The Epiphany of Our Lord

My dear Friends in Christ,

Today, we celebrate The Epiphany of Our Lord. The Solemnity of the Epiphany is one of the richest feasts in the Christian Liturgy. The Greek word in which we translate epiphany simply means “appearance” or “manifestation,” and in the Western Liturgical tradition the Epiphany is linked most strongly to the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child. The first recorded mention of this feast was in 361, and by 385 the Epiphany was celebrated in Jerusalem for eight days, like the present Octaves of Easter and Christmas and the old Octave of Pentecost. All of this points to the supreme importance of the sacred mysteries we celebrate today: by His incarnation and birth, by His revelation to the Magi and His presentation in the Temple, by His Baptism and the miracle at the wedding feast of Cana, the Son of Mary is gradually shown to be “God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God.” Praised be Jesus Christ! Now and forever! As the Magi made the courageous decision to follow the star, may we begin this New Year with a renewed trust in the light of Christ’s guidance!

I want to thank our Maintenance Department and our Arts and Environment Ministry for their work in preparing the Altar for the florist.

And finally, thanks to all for your generous Christmas gifts and well wishes. I truly appreciate them. Our Christmas collection will appear in a future bulletin once all the returns are in.

May God bless you all,

Father John