincere men seeking the truth, and they made a long journey to find the Wisdom of the ages: Jesus. They offered Him gifts, which were perfectly appropriate: gold, which acknowledged His kingship; incense, which represented His divinity, and myrrh, which indicated the sacrifice He was to make for us.
The Magi worshipped Jesus and gave Him their most valuable gifts. What would be our most valuable gift that we could give to the newborn Christ? I’m not sure that there’s a right answer, but I think that there is no greater gift we could give than the gift of ourselves. By giving ourselves, we become disciples of Jesus. Pope John Paul II, in a homily on one Epiphany feast, invited all of us “to do everything that the Magi did: offer gifts – the gold of love, the incense of prayer and the myrrh of sacrifice.
God reveals Himself to us so that we will be epiphanies (manifestations) for others! Just as He revealed Jesus to the Magi from foreign countries, we must reveal Jesus to people who still do not know Him, or to those who need to know Him better, even among our friends, families, and neighbors. Christ, the light of our life, is “out there,” in the world. But He is also within us, to be revealed by our words and actions as people who have been redeemed out of love and who are to continue to spread that love to a world that has been darkened by sin.
Today, we also honor the Wise Men in their finding of Christ with the tradition of the 3 Kings brought from Central Europe: by invoking their intercession as we inscribe in blessed chalk on the main doorways of our home the initials of the traditional names of the Magi: namely, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. The inscription can be done this way: 20+C+M+B+12. The incense can be burned as desired at home, perhaps during a family prayer get-together (but please do it in a safe manner).
This Tuesday, after the 8:30 a.m. Mass, we will dismantle the Christmas decorations in church, as we have returned to Ordinary time in the Church calendar. I need some volunteers for about two hours to help our maintenance staff put away the manger and decorations and clean the sanctuary. A lunch will be served (as always) for those volunteers who help. Do you have the time and volunteer spirit to help?
This Sunday, after all of the weekend Masses, we vote in the Parish Family life Center for one of the proposed candidates for our Parish Pastoral Council. Their pictures and a brief biography have been posted near the entrances of our church and Parish Center. If you are a registered parishioner who is 18 or older, you may cast your ballot. The winner will serve a specified term on the Pastoral Council, which serves to give me advice in administering our parish. I thank the candidates for their willingness to serve.
Also, this Sunday in Kellaghan Hall, we will be drawing the winning prizes for our “early-bird special” raffle (those who already bought their $100 tickets for the Annual Parish Festival that occurs toward the end of next month). The winners are also eligible to win again in the drawing at the end of the festival!
We welcome back Father Jay Haskin, recently retired from the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont, who graciously assists us on weekdays and weekends in the midst of his retirement. We also welcome back from the Alaskan outback, our poster boy for Blue Bell ice cream, Monsignor Anderson. Both priests are a blessing to our parish and a great assistance to me in ministering to our parish.
The symbolism of this Gospel story today gives us deeper insight into God’s love for us, and how we can better live the Christian life. Most of us have sweet memories of that time that our parents first brought us, as little children, to kneel at the Christmas crib and marvel at the peaceful scene before us. I recall that the baby Jesus had His arms reaching out, as if to embrace everyone in the world. That image sums up perfectly the meaning of His Epiphany (manifestation), to the Magi or Wise Men from the East. Jesus, sharing in our humanity, invites men and women of all nations and races to share in His kingdom.
The Magi were Gentiles, sincere men seeking the truth, and they made a long journey to find the Wisdom of the ages: Jesus. They offered Him gifts, which were perfectly appropriate: gold, which acknowledged His kingship; incense, which represented His divinity, and myrrh, which indicated the sacrifice He was to make for us.
The Magi worshipped Jesus and gave Him their most valuable gifts. What would be our most valuable gift that we could give to the newborn Christ? I’m not sure that there’s a right answer, but I think that there is no greater gift we could give than the gift of ourselves. By giving ourselves, we become disciples of Jesus. Pope John Paul II, in a homily on one Epiphany feast, invited all of us “to do everything that the Magi did: offer gifts – the gold of love, the incense of prayer and the myrrh of sacrifice.
God reveals Himself to us so that we will be epiphanies (manifestations) for others! Just as He revealed Jesus to the Magi from foreign countries, we must reveal Jesus to people who still do not know Him, or to those who need to know Him better, even among our friends, families, and neighbors. Christ, the light of our life, is “out there,” in the world. But He is also within us, to be revealed by our words and actions as people who have been redeemed out of love and who are to continue to spread that love to a world that has been darkened by sin.
Today, we also honor the Wise Men in their finding of Christ with the tradition of the 3 Kings brought from Central Europe: by invoking their intercession as we inscribe in blessed chalk on the main doorways of our home the initials of the traditional names of the Magi: namely, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar. The inscription can be done this way: 20+C+M+B+12. The incense can be burned as desired at home, perhaps during a family prayer get-together (but please do it in a safe manner).
This Tuesday, after the 8:30 a.m. Mass, we will dismantle the Christmas decorations in church, as we have returned to Ordinary time in the Church calendar. I need some volunteers for about two hours to help our maintenance staff put away the manger and decorations and clean the sanctuary. A lunch will be served (as always) for those volunteers who help. Do you have the time and volunteer spirit to help?
This Sunday, after all of the weekend Masses, we vote in the Parish Family life Center for one of the proposed candidates for our Parish Pastoral Council. Their pictures and a brief biography have been posted near the entrances of our church and Parish Center. If you are a registered parishioner who is 18 or older, you may cast your ballot. The winner will serve a specified term on the Pastoral Council, which serves to give me advice in administering our parish. I thank the candidates for their willingness to serve.
Also, this Sunday in Kellaghan Hall, we will be drawing the winning prizes for our “early-bird special” raffle (those who already bought their $100 tickets for the Annual Parish Festival that occurs toward the end of next month). The winners are also eligible to win again in the drawing at the end of the festival!
We welcome back Father Jay Haskin, recently retired from the Diocese of Burlington, Vermont, who graciously assists us on weekdays and weekends in the midst of his retirement. We also welcome back from the Alaskan outback, our poster boy for Blue Bell ice cream, Monsignor Anderson. Both priests are a blessing to our parish and a great assistance to me in ministering to our parish.
Very Rev. Canon Tom
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