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From the Pastor’s Desk
This first Lord’s Day of the New Year finds the Church celebrating the great manifestation of Jesus the Christ to the nations in the Solemnity of the Epiphany. The Magi, those mysterious visitors from the East of the Gospel according to Matthew represent the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Old Testament that the Messiah would be Lord of all the nations.
In the Gospel passage for this day we will hear proclaimed, “… and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother. They prostrated themselves and did him homage” (Mt 2:11). The act of “homage” is ultimately an act of worship that is offered to Jesus as God. It prefigures the worship we are to give to the Lord our God, especially on Sundays – the Lord’s Day – as well as on holy days of obligation. Never should our worship be experienced or understood as a mere obligation; rather, it is an act of praise and thanksgiving to the God who loves us so much that he would work to assure our salvation.
In many places, today’s Solemnity of the Epiphany is a Festival of Lights and candles will be ablaze in Orthodox churches throughout the world. Among some of the faithful, the festival is marked by setting one or more lighted candles in a window – a sign to those passing by that the Light of Christ is the guide for those living in this home. May today’s celebrations remind us to allow the Light of Christ to guide us so that His salvation, His love is experienced through us in our care for others.
Love,
Fr. Tom