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December 31, 2020Epiphany means manifestation. What the Church celebrates today is the manifestation of our Lord to the whole world; after being made known to the shepherds of Bethlehem, He is revealed to the Magi who have come from the East to adore Him. Thus, in the Feast of Christmas Christ is shown as man to a few of His chosen souls but in the Feast of the Epiphany, on the other hand, He appears to the whole world as God. And this Epiphany is special this year, having witnessed that alignment of Jupiter and Saturn that some biblical scholars think could have been the Star of Bethlehem. It was one of the highlights for me in a year that didn’t have very many highlights. If the Feast of Epiphany is to be fully understood as the Church sees it, it should be viewed from two aspects: that of God who manifested Himself to man, and that of man, typified in the Magi, who responded with wholehearted faith and love.
As I shared in my homily last Sunday, I actually made a New Year’s resolution last year to lose 5 pounds and made it happen. But to be honest, I am almost never much good at keeping them. Yet, I do like the sense of direction that New Year’s resolutions give to my life. This year, I am going to try to work on being more generous with my time and with my money. I get anxious about not having enough money for retirement and that’s just silly, because at least 90% of the world would see me as being a rich man.
In my homily last week, I asked everyone to work on learning how to be better at prayer. Specifically, I ask you to resolve in the New Year to take a few minutes at the end of every day for a “Now Master” prayer. Look back on your day and thank the Lord for just one experience of grace in your day. Perhaps it was some little kindness shown to by your spouse, or a call from your son, or the giggle of a grandchild or the humility to keep your mouth shut or the grace to put a hurt in perspective and forgive.
What might some other resolutions rooted in faith look like? Here are a few suggestions and my hope would be that you give one or two of them some consideration and maybe even a make a resolution about one.
- Prayer – In addition to the “Now Master” prayer (Lk 2: 29-32), resolve to get a daily Catholic devotional book… and read it. Two of my favorites are Living Faith and Give Us This Day.
- Faith Formation – No matter how old you are (children and adults alike), there are on the internet and right here in the parish any number of formation programs designed to deepen your faith knowledge and practice. And if you don’t find anything that speaks to you, I’d be happy to help you in forming a new group.
- Be Active and Get Involved – Going to Mass on Sunday is only part of being a Catholic Christian. There are so many ministries within our faith community and most of them would be happy for the energy of new “blood”.
- Attend Mass – Of course we should always participate in Mass on Sundays and other Holy Days of Obligation, but daily Mass is really one of the best ways of deepening your spirituality. Try to attend Mass as often as your schedule will allow. What better way to start the day than with our Lord?
Take Your Christianity with You – Don’t leave it in the church pew when you leave Mass. Strive to live as Jesus commands us to do so. By enriching your Catholic faith through going to Mass, attending faith formation programs, spending time with our Lord in daily prayer and being involved in your faith community.
Taking the Gospel Home: How are you like the magi? Do you have "stars" in your life that lead you on the right path to Jesus? Who or what are they?
