Epiphany - While the celebration of the Epiphany ends the Christmas season, it also points us in the direction of Easter and the birth of the Church on Pentecost. “Epiphany” literally means “manifestation” or “revelation”. The three kings, representing pagans and the entire world, come presenting gifts to Jesus who is the revelation to all who exists. Those Magi recognize, for all creation, the generous act of the merciful salvation God gives to His bride the Church, who is united to Him by means of Communion the source of Christ’s mystical body. The gold is given as a symbol of Jesus’ kingship over the world. Frankincense is given as a symbol of Jesus’ prophetic mission to bring the Church together in a life of prayer because He is divine. Finally, the gift of myrrh symbolizes him as high priest who offers himself for the Church in his redemptive sacrifice. All three of these aspects of this season are intended to be the guiding principles for Christians living in the world. The first symbol of gold is the gifts we have received in the world by God establishing us as divine kings and queens. We each have various talents, resources, and wealth available to us at various levels; do we use such things for the kingdom of God or for ourselves? Our responsibility as royal children of God is to give charitably our skills, time, and wealth to the work of the Church, which is about helping the poor, promoting the faithful strength of Catholics, and evangelizing the ignorant. All of these require gold, aka...financial support, so as to accomplish the construction of God’s kingdom. In a very practical way, your donations are one third of the work we do here at Saint Rose of Lima and more is needed. If you are in financial disaster, your first responsibility is to your family. Keep a roof over your head and food on the table. However, for the majority of us, another analysis of what we give to the parish should be done. Currently, there are many ministries, improvements, and needs that are not being done do to a lack of funds. If those who put in less than $5 each week, could increase your donation to $5 dollars the financial burden would still be less than a combo meal at most fast food restaurants. That combo meal shortens your life in comparison to the Eucharist which gives eternal life. Those who give more than $5 per week should consider increasing your donation at least by a dollar or two. The ultimate goal would be to fulfill the biblical principal of a 10% tithe. It is our responsibility to multiply God’s grace in world. The Frankincense communicates to us that we are not bystanders in the prophetic tradition but rather speak the truth of the gospel in what we say and do in the world. Essentially, it is our responsibility as the voice of Christ in the world to proclaim the good news of the gospel and the coming of his Kingdom. We are to teach rightly the true faith by teaching others the values of Love by sharing our conversion to family, friends, and anyone we meet. We the Catholics of faith and the prophets of this age are to fearlessly speak out against the deception of evil and live the truth. Living the truth means that we are to make holy choices acting faithfully and morally. Wisdom comes from recognizing the truth of Christ and helping others to understand it by what we say and do. Put some thought this next year on how you can share and teach others in a practical way the truth of salvation through Christ and His Church. Finally the Myrrh, this ointment of burial clearly defines the result of Christ’s birth into the world and that is the Cross. The suffering and death of the Cross is not something to recoil from but rather a sacrifice to embrace. Christ gave Himself over in love so as to give us the way to redemption; in a like manner, we are also born to die in body and spirit. We are to embrace our death each day as a sacrifice for our brothers and sisters. This year think about how you can sacrifice your body, your possessions, your time, and yourself for the sake of your family and your divine family. It is only through sacrifice for Christ and his bride, the Church, do we see clearly the way to the resurrection of eternity. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) Essentially, the Christmas season is not over; it is only a part of the Easter mystery. Jesus is God fully divine which means without the incarnation He could not die. Through the incarnation death became possible for Christ. The Epiphany is the realization by the pagan Magi that Jesus is the ultimate King and the light of the world; He has come to sacrifice himself in order to give us life. We are all born to die. However, if we place our trust and faith in Christ we leave our tomb empty and are raised with Jesus as his body, the Church, in the resurrection.
Posted on: Fri, 02 Jan 2015 14:59:09 +0000
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