God Comes to Meet Us
The Epiphany of the Lord
“Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”Ps. 72
Epiphany reminds us that God does not hide; rather, He goes out to meet every heart that seeks Him sincerely. The Magi—foreigners and pagans—allow themselves to be guided by a star and set out on a long and uncertain journey, driven by a single question: “Where is the newborn King?”
They did not belong to the chosen people, yet they were able to recognize the signs of God, while others, who had the Scriptures, remained closed to the mystery. The light shone for everyone, but only some set out on the journey.
God wants us to know Him.
“Eternal life is this: to know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent.”Jn 17:3
That is why He became man: He manifested Himself to reveal to us the way of truth that leads to life what we come to know if we open ourselves to His revelation. He loved us first; He came out to meet us, seeking each one of us, to give us His Kingdom of love, joy, and peace.
Upon arriving at the stable, they find neither power nor wealth, but a poor Child. And there, in simplicity, they discover the glory of God. They fall down, adore Him, and offer the best they have. Thus, Epiphany teaches us that God reveals Himself to the humble, to those who seek, to those who do not settle or remain still.
“Seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you… for the one who seeks finds.”Mt 7:7
“You will find me if you seek me with all your heart.”Jer 29:13
God wants us to find Him. He allows Himself to be found; He stands at the door, knocking and waiting for us to open our hearts—to seek Him and to take the time to know Him. Only then can we love and follow Him; only then can we benefit from His coming and receive the divine life He came to offer us.
The Magi offered Him gifts with profound meaning: GOLD, as King; MYRRH, as Man; INCENSE, as God. From this it is made clear that this Child is the true King foretold by the prophets, whose kingdom would have no end-true God and true Man, as the Holy Spirit made clear to the Church through several councils in which the Creed was defined with these very words.
As the prophet Isaiah announces:
“Nations shall walk by your light.”Is 60:3
Today Christ continues to be that light. The question is: are we willing to let ourselves be guided by Him, to change our path as the Magi did? May this Epiphany help us to recognize Christ present, to set out on the journey, and to offer Him not only gifts, but our whole heart. May we be docile to the signs of the present times as they were, so as to find Him and not fall into the snares of the enemy (Herod or the devil).
Love, Explained!
If you’ve ever been a guest at a Christian wedding, chances are you have heard 1 Corinthians 13:4-8: “Love is patient, love is kind … love never fails.”
But what and who we love is just as important as how we love. Loving God, we know, is the greatest commandment of Jesus Christ, followed by loving others (Matthew 22:37-40). We are called to exhibit this love even — and, perhaps, especially — when it is difficult, when it demands we sacrifice our own preferences, our own desires and our own prejudices (Matthew 5:46).
In doing this, we “no longer stand before God as a slave, in servile fear, or as a mercenary looking for wages, but as a son responding to the love of him who ‘first loved us.'”(CCC 1828)
So yes, love is patient, and love is kind — and, when practiced correctly, love is also freedom.
St. John Neumann | January 5
Biography
St. John Neumann is the patron saint of educators, immigrants, and, due to the miracles that secured his canonization, sick children. This is a fitting patronage as he was a lover of education and learning from a very young age. In fact, when he was a child, his mother called him “my little bibliomaniac” due to his preoccupation with reading. Born in 1811 Bohemia, in what is now the Czech Republic, he attended the university in Prague preparing for ordination. However, his local bishops were not ordaining new priests at the time because Bohemia was overstocked with priests. He inquired about ordination all over Europe but received the same answer everywhere. Not one to be deterred, John then applied to several United States dioceses. Receiving no immediate responses, the saint took a leap of faith and decided to just immigrate to the United States in 1836, during his 25th year, with only $40 in his pocket. This risk paid off when he was ordained in New York a month later.
Early in his priesthood he worked primarily as a missionary to German immigrants in Buffalo. His missionary work also created an opportunity for him to spend time in Maryland, Virginia, Michigan, and Ohio. When he was 29, he joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists), a congregation of priests and brothers dedicated to helping the poor and most abandoned. He was their first member to profess vows in the United States.
In 1852, at the age of 41, Neumann became the fourth Bishop of Philadelphia. During this time, he organized the individual parochial schools in his region into a diocesan system. This change allowed Catholic schools to quickly increase the number of pupils enrolled by almost twentyfold. Over the course of his ministry, St. John expanded the number of Catholic schools in his diocese from 2 to 100! His passion for education extended to immigrants, like himself, and his love for learning languages made it possible for him to hear confessions in English, Spanish, French, Italian, Dutch, and Gaelic!
A man of the people, he could often be found outside the church walls visiting people who were sick, staying in taverns and public houses to teach, and celebrating Mass in people’s homes at their kitchen tables. He was canonized on June 19, 1977, following three miracles, two of which regarded the healing of youth from grave illnesses. St. John Neumann was the first American man to be canonized a saint.
Prayer
Prayer for St. John Neumann’s intercession
O St. John Neumann, your ardent desire of bringing all souls to Christ impelled you to leave home and country; teach us to live worthily in the spirit of our baptism which makes us all children of the one Heavenly Father and brothers of Jesus Christ, the firstborn of the family of God.
Obtain for us that complete dedication in the service of the needy, the weak, the afflicted, and the abandoned which so characterized your life. Help us to walk perseveringly in the difficult and at times painful paths of duty, strengthened by the Body and Blood of our Redeemer and under the watchful protection of Mary our Mother. May death still find us on the sure road to our Father’s house, with the light of living faith in our hearts.
Readings of the Week
Sunday: Isaiah 60, 1-6/Psalm 71, 1-2. 7-8. 10-11. 12-13/Ephesians 3, 2-3. 5-6/Matthew 2, 1-12
Monday: 1 John 3, 22–4, 6/Psalm 2, 7-8. 10-12/Matthew 4, 12-17. 23-25
Tuesday: 1 John 4, 7-10/Psalm 71, 1-2. 3-4. 7-8/Mark 6, 34-44
Wednesday: 1 John 4, 11-18/Psalm 71, 1-2. 10. 12-13/Mark 6, 45-52
Thursday: 1 John 4, 19–5, 4/Psalm 71, 1-2. 14 and 15. 17/Luke 4, 14-22
Friday: 1 John 5, 5-13/Psalm 147, 12-13. 14-15. 19-20/Luke 5, 12-16
Saturday: 1 John 5, 14-21/Psalm 149, 1-2. 3-4. 5 and 6 and 9/John 3, 22-30
Next Sunday: Isaiah 42, 1-4. 6-7/Psalm 28, 1-2. 3-4. 3. 9-10/Acts 10, 34-38/Matthew 3, 13-17
Celebrations of the Week
Sunday: The Epiphany of the Lord
Monday: Saint John Neumann, bishop
Tuesday: Saint André Bessette, religious
Wednesday: Saint Raymond of Peñafort, priest
Next Sunday: The Baptism of the Lord
