From the Pastor’s Desk:
Our Christmas season 2020, has been different than any Christmas I can remember. Instead of gathering together in church as a community, we were spread out in different places for the different masses. Throughout the world every nation was/is battling the deadly Covid-19 pandemic. Hospitals are full of patients. Many funeral homes are full of the dead. The pandemic has not only filled the world with concern but has also created a series of emptiness.
More than 2000 years ago, Christ came to earth amid the emptiness and unsettledness of humankind. The Roman Empire ruled much of the known world with an iron fist. Any nation or people who fought back were destroyed and enslaved. Christ came to bring hope and peace to the chosen people, ultimately to the whole world and that is what we are celebrating this weekend.
Epiphany commemorates the revelation of Jesus to the world. The three Magi, after searching for years, are able to find the Christ child. Since Christmas, our manger scene in Church has shown over the past days that the Magi were not present at Bethlehem, but through the help of the star were guided to Nazareth. Here they presented their precious gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.
The Magi represent the people of the world other than the Jewish people. Christ was to be the savior of ALL peoples, not just the chosen Jewish people. Traditional nativity scenes portray the skin color of the Magi as white, black and red.
The Christmas Season in the Catholic Church concludes with the Baptism of the Lord and the beginning of His public life next weekend. As we begin this New Year, may each of us make every effort to live the Christmas message of love, peace and joy every day of the year. Let these be our New Years’ resolution. Who cares if we lose a few pounds or give up some of our bad habits? But if we truly lived the Christmas message, we could affect not only our lives, but the lives of many of those around us.
As we celebrate Epiphany and look forward to the new year, 2021 may we live the Gospel message of God’s love by caring for each other even as the pandemic continues throughout our country and the world. May we put the needs of others first before our own desires.