Feast of the Epiphany

Advent has come and gone and the Christmas season is drawing to a close. Life has been busy in our home yet we've managed to spend some moments reflecting on God's great love for us as evidenced in the Incarnation. Each year I fall in love again with the beauty and simplicity of the Infancy narratives as I share them with the children in the atrium - their joy and wonder ignites my own and I thank God for the little ones.

This weekend we celebrate the Epiphany. As a mom, I think of Mary with the toddler Jesus - watching his first wobbly steps, picking him up when he falls. I wonder at her openess and trust, saying "yes" to parenting God! What were her thoughts when foreigners complete with entourage showed up at her humble abode with gifts for a King?

With my children at home we will celebrate on January 6, and again bake a "crown cake." We will read and reflect on the readings:

• Isaiah 60:1-6
• Psalm 72
• Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6
• Matthew 2:1-12

I'll also invite them to read CCC 528: ....In the magi, representatives of the neighboring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation.

Below are some books we have in our basket. Some of these books show the Magi at the creche - in the past we've looked at maps to see how far these men traveled and looked at the wording in the scriptures. We talked about Jesus being closer to 2 than to a newborn when they arrived :-)

Mary: The Mother of Jesus 

The Legend of Old Befana 

We Three Kings 

The Legend of Old Befana 

The Stone: A Persian Legend of the Magi 

Humphrey's First Christmas 

Collect: May the splendor of your majesty, O Lord, we pray, shed its light upon our hearts, that we may pass through the shadows of this world and reach the brightness of our eternal home. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.

http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/calendar/day.cfm?date=2015-01-04

Pope Francis' suggestions for the New Year

– “Take care of your spiritual life, your relationship with God, because this is the backbone of everything we do and everything we are.”

– “Take care of your family life, giving your children and loved ones not just money, but most of all your time, attention and love.”

– “Take care of your relationships with others, transforming your faith into life and your words into good works, especially on behalf of the needy.”

– “Be careful how you speak, purify your tongue of offensive words, vulgarity and worldly decadence.”

– “Heal wounds of the heart with the oil of forgiveness, forgiving those who have hurt us and medicating the wounds we have caused others.”

– “Look after your work, doing it with enthusiasm, humility, competence, passion and with a spirit that knows how to thank the Lord.”

– “Be careful of envy, lust, hatred and negative feelings that devour our interior peace and transform us into destroyed and destructive people.”

– “Watch out for anger that can lead to vengeance; for laziness that leads to existential euthanasia; for pointing the finger at others, which leads to pride; and for complaining continually, which leads to desperation.”

– “Take care of brothers and sisters who are weaker … the elderly, the sick, the hungry, the homeless and strangers, because we will be judged on this.”

ht to my friend Maria :-)

Merry Christmas!

May the incarnation of our Lord fill your hearts with peace and joy! I must say, the gift of God Himself in the form of a wee babe in a stable in Bethlehem causes my breath to catch in my throat. The utter vulnerability and poverty of that moment in time is beyond words. Yet love, hope and the sense that all will be well is perfectly conveyed. Thank you God!

Below is an unedited slide show of our Christmas pageant - thank you to all the actors and those of you who worked behind the scenes. You all helped to make this Holy Eve even more delightful :-)