St. Anthony the Abbot Catholic Church

Merry Christmas!

For unto us is born a Savior!

Christ the Lord !

Many thanks to all who showed such kindness to the Church and to me during this Christmas season.  I am grateful for your generosity and your desire to share your blessings with me.  Be assured of my continued prayers for all who make up this wondrous family of St Anthony the Abbot.

Epiphany is celebrated as the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Three Magi coming from distant lands. The word “epiphany” originally meant a manifestation or appearance of something, often a divine being. Today, when someone has an “epiphany,” it also means they’ve had a sudden insight into the deeper meaning of something. In the Epiphany we see all these meanings come into play. It presents a realization that the Messiah was not just for the Jews, but also for the Gentiles. The stars and prophecies, signs from the heavens made by God and inspirations of the Holy Spirit, both point to a great king being born. The Three Magi themselves coming to pay homage to a newborn king is also an epiphany: it gave a sudden insight into the deeper meaning of the Messiah.

Today’s culture is plagued by people seeking a higher meaning to things in all the wrong places. Astrology was not enough for the Three Magi, and it never goes the distance. People consult horoscopes, fortune tellers, Tarot cards, Ouija boards. They think they can wrest meaning out of higher mysterious forces. Not only are all those things condemned by Church teaching as the sin of divination (Catechism 2115-2117), they are absurd, and not because of what you might think.

If we believe God is the Creator of Heaven and earth, and He came in Person to teach us and save us, why do we think we need gimmicks to understand His will for our lives?  He’s already given us all the answers we need in Sacred Scripture. We just have to ask Him.  The Three Magi needed a little help understanding the prophecy to move forward. God has also blessed us with His Church to help us understand His will. Sometimes we need a little guidance to see that it may not be that God is not answering, but that we don’t like what He is trying to say. Through His Word and His Church, Christ can be our guiding star.

God is always guiding us along the journey of life, but that doesn't mean the journey is easy. The Wise Men left their homelands far behind in order to follow the star, but right when they seemed to be arriving at their destination, the star disappeared.

That's why St. Matthew tells us that they were so overjoyed when they saw the star again after their meeting with King Herod.  At some point in their journey, for some reason, they had lost sight of the star. If they had turned back at that point, they would never have found what they longed for. We are often in the same situation.

We know God is faithful, and we want to trust Him, but we lose sight of the star.  That's when we have to exercise our faith in God - to keep following Christ, to keep obeying the commandments and Church teaching, no matter how hard it may be. Each of us knows someone who has lost sight of the star.

Maybe they are finding it hard to accept one of the Church's teachings. Maybe they are facing suffering and loss. Maybe they are stuck in sin and are drifting further away from the light. Whatever their specific situation, they need to be reminded that God is faithful, that only by following Him can our life journey be successful.

Today God has reminded us that we can count on Him. This week it is our turn to remind someone else.