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January 3, 2021
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Happy New Year to you, and Happy Epiphany! As we enter the year 2021, we look in hope to a year of many opportunities to experience the divine presence of Jesus among us. We pray that we may continue to make progress in fighting the pandemic, and try to be responsible and safe as we make daily life decisions. Let us also pray for our newly elected leaders, from the president on down, that they may be open to recognize the great dignity of the human person, beginning with life in the womb and extending to natural death. May our leaders humbly work together, open to the guidance of God’s wisdom and truth. May each of us carry out our civic duty to be faithful citizens, which includes giving courageous witness to our faith and values.
As we celebrate the great feast of the Epiphany, we acknowledge the divinity of Christ who was revealed as the Savior of the world. We spend our lives trying to embrace the divine One present in our humanity. In so doing, we are giving personal witness to Christ to the world. May our parish and Church also give a more clear and humble witness to the Good News, and our need for a Savior, since we cannot save ourselves.
I pray that there were many graces received by people as we came together for the Christmas weekend. It was truly a different experience of liturgy, with the more simple masses, limited capacity, and many who were not able to be physically with us. I tried to get around to see people as best I could at St. John and St. Mary, but my contacts were limited. I want to say that I care about you and wish that I could have a personal conversation with more of you, to hear your stories and share your faith. We look to more opportunities to physically get together and build community in the new year. This is an essential aspect of being God’s family, the Church.
We have one more week of the Christmas season, though most of the world has moved on. Can you take some time this week to recall graces that you have received this Christmas? How have you experienced Jesus in the dignity of your humanity? Where do you most need Jesus’ help in your life as we enter into the year 2021?