The Epiphany of the Lord

Picture a nativity scene in your mind’s eye. The scene likely includes figures arriving on camels, some elaborately dressed, with jeweled boxes containing precious gifts. These magi arrived from distant lands to pay homage to the Christ Child. We know little about the magi, but we do know that these visitors were not Jews. They represent people of all nations who will be drawn to the Lord. “Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.” The Good News of Jesus cannot be limited to one people; all share in the promise of God’s mercy through our Lord Jesus Christ.

Stewards of God’s

Grace Saint Paul speaks of the “stewardship of God’s grace” to which he was called. Like Saint Paul, each of us is to be a steward of God’s grace. A steward is one who is entrusted with something that belongs to another. The steward bears responsibility for what is entrusted to him or her. Saint Paul understands that his encounter with the Lord and his faith in Jesus Christ carry with them a sacred responsibility, to bring the news of salvation to all. We too have been blessed with much, including the gift of faith, and are called to be good stewards of all with which we have been entrusted. We do this by nurturing a faithful and faith-filled heart, responding to God’s grace through the attitudes and actions that make up our daily lives. We do this as well by sharing our faith and the impact of faith with others, so that they may be drawn to our Lord. This is a sacred responsibility, a blessing, a privilege.

Bearing Gifts

The magi brought gifts to the baby Jesus. What gifts do you bring to the Lord? You might have the gift of patience or understanding and bring this gift in your interactions with others. You might have a talent for bringing new ideas and creative insights into situations at home, work, parish, or your city. You might have a gift for helping people to work together for a great cause or purpose. All of these gifts have been given to you by God, to be used for God’s purposes, for God’s greater glory. All of these are glimpses of God’s grace, and like Saint Paul, you are called to be a good steward of them, as a sign of Christ’s life within you. You bring your gifts to the Lord by using them well, sharing them generously and responsibly in caring for others and for all of creation.

© J. S. Paluch Co., Inc.

Walk Humbly with God

To press forward without fear means “to walk humbly with God” in rebuilding our relationships, healing our communities, and working to shape our policies and institutions toward the good of all, as missionary disciples. Evangelization, which is the work of the Church “means not only preaching but witnessing, not only conversion but renewal; not only entry into the community but the building up of the community.” Racism is a moral problem that requires a moral remedy – a transformation of the human heart – that impels us to act.

The power of this type of transformation will be a strong catalyst in eliminating those injustices that impinge on human dignity. As Christians, we know this to be true, for with “God all things are possible.” It is the Lord who, by his grace, forgives and restores us to these relationships and heals the wounds between us… To press forward without fear also means cooperating with God’s grace by taking direct and deliberate steps for change. It means opening doorways where once only walls stood.

(to be continued)

“Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come.” On this Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, we might paraphrase this quotation as: “Rise up in splendor, O earth! Your light has come.”  Indeed, the splendor of the Lord shines on all people. This is a great feast for many cultures; this is the day when presents are exchanged and the blessings of the Lord are celebrated. The First Reading proclaims that “darkness covers the earth, but upon you the Lord shines.” Yes, there still is darkness in the world, locally and well as far away. It is by embracing the Lord and opening ourselves to his light that this darkness is transformed into light. It is, indeed, a day of celebration as we move into the year 2020.

The beautiful liturgies, the beautifully decorated church, and all of the festivities were the result of the work of many people working together. Our Maintenance Crew works behind the scenes setting up and cleaning up, Meredith Augustin and the musicians practice long hours for our liturgies; Edward Trochimczuk is assigning our volunteers for the many jobs that need to be done; Joe Nuzzi organizes our use of technology; the Friars prepare homilies and hear many, many confessions; the receptionists serve the many people who want to purchase items or arrange Masses; the Development Office records and sorts through the volume of mail received daily; and the other ministries keep running smoothly even thought there are more pressures. And you are a blessing to us – thank you for your donations, greetings, cards, and presence at the many things that happen here.

Happy New Year!

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.

It seems appropriate that we celebrate the Holy Family of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph during the Christmas season, just after families have gathered for Christmas, frequently with stress over gift-giving, travel drama, and the intricacies of meal preparation for people with their various dietary needs and preferences. Today’s readings ask us to put family and life in their sacred and holy perspective. When we take care of aging parents we care for Christ, who is with all and in all. When we approach one another with compassion, kindness, gentleness, and patience, we communicate Christ’s love. Even when the Lord leads in ways we cannot quite appreciate or understand, we must follow God’s will, knowing that in doing so, we cooperate with God’s grace in our midst. Every family is called to be a holy family.

Your Holy Family

Families come in all shapes and sizes. When asked to describe your family, you might begin by telling people about a parent, sibling, or extended family members. You might even describe what you have learned from a genealogical study. You are unlikely, however, no matter how wonderful your family may be, to describe your family as “holy.” And yet, this is our primary call. Each of us as people of God, and each of our families, is called to be holy. We are called to live as God’s people in the world, to communicate God’s love and presence through the way that we live together and in relationship with others. Every family, no matter what their circumstances, is called to be a holy family. Even Mary, Joseph, and Jesus faced challenges and trials. And yet they rose to the occasion, listened to and followed God’s will, and were assured of the love of the Lord through it all.

Listen to Your Angel

Have you ever found yourself at a crossroads? One direction may be momentarily advantageous or easy, another more challenging but right or good. It is not always easy to know which direction to choose. Discerning our path of life necessarily involves prayer, the guidance of others whom we trust, and the promptings of the Holy Spirit within us. The example of the Holy Family is that they followed the will of God, trusting in God’s abiding presence even when they knew that doing so involved risk and uncertainty. Mary trusted the voice of the angel, although the message was beyond comprehension; Joseph listened to the voice of the Lord in dreams and proceeded, assured of God’s guiding spirit in the midst of troubling circumstances. This is what our families must do as well. Being Christian people in today’s world is not always easy, even when we know it is right. This is the meaning of holiness. This is what it means to be a holy family.

The Urgent Call of Love

Love compels each of us to resist racism courageously. It requires us to reach out generously to the victims of this evil, to assist the conversion needed to those who still harbor evil, and to begin to change policies and structures that allow racism to persist. Overcoming racism is a demand of justice, but because Christian love transcends justice, the end of racism will mean that our community will bear fruit beyond simply the fair treatment of all. After all, “Within the [human] family, “ as St. John Paul II said, “each people preserves and expresses its own identity and enriches others with its gifts of culture.” Our faith gives us a treasury of inspiring holy men and women who courageously worked toward racial reconciliation, showing us the way forward… St. Katharine Drexel… dedicated her life working closely with Native Americans and African Americans, exhibiting genuine respect and concern… As she said, “If you wish to serve God and love our neighbor well, we must manifest our joy in the service we render to Him and them. Let is open wide our hearts. It is joy which invites us. Press forward and fear nothing.”

(to be continued)

The Holy Family of Jesus, Mary and Joseph is the Feast that we celebrate this Sunday after Christmas. We can easily over-romanticize their life together, forgetting that Jesus’ birth too place in a stable and his parents had to flee to Egypt to escape the threat of Herod who was searching for the child ”to destroy him.” We need to think about not only the physical discomforts that this family had to endure, but also – when you think of the emotional challenge of these days – their ability to think quickly and take the appropriate action. They offer us much inspiration whenever we may ask ourselves what we need to do and how to go about doing it. We might wish that an angel would appear to us and tell us what to do, but God endows us with much to help us know what to do when we need help. I hope that you had a Blessed and Merry Christmas! I’m sure there were large family gatherings as well as simple, quiet observances of the day. This season seems to provide us with many opportunities to get together and enjoy one another’s company; however, everyone is different in the way that they  celebrate this Christmas season. Many are blessed to have extended families to spend time. The Christmas-Epiphany season continues until the Baptism of the Lord on January 12th.

-Fr. Andrew Reitz, O.F.M.