The Feast of the Epiphany

Today we celebrate the feast of the Epiphany. This is one of the Feasts of the Manifestations of Christ to others after His birth. But the manifestations were accepted by those who were witnesses. And those witnesses would give witness to others. Our world today is in great need of people who will witness for their faith in Christ.

When we leave Church on Sundays we are called to go home and “make known” what we have heard, seen, and received. We are to reveal the very presence of God to our family members. When we leave our houses, we are to take the presence of the Lord with us and be reflections of God to our co-workers, friends, and all we meet throughout the week. We mark our doorways this weekend to help us remember that.

The traditional names of the Magi or Kings were Balthazar, Melchior, and Kaspar. We mark above our doorways: K + M + B + 2023 to remind us that in this year of 2023 we are called to reveal the Lord’s presence as the Magi did two thousand years ago.

Like the Magi, we are called to search and to discover the presence of Christ in our lives. Everybody has to search for the Lord. We can never be content with our personal relationship with Christ. Sometimes our relationship is broken; we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation to help us re-establish that relationship with Jesus and with one another. The gifts God asks of us are Faith, Hope, and Love. Just as the Magi manifested their love through giving gifts, so should we manifest our love through our prayers and acts of charity.

As we begin 2023, let us work as individuals and as a people of God to constantly grow closer to Christ and to one another.

Fr. Chester