Epiphany of the Lord
To All Our Beloved Parishioners of the Epiphany of the Lord: HAPPY FEAST!
The ANNUAL CELEBRATION of the FEAST of OUR PARISH of the EPIPHANY of the LORD
The EPIPHANY is a feast of light: “arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you” (Isaiah 60:1). With these words of the prophet Isaiah, the Church describes the content of the feast. He who is the true light, and by whom we too are made to be light, has indeed come into the world. He gives us the power to become children of God (John 1:9 and 12). The journey of the wise men from the East is, for the liturgy, just the beginning of a great procession that continues throughout history. With the Magi, humanity’s pilgrimage to Jesus Christ begins–to the God who was born in a stable, who died on the Cross and who, having risen from the dead, remains with us always, until the consummation of the world (Mathew 28:20). (Pope Benedict XVI, Homily, January 2012)
Dear parishioners, on this day, as we mark our annual celebration of our Parish Feast Day, a parish of historic significance in the life of our Sacred Diocese of Toledo and it is always a joy for me. In many ways, this occasion is part of our legacy and a beautiful reminder of who we are and the bond we share. However, the concept of “Festival” has been on my mind. And since I am Pastor, it’s my joy to bring God into consideration, thus “baptizing” the Festival a bit more.
The Hebrew word “chag” would translate itself as “Feast” or “Festival” and is derived from two other words. One which means “Divinely appointed time” and the verb “to dance”. So a Festival is a divinely appointed time to dance. Refers to a religious festival or feast, often characterized by communal celebration, worship, and sacrifice.
In the Old Testament, “chag” is used to describe the appointed feasts of the LORD, which were times of sacred assembly and rejoicing. These feasts were integral to the religious and social life of Israel, serving as reminders of God’s covenant and His mighty acts of deliverance.
At this our annual Epiphany Feast Day, let us celebrate the unity and love that binds us together as a parish community, renewing our commitment to our patron saint and sharing the grace of God with one another. May we continue to grow in faith, serving our community with compassion and joy, guided by the light of Christ. Let the Light of Jesus Christ shine forth!
In this current New Year, the Feast of the Epiphany is celebrated on January 05, 2025. This feast commemorates the visit of the wise men to worship the baby Jesus. Tradition tells us that their names were Caspar, Melchior and Balthassar. The men were astrologers who were looking for the star that would lead them to the promised Messiah. This was prophesied in the Book of Micah.
The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the oldest Christian feasts, though, throughout the centuries, it has celebrated a variety of things. The word “epiphany” comes from the Greek word epiphainen, which means “to manifest” or “make know.” The Feast of the Epiphany celebrates the revelation of Jesus Christ to the world and to all men and women.
Dear Friends, according to the Gospel narratives, the wise men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh with them. These gifts were very meaningful. Gold was a precious and expensive gift, and showed how important Jesus was. Frankincense is a sweet perfume which was often burned in the temple to worship God. It was a sign that Jesus should be worshipped. Myrrh was used to keep things fresh, and it was used by the women to anoint Jesus’ body when he died. By bringing it as a gift to Jesus, the wise men foretold his suffering and death. These gifts are highlighting that he is both a powerful king and a sacrificial lamb who would ultimately die for humanity and for the creation of God.
The Church reads this account from Mathew’s Gospel alongside the vision of the prophet Isaiah that we heard in the first reading: the journey of these men is just the beginning. Before them came the shepherds – simple souls, who dwelt closer to the God who became a child, and could more easily “go over” to him (Luke 2:15) and recognize him as Lord. But now the wise of this world are also coming. Great and small, kings and slaves, men of all cultures and all peoples are coming. The men from the East are the first, followed by many more throughout the centuries. Jesus Christ belongs to all Nations without any discrimination.
Dear parishioners, the Solemnity of the Epiphany, the Gospel speaks to us about the Magi who, arriving in Bethlehem, open their [treasure] chests and offer gold, incense and myrrh to Jesus (Mathew 2:11). These wise men from the East are famous because of the gifts they offered. Considering their story, however, we could say that, above all, they receive three gifts. They received three precious gifts that regard us as well. They give gold, incense and myrrh, but what are the three gifts they received? These gifts reveal to us about our God and Father of Our Lord Jesus of Nazareth.
The first gift is the gift of the call. The Magi were not alerted because they had read the Scriptures or because they had seen a vision of angels, but they sensed it while they were studying the stars. This tells us something important: God calls us through our aspirations and our greatest desires. The Magi allowed themselves to be amazed and inconvenienced by the novelty of the star, and they set out on a journey towards the unknown. Educated and wise, they were fascinated more by what they did not know than by what they already knew. They opened themselves to what they did not know. They felt called to go beyond. They did not feel happy remaining there; they felt called to go beyond. This is important for us as well. We are called not to settle, to seek the Lord by stepping out of our comfort zone, journeying towards him with others, immersing ourselves in reality. For God calls every day, here and now. God calls us, each one of us, every day. He calls us here and he calls us today, in our world.
Nevertheless, the Magi speak to us about a second gift: discernment. Seeing that they are looking for a king, they go to Jerusalem to speak with King Herod, who, however, is a power-hungry man and wants to use them to eliminate the baby Messiah. But the Magi do not allow themselves to be fooled by Herod. They know how to distinguish between the goal of their journey and the temptations they find along the way. They could have remained there in Herod’s court, serene. No, they move ahead. They leave Herod’s palace and, attentive to the sign from God, do not pass that way again, but return by another route (Mathew 2:12). Brothers and sisters, how important it is to know how to distinguish life’s goal from the temptations along the way! Our goal in life is one thing, the temptations on the way are another. To know how to renounce that which seduces but leads down an ugly road, to understand and to choose God’s ways! Discernment is a great gift and we should never tire of asking for it in prayer. Let us ask for this grace! Lord, grant us the ability to discern what is good from what is evil, what is better from what is not better.
Finally, the Magi speak to us about a third gift: the surprise. After a long journey, what do these high-ranking men in society find? A baby with his mother (Mathew 2:11): certainly, a tender scene, but not astonishing! They do not see the angels like the shepherds did, but they meet God in poverty. Perhaps they were expecting a powerful and prodigious Messiah, and they find a baby. And still, they do not think they made a mistake; they know how to recognize him. They welcome God’s surprise and experience their encounter with him with amazement, adoring him – in his littleness, they recognize God’s face. Humanly, we are all inclined to seek greatness, but it is a gift to know how to truly find it – to know how to find greatness in the littleness that God loves so much. For the Lord is encountered like this: in humility, in silence, in adoration, in the small and in the poor. God is, basically, the God of the poor and the least ones. Let us emulate these Christian values.
Our parish of Epiphany is something that is lived, experienced and shared. Our parish is a million small memories and sensations. It is curls of incense and the flicker of candles. It is silence on Good Friday and trumpets on Easter. It is things you cannot even describe, namely: Reconciliation, Forgiveness and Renewal. These are the very hallmarks of our Parish community.
Our Epiphany parish is a thousand points of light at the Easter Vigil and a thousand voices at Midnight Mass, crying out “O come all ye faithful.” It is a community: a band of believers joined together by the love of Christ, and love for one another. We worship together. We struggle together. We celebrate together. It is all of us, here right now: the Body of Christ. This is not all!
In our Epiphany parish community, there is also, literally, communion: the Eucharist. Christ’s body, blessed and broken at this altar, drawing us here, week after week – calling us to this sacred celebration, to receive the Eucharist and to carry that grace we have received out into the world. Our parish is where so much of that happens. It’s where we mark our beginnings and our endings and so many milestones in between. Far from being a solitary endeavor, our parish calls us for a life that is to be lived with others, shared with others, and carried into the world to help change the world. And that, too, is fundamental to being a parish. That is part of our calling. Our Epiphany parish is a witness to our calling as baptized Christians.
On the feast day of our Epiphany parish, I and Fr. Clement Sahaya Anand SAC want to greet each of you. My encouragement is to thank God for your families, whatever your family is like, and recognize that you are helping each other to grow to be closer to God in holiness, growing in obedience, growing in forgiveness, growing in virtue, growing in love. The reality of our parish, administratively, pastorally and spiritually should reflect the basic ideal of the three Magi, namely: Call, Discernment and Surprise. Fidelity bears fruit and so I invite every parishioner to become faithful and committed and be the part of the movement of: God First in our Epiphany parish and in our Epiphany Families.
I wish all our Beloved Parishioners of the Epiphany of the Lord, a HAPPY FEAST!
Fraternally Your Pastor,
Fr. John Peter Lazaar SAC