Feast of the Epiphany - Jan. 6th

Hello Everyone:
Happy Feast of the Epiphany! I hope all of you received your epiphany water yesterday on the vigil or will get some today. A great resolution is to use holy water more often and share it with family and friends. WE NEED IT!.

Today we reflect on the journey of the wise men—the magi—as they journey to the newborn king in Bethlehem.  We can learn from the journey of the Magi, the Wise Men, that all of us must make a similar journey to come to know Christ. The wise men still seek Him!

What is the definition of a wise person, the one who seeks truth and conforms his life to that truth.  The measure of our wisdom is the extent that we conform our life—our minds, hearts, and actions, to Jesus Christ who is the way, the truth, and the life.
 
The three kings, conscious of the prophecies of Isaiah, and observing this unique celestial event of the star, sought the king, whose coming was foretold. 
 
In scripture, the opposite of the wise man is the fool.  The wise man seeks God and His Holy Will.  The fool seeks his own way.  Psalm 14 says, “the fool says in his heart, there is no God”.  The fool acts as if God doesn’t exist. 
 
Sin is foolishness because when we sin we ignore God and his commandments.  Foolish people choose not to faithfully go to Sunday Mass, because they think that whatever they are doing is more important than being faithful to the commandment of God.
 
In Matthew’s Gospel we see these Magi were actively seeking the Truth.  The Magi in Matthew’s Gospel do not sit around waiting for the truth to come to them.  They set out on a quest for truth!  They saw the sign of the newborn king, and made a firm decision to find Him.
 
The wise men, knowing that this was the most important journey of their lives, decided to undertake this journey even if it encountered bad consequences such as going over very bad roads, exposing themselves to extreme and unpredictable weather— rain, snow, or even a sand storm. They’d have to sleep outdoors, and there is the constant danger of robbers, brigands, and wild animals.   But they were willing to endure anything to see this Newborn King!
 
  A lesson we can learn is that when we see a sign from God in our own lives, we should seek it, with every ounce of our being.  The quest for Christ is the most important journey.  The wise man realizes that all things are secondary to the search for God!
 
In the history of the Church we see the saints doing just this: seeking not riches, comfort, or positions of power, but God above all! The saints show us that the wise seek him, with their whole hearts.
 
Saint Matthew tells us the Magi returned to their home country by a different route.  Archbishop Fulton Sheen said, “of course they go back a different route, you never come to Christ and go back the same way you came.”  The encounter with Christ changes us.
 
Coming to Mass, offering God the best we have in worship, encountering Him and receiving Him in Holy Communion, should change us.  We are to leave from each Mass differently than when we came in.  Do we come to Mass expecting to be changed, hoping to be changed?  To talk differently, to choose differently, to act differently?
 
The Lord invites us to seek Him, to find Him, to encounter Him, and to be changed by Him. 
 
Today, as He comes to us at Mass, let's promise Jesus through Mary Our Mother, that we, like the Magi, will gladly follow wherever He wants to lead us ---- for the glory of God and salvation of souls. May we trust that He will give us all that we need through the prayers and intercession of Our Mother Mary who desires that all of us come to Her Son and give Him the gift of our hearts.

Holy Mary, Mother of God, pray for us!

---