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Pastor’s Corner…
Epiphany means a revelation. The Magi were
searching for Christ. When they found Him, they worshipped
Him and offered Him gifts. Millions of people have followed in
the footsteps of the magi and come to Christ. We count
ourselves among those fortunate millions. Christ is revealed
as the Savior, not to a select group, but of all peoples. Jesus
broke down the barrier that existed between Jews and
Gentiles. In fact, all the barriers of tribe, of kinship, are
transcended by the message of Jesus, the Universal Brother.
Epiphany is a beautiful feast because it brings
everyone together. But that doesn’t mean that barriers have
magically disappeared. Wherever we go today we see
divisions among people, in families, in communities, cities,
countries, political parties. Today’s barriers are racial, ethnic,
social, political, and religious ones. All these divisions are
reflections of our separation from God.
God sent Jesus into the world to reconcile people
with Him and with one another. As people reconciled with
God through Jesus we have been given a ministry of
reconciliation. Talking across the fences is important. We are
called to be agents of love that can bridge all divisions and
heal all wounds. The Church ought to be a place where all
barriers fall down, a tent in which there is room for everyone.
(I think we have some work to do in this area!)
The feast of the Epiphany challenges us to open our
hearts. To open one’s heart is to begin to live. Jesus no longer
needs our gifts. But other people may. He wants us to share
ourselves with one another. And we too will find ourselves
enriched, if as a result of knowing Jesus, we are able to open
the treasures of our hearts and share them with others.
Liturgy Corner..
THOUGHT FOR THE DAY:
Heaven is where:
The lovers are Italian
The cooks are French
The mechanics are German
The Police are English
The government is run by the Swiss
Hell is a place where:
The lovers are Swiss
The cooks are English
The mechanics are French
The police are German
The government is run by the Italians
The Best gift we can give Jesus is ourselves. We do that by
reaching out to others. Give a gift that lasts forever!
God Bless! Fr. Pat
Stars are amazing -not the people who claim star-status because of their work in sports or entertainment- but the stars that
populate the universe. Most are between one and ten billion years old, a time span impossible to comprehend. Other than the sun,
the closest star to Earth is Proxima Centauri, about twenty-five trillion miles away, another calculation that is impossible to
comprehend. The exponential numbers scientists use when working with stars, whether it is age, distance, weight, composition,
luminosity, or any other characteristic, race beyond our everyday calculations of hundreds and thousands. Stars are just too big for
us humans.
No wonder Matthew's infancy narrative included a star as the sign for the newborn king. Everything about this child's birth
seemed unimportant: born in Bethlehem instead of the big city, Jerusalem; unknown to the important people of the day; the
pregnant woman taken into Joseph's home quietly so as not to cause scandal; a quiet, unremarkable birth in an unimportant
country in the empire.
But then there's that star! Big, shining, revealing that there is more to this event than meets the eye. Visitors come from
afar, and upset the balance of power as they seek the child who would be king. Epiphany is the manifestation of Christ to the
world. And the star shows him to be who he really is-king of the universe and Lord of all. So it shouldn't seem so strange to us that
Matthew would point out one of those incomprehensible entities in the night sky as the signifier of the One who is beyond all
human understanding. What is remarkable is that that One came to be one of us so that we could understand him.
©2009 Liturgical Publications Inc.
Scripture Readings...
Sun, 1/3 Is 60:1-6/Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6/Mt 2:1-12
Mon, 1/4 1 Jn 3:22---4:6/Mt 4:12-17, 23-25
Tues, 1/5 1 Jn 4:7-10/Mk 6:34-44
Wed, 1/6 1 Jn 4:11-18/Mk 6:45-52
Thu, 1/7 1 Jn 4:19---5:4/Lk 4:14-22a
Fri, 1/8 1 Jn 5:5-13/Lk 5:12-16
Sat., 1/9 1 Jn 5:14-21/Jn 3:22-30
Sun, 1/10 Is 42:1-4, 6-7
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