From The Pastor's Desk
Christmas 12-25-05
“Let Me Love You!”
God4th Sunday of Advent 12-18-05
King David wanted to build a house for the Lord, to do something great. The Lord responded through the Prophet Nathan saying, “I know you want to do something great for me and I love you for that, but the truth is, everything you have and are is from me. From the blessings of calling you out from the pasture to be a famous shepherd and king of my people, to the promised protection from your enemies, to the promise that your descendent shall be the savior of the world are all great gifts, unmerited gifts from me. The one I approve is the lowly and humble person who trembles at my word.” The center of our spiritual life is not based on our worthiness or unworthiness but rather the incredible love of God.3rd Sunday of Advent 12-11-05
Gaudete is Latin imperative for Rejoice. The candle in the advent wreathe is pink. A sense of joyous anticipation is in the Air. The King, the Lord, Our Savior Jesus Christ is just about here! We should live every day for the rest of our lives with great hope that soon and very soon we are going to see the Lord.2nd Sunday of Advent 12-4-05
“My brother and I were quite frightened to know from our reading that suffering (hell) and glory (heaven) are forever. We spoke about this many times often saying, ‘FOREVER, FOREVER, FOREVER!’ Through my frequent saying of this, our Lord left me impressed, even in my childhood, with the pathway to truth.”
Saint Teresa of Avila1st Sunday of Advent 11-27-05
We do not know when the Lord is coming for us as an individual soul or for his people at the end of the world. DO NOT MISS THE TRAIN! BE READY ALWAYS AT EVERY MOMENT OF EVERY DAY FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE!Solemnity of Christ the King 11-20-05
It is not so much a matter of getting into the kingdom
As it is getting the kingdom into us!
When Jesus is Lord of our hearts
There is his Kingdom!33rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 11-13-05
Your life is a gift from God. What you do with your life is your gift to God.32nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 11-6-05
The Lord is calling you. He is giving you directions to his kingdom. You have only 5 minutes to get the directions. After 30 seconds your battery goes dead. Thank God you have another battery all charged up. Or do you...31st Sunday in Ordinary Time 10-30-05
The Lord instructs us to call no one Teacher, Father or Master. Yet we often say things like, “She was my favorite teacher ever!” or “My father went golfing.” or “I hope to get my Masters degree in grape crushing.” Here we have a fallacy of equivocation wherein the same word has two different meanings. To say “God is my Father” is not the same as saying “My father is God.” The two words are spelled the same yet are two different realities. Another example would be when the bible relates that Jesus’ brothers were waiting for him. In one case it could mean siblings, whereas in another case it means cousin or close relative. There is only one Father, one Teacher, and one Master who is the source of all. Any other fatherhood, teaching, or mastery only shares in the One who bestows a portion of his attributes upon his people. The Master Jesus is teaching us to avoid making a human person the end all and be all or source of realities that come from God alone.30th Sunday in Ordinary Time 10-23-05
The Command of the Lord is that we love him will all our heart, mind, soul, and strength and to love our neighbor as ourselves. The only reason he can command this of us is because in Christ He demonstrates in a very real and full way that he loved us with all his heart, mind, soul and strength.29th Sunday in Ordinary Time 10-16-05
“If something uncharitable is said in your presence, either speak in favor of the absent person, or withdraw, or, if possible, stop the conversation.”
Saint John Vianney28th Sunday in Ordinary Time 10-9-05
Our Lord Takes Pleasure in Doing the Will of Those Who Love Him!
Saint John Vianney27th Sunday in Ordinary Time 10-2-05
God desires spiritual fruits not religious nuts!26th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9-25-05
“It was pride that caused the fall of Lucifer and Adam. If you should ask me what are the ways of God, I would tell you that the first is humility, the second is humility, and the third is still humility. Not that there are no other precepts to give, but if humility does not precede all that we do, our efforts are fruitless.” Saint Augustine25th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9-18-05
Tom, Dick, and Harry were triplets. Their father sent them out to work hard selling Koolaid. Tom raised $7.50, Dick $3.00 and Harry brought in a mere 25 cents. The day came for their graduation. The rich and very generous father gave each of them a brand new car, starting with the laziest one, Harry. None of them made enough to purchase the car that the father gave to them. Even $7.50 couldn’t dent it. God’s gift of eternal life is something way beyond what we could ever afford or earn. The best we can do is humbly and gratefully accept his Gracious Love.24th Sunday in Ordinary Time 9-11-05
I believe that it was Nathaniel Hawthorne who said something to the effect of, “I will never let a man have so much power over me so as to make me hate him.” If we hate another they are our master. If we love our enemies, then Jesus is our Master.23rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 9-4-05
Love sometimes demands “fraternal correction.” However, in those two words the first word is “fraternal” (brotherly) and the second word is “correction.” Keep it in that order. If you are not willing to pay the price of “fraternal,” don’t even consider the correction part.22nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 8-28-05
J I thank God$for the church %nd for the tremandous work that she does in eva*gelizing t,e world. That being said though, I am saddened %t the fact that$the world ms effectively d%-evangelizing t,e church in man} ways and in al)ost every erena. In other sords, is the ch1rch evangelizing the culture or is the culture N de-evangeli>ing the church?dJesus tells Pet!r that he is no4 judging accord)ng to the standard of the kingdom of God when he pleads wi0h him to not suffer and die for us. The world also tells uw that anything that may require sacrifice and self-giving ms bad. The kingdom values reveal to us that there is more *oy in giving than receiving, that we die to rise! Saint Paul ex(orts us to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice to the L+rd and to not be influenced by the culture of the day.21st Sunday in Ordinary Time 8-21-05
“The eyes of the world see no further than this life, as mine see no further than this wall when the church door is shut. The eyes of the Christian see deep into Eternity”
Saint John Vianney20th Sunday in Ordinary Time 8-14-05
“Prayer is the only power to which God surrenders”
Saint John of the Cross19th Sunday i. Ordinary Time <-7-05
Youdare going down ! road and a bri#k wall approach%s. If you pull off to the left, you will gk off a cliff todyour destructio.. If you pull obf to the r)ght, you will r!ceive one trill-on dollars. Whi#h one would you`choose? If`you put your eyes on Jesus, you`will walk over the treacherous saters of tlis life into hiw arms and eternel life. If you keep them on you6self and your fears, you w-ll drown to youv destruction. Which one would you choose?q8th Sunday in Ordinary Time w-31-05
My favoritedline from “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” comes from a scene where Mike TV asks the question, “Why is everything in this place so pointless?” to which Little Charlie Bucket replies, “Candy doesn’t need to make a point! That’s why it’s candy.” We could substitute the word Grace for Candy. Grace needs no explanation, Grace is its own and meaning without need of clarification. One day when we enter into the beautiful presence of God, it will be clear that there will be no need to explain for love knows reasons that reason doesn’t know. If we could figure out what God has in store for us with our limited minds, it would present an eternity that would be very long indeed!17th Sunday in Ordinary Time 7-24-05
Wisdom can be summed up in this phrase from the rule of Saint Benedict; Prefer NOTHING to the Love of Christ!16th Sunday in Ordinary Time 7-17-05
Someone once said, “You do have to show up to every fight to which you are invited!” Many weeds out there would love you to respond to their invite to fight. We live with wheat and weeds. Enjoy the wheat and ignore the weeds. The Lord will take care of both! Just make sure you are his wheat and not the devil’s weed.15th Sunday in Ordinary Time 7-10-05
How receptive are you to God’s seed planted in your heart? It depends upon how humble you are. A heart with a lot of rocks (pride) and little soil is not good ground for growth. A heart with a lot of weeds (resentments) and thorns (hatred) will also prevent good growth. Only the rich soil of humility will be good ground for growth. A humble heart has faith in God because it realizes that without God it wouldn’t even exist. A humble heart has hope because it sees that in its littleness God can do marvelous things. A humble heart has love because it dies to itself and learns the true value of decreasing so that Christ may increase. May the Lord give you a humble heart so that the seeds of faith, hope, and love will grow in your life.14th Sunday in Ordinary Time 7-3-05
Did you take time to speak with the Lord today? Padre Pio said “Prayer is oxygen for the soul.” Do you breathe every day? If you didn’t you would die. Your soul is even more important than your body. Why do you fail to give it life through prayer? Do yourself and all of us a favor and pray!!!.13th Sunday in Ordinary Time 6-26-05
Hospitality seems to be a forgotten art. When we are hospitable to any person we are showing love to Christ himself. The scriptures seem to indicate even a higher reward for those who show hospitality to those who serve Christ. (i.e. his disciples, a holy man, a righteous person or a disciple) All of the aforementioned people have a powerful role in doing the work of the Lord and furthering his kingdom. Therefore when you help them you are helping the work of God to bring his kingdom to the world, hence you will receive their reward simply by helping them out.12th Sunday in Ordinary Time 6-19-05
“Once Latimer was preaching when Henry the king was present. Knowing that he was about to say something that would offend the king he said aloud as if to himself, ‘Latimer! Latimer! Latimer! Be careful what you say. Henry the king is here.’ He paused then said, ‘Latimer! Latimer! Latimer! Be careful what you say. The King of kings is here!’” On one hand, if we please the entire world while, displeasing our God, we are lost. On the other hand, if we please our God and do his will bringing rejection of the world to us, we are victorious!11th Sunday in Ordinary Time 6-12-05
If God brings you to it, He will bring you through it.
Happy Moments, Praise God.
Difficult Moments, Seek God.
Quiet Moments, Worship God.
Painful Moments, Trust God.
Every Moment, Thank God.
10th Sunday in Ordinary Time 6-5-05
God comforts us in our affliction and he afflicts us in our comfort. There is a reality called the Paschal mystery in every Christian’s life. We die and then we rise. We die again to one thing or another, and then we rise again. Finally we fully die in the great hope of resurrected life for all eternity. We are constantly moving from Grace to Grace, constantly on a journey to deeper holiness. So what is the greatest affliction that we suffer in which our Lord gives us comfort? Sin and alienation from God; this is truly the greatest possible affliction known to man. There is simply nothing more tragic than a soul separated from God. Jesus tells us clearly that he did not come for the righteous but for the sinner and that people who are well do not need a doctor, rather sick people do. We all have times of sin and alienation from God to one degree or another. Now we are all undeservedly justified by the Grace and Mercy of God. God also afflicts us in our comfort. When we think we don’t need God and when we make ourselves out to be God, a natural affliction comes upon us that leads us back to God. “In their affliction, they will seek the Lord!” Affliction which leads us back to God is one of his greatest gifts to us because it saves us from the greatest tragedy, eternal death.Blood and Body of Christ 5-29-05
1. Please take special note of this weeks mass and liturgical schedule
a. Please join us at the Sacred Heart Cemetery Monday May 30th at 9:00 am for an ecumenical Memorial Day prayer service.
b. We will celebrate all day adoration of the Holy Eucharist on Tuesday, May 31st in Ida Grove beginning at 7:00 am and ending with Benediction around 6:45 pm just before the 7:00 pm Mass.
c. Mass at Good Samaritan will be on Wednesday, June 1st instead of Thursday the 2nd.
d. There will be a special mass for healing held on Thursday, June 2nd in Holstein at 7:00 pm. After the mass, I will anoint people who are 65 years or older who wish to be anointed along with anyone who has a serious illness. After that, the rest of the people will have the option to come forward for prayer for any other needs. We will have some prayer teams.
2. Several people have approached me in this last year about Dan Brown’s best selling novel, The DaVinci Code . After reading some of it, many have put the book aside and quit reading it. GOOD DISCERNMENT! It is clearly an anti-catholic and unscholarly novel from both a historical and theological point of view. It is presented to the naïve and unscholarly public as a must read book if one is to be truly up on religious truth. The truth is that the book is plain and simple fiction with no basis in reality. If you want to know more about this, please go to www.osv.com/davinci . There is way too much good reading out there than to waste your time on this piece of trash. Seriously, DaVinci would have been infinitely offended at this off the wall presentation. He had nothing to do with it!
3. It is summer time. That means that summer fashions are back. Please consider modesty and proper decorum when in Church. A good rule of thumb is to dress for church as you would for a job interview. You don’t have to wear a tux, but please be sure your clothing is modest, covering and clean. A church is a holy and consecrated place. That means that it is reserved and set aside for sacred activities. When in church please respect the space people need to pray and limit talking to holy and appropriate conversation. It is important to observe the hour fast before Holy Communion and to avoid the chewing of gum at all times.Holy Trinity Sunday 5-22-05
“May the Grace (karis) of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Love (agaph) of God and the Fellowship (koinwnia) of the Holy Spirit be with all of you!” (2Cor 13:14) As Saint Paul concludes his letter to the Corinthians he prays a blessing upon them filled with goodness and richness. Inherent in the blessing is the assertion of the Blessed Trinity. Paul acknowledges Jesus, the Father, and the Holy Spirit, but then takes it a step further to articulate certain gifts or functions that the Trinity gives to us.
1. Grace simply means Gift. “God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son that all who believe in him may not perish but may have everlasting life.” John 3:16 Jesus is God’s great gift to us.
2. Love is the essence of God. Paul tells us also in Corinthians that “God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself.” God wanted to bring us into a union of perfect love with himself. Once someone asked Saint John why he taught so much on love. Saint John answered, “Because that is all there is. Love. Love. Love.” The Greek word for love here is the highest kind of love, a love that would die for someone else, an unconditional love, much as a parent for a child.
3. Fellowship is another word for community. Put simply, through the Holy Spirit we are all brought together as one. The Holy Spirit is the bond of our unity and ties everything up together in love! In other words, God wants to hang out with us in pure love. God loved us into existence so that we may live in a perfect union of love with the Triune God, and through our unity with God we are to know and love one another in perfect community or fellowship for all of eternity. Praise God!Pentecost 5-15-05
The man loved spending time with Bishops and Cardinals. He was visiting with the cardinal of New York and noticed a red phone. He asked, “What is that red phone used for?” The Cardinal answered,” It is a direct line to God. I speak to God and God speaks to me.” The man begged to use the phone, only to find that it cost One million dollars a minute. Obviously, that wouldn’t work for his budget. Then he found himself in Ireland visiting the cardinal archbishop of Dublin. He noticed the same phone and lamented at the great cost of the “hot-line to heaven.” The cardinal then said, “Lad, go ahead and pick up the phone. You may speak with the Lord.” The man answered, “I couldn’t possibly afford that!” Thereupon the cardinal said, “You don’t understand. From Ireland, it’s a local call!”
We are so blessed! We are put into direct contact with the Lord by means of the Holy Spirit. At our baptism both the transmitter and the receiver have been placed within our hearts. From anywhere, IT IS A LOCAL CALL!Ascension of the Lord 5-8-05
Just when the disciples of Jesus thought he was going to abandon them and leave them high and dry, He gives them the greatest gift of his abiding presence by sending them the gift of the Holy Spirit. We are blessed with that same Gift of the Holy Spirit by our Baptism and Confirmation. Did you know that the Lord personally dwells within you? When was the last time you praised him or had a significant moment with him?6th Sunday of Easter 5-1-05
NO PRAYER, NO POWER
SOME PRAYER, SOME POWER,
A LOT OF PRAYER, A LOT OF POWER5th Sunday of Easter 4-24-05
Habemus Papam! (We have a Pope!) In the midst of our mourning the incredible loss of John Paul the Great, we certainly rejoice in the selection of our new pope, Benedict XVI! First, we can rest assured that John Paul the Great will be really and deeply present to us now at any time we need his intercession. We certainly will be carefully reading and being fed by his brilliant works till the end of time! Pope Benedict XVI is a brilliant man as well. He is firm yet very kind and gentle. Since he was a very close advisor and friend of John Paul the Great, we can be very sure that we will not see a lot of change. We do pray that he will appoint a new bishop for the Diocese of Sioux City very soon! Let us honor Pope Benedict’s request and keep him deeply in our prayers. Viva Il Papa! (Long Live the Pope!)4th Sunday of Easter 4-17-05
What is the soul? When you go to a funeral home and view the body, you ask, “What’s missing?” THAT is the soul. We have a non-corporeal part of us that will simply continue after our body is dead. Your body may be dead, but your soul and spirit will live on in a way that is free from all the limitations of this world.3rd Sunday of Easter 4-10-05
“Then Peter stood up with the Eleven, raised his voice, and proclaimed...” These words clearly reflect one major part of the Petrine Ministry of the Holy Father and the ministry in which we all share. John Paul the Great once said, “If you have met Christ, then proclaim him to the world!” Peter never claimed to have anything on his own, in fact he was very aware of his human frailties, but Peter did realize that the work of God through his ministry was vital and so the work of his successors remains vital. He said in Acts 3, “Silver or Gold I have not, but what I have, I give you. In the name of Jesus…” when he speaks in the name of Jesus he speaks as if it were Jesus himself speaking. That is what made his ministry powerful. When Peter’s shadow would fall upon the sick and they would be cured, it was the shadow of Jesus falling on that person. How many times have we listened to John Paul the Great speak and experienced our hearts burning as the word of God came forth! That is because, it wasn’t simply the man speaking, it was Christ himself, speaking to us, Shepherding us, guiding us, challenging us through the ministry of the pope. Jesus said of the Church, “the one who hears you hears me!” Thank you Lord for leading, loving, and Shepherding your church these last 26 years through John Paul the Great. Thank you for promising to continue to be with your church until the end of time. We thank you already for the next person who will step into the shoes of the fisherman Peter. Speak to us Lord that our hearts may burn with love for you!Mercy Sunday 4-3-05
This is Mercy Sunday! We look at the incredible mercy of God shown to us and celebrate the center of our spiritual life, which is God’s loving mercy for all. The center of our spiritual life is NOT our worthiness, but rather God’s mercy that flows from the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We hear from the gospel of John, which is one that points us towards mercy. All throughout Jesus shows mercy and kindness to people through healings, raising the dead etc... In the end John writes “all these things have been written so that you may believe that Jesus Christ is the Christ, the Son of God, and that through this Faith you may have life in his name. All these little signs of mercy lead us to the ultimate reality of Faith in Christ, which is the way to eternal mercy, and salvation in Heaven.Easter Sunday 3-27-05
Jesus Christ is Risen from the Dead!
Alleluia!Palm Sunday 3-20-05
The true story is told of a famous evangelist who was introduced to speak to a stadium full of people. After taking in a 10-minute standing ovation, he simply said, “When Jesus entered into Jerusalem, he received a similar response from the crowd. It would have been a great mistake for the donkey to think that that reception was meant for him! I am just God’s donkey.”5th Sunday of Lent 3-13-05
Someone has once said, “I am not afraid of death, I am afraid of the moments right before death!” How true! I remember as a boy thinking, “If I were Lazarus, I would have been mad! Here I just went through 4he death procesw and then this cuy comes around$and now I have 0o go through the whole thijg again!” Actuall9, Jesus was rea`y to let him go but was mo2ed by the praye6 of Martha. Rem%mber, Jesus res5scitated the deed body of Hazarus. This me!ns that he had to die again! La>arus did eventu!lly die again, but the second time Jesus bvought him to th% glorious life +f heaven, jever to die. Deeth does not hava the POWER over us that we think! The truth is that we will never die. After our body shuts down our real self, our soul ` will continue on for all eternity. John says that some will vise to life and others, rise to condemnation. We who are in Christ have no fear of condemnation, but only joyous hope`in the resurrection to life!tth Sunday of Lent 3-6-05
David was the least likely to be anointed by Samuel as the King of Israel. He wasn’t even considered. Well, the Lord DID consider him. David was anointed, the Spirit of God rushed upon him and he became THE Old Testament figure that most closely resembled the future Savior, Jesus Christ. God does not call the equipped; rather he equips those whom he calls.3rd Sunday of Lent 2-27-05
The hot July sun was mercilessly beating down on 50,000 of us gathered in Arrowhead Stadium for a religious conference. We just concluded a long mass, which was frequented by many ambulances whisking limp bodies away. Many people were simply passing out and I was parched, so very thirsty. I sought out several concession stands only to find them all closed. I proceeded to the car to wait for my ride. You could see the heat waves coming off the asphalt. I couldn’t take it! I return%d to the stadiu- to look for water, any water. finally f/und one lone stand open, ordere$ a large 7-up and a large water. To my great delight and setisfaction, I d+wned both of tham immediately. then went out N to the car,`very satisfied and opened my bi&le at random as$I waited for the driver ofdmy car. It just$so happened tha0 I opened to Ps%lm 63. “O God, you are my God, I earnestly seek you; my sou, thirsts for you like a dry and parched land.”$That passage just hit me! Just as my body longed for water and rejoiced upon drinking it, so my soul longs for God. I had e spiritual thirst that only God can satisfy, some here on %arth but only fully in heaven. Then I turned immediately tk the book of Revelation. My eyes fell on the verse, “Whoever is thirsty, let him come, whoever wishes, let him take the free gift of the water of life.” Do not fill your life with the sands of this world. Come to Jesus, who will give you the living water of his Spirit. Only God’s love will satisfy the deepest thirst of your soul.2nd Sunday of Lent 2-20-05
The transforming power of God is in our midst in small and dramatic ways. Probably one of the most dramatic ways that God has shown his presence in recent years was at Fatima, Portugal on October 13th, 1917. Some 70,000 to 100,000 people were present to witness the sign of God’s love promised to the world. It was continually raining, people were shivering and soaked, plastered with mud when in a beautiful moment the Sun began to spin and threw off rainbow colors. It came lunging towards the earth while people cried out that perhaps this was the end of the world. In an instant and in a flash, all the water was dried up, peoples clothes were completely laundered, and hearts knew that God’s love was in their midst as promised by the Blessed Virgin Mary. This was not just one or two people who witnessed this! This was a crowd of up to 100,000 people. It hit the secular news and people’s lives are still being changed by it. Wake up people! God is alive and he loves you! Turn away from sin and follow Jesus! Jesus is here not just to clean our clothes, but also to transform our lives!1st Sunday of Lent 2-13-05
I remember as a little boy hearing the story of Adam and Eve from my mother and getting down right angry. If they hadn’t of messed up we wouldn’t have to be sick, suffering or even have to die at all! Then I remember thinking that if they hadn’t failed someone else eventually would have. Now all that I can say is, “O happy fault that gained for us such a great redeemer!” This leads to a question. Is it possible that after Jesus saw the fall from grace that he was filled with great joy knowing that he could now demonstrate his love for us by dying on the cross?I remember as a little boy hearing the story of Adam and Eve from my mother and getting down right angry. If they hadn’t of messed up we wouldn’t have to be sick, suffering or even have to die at all! Then I remember thinking that if they hadn’t failed someone else eventually would have. Now all that I can say is, “O happy fault that gained for us such a great redeemer!” This leads to a question. Is it possible that after Jesus saw the fall from grace that he was filled with great joy knowing that he could now demonstrate his love for us by dying on the cross?5th Sunday in Ordinary Time 2-6-05
OF ALL YOUR FEARS – GREAT AND SMALL
THE GREATEST OF THOSE WON’T HAPPEN AT ALL.4th Sunday in Ordinary Time 1-30-05
Good judgement is the fruit of experience and experience is often the result of poor judgement.3rd Sunday in Ordinary Time 1-23-05
“On those dwelling in a land overshadowed by death, a light has risen!” As far as I am concerned, 4,000 abortions a day in America would qualify our land as one overshadowed by death. In the midst of this darkness, we are called to deep repentance and turning of our hearts, lives, and country back over to God. It is possible for the light to shine in this present darkness. In fact the deeper the darkness, the more our light will be seen. We should never apologize or compromise for being PRO-LIFE PEOPLE! Surely the destruction of the tsunami, claiming some 150,000 lives in one sweep is tragic. Our prayers and substantial financial support go out to them. The horror of that tragedy will be felt for many years. However, why have we gotten used to the destruction of some 124,000 human beings a month in this country through an intentional terrorism of the womb! May the light of the Gospel dispel this darkness and put our country as “One Nation under God” not just in name, but in fact.2nd Sunday in Ordinary Time 1-16-05
In the Jewish tradition, the community would find a spotless lamb, they would then push down upon the lamb, thus transferring and conferring their sins upon it. The lamb would then be sacrificed, thereby freeing the people from their sins. So when Jesus came on the scene and John declared, “Behold the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world,” it was very clear to the Jewish listeners that Jesus was the one without blemish who would lay down his life so that they may be free of sin.Baptism of the Lord 1-9-05
From the very beginning of the First Sunday in ordinary time (which begins with the Baptism of the Lord) we are invited to connect with the Holy Trinity. Jesus comes on the scene, The Holy Spirit hovers above him, and the voice of the Father is heard, “This is my Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. Through Jesus we are Baptized into the beautiful life and love of the Trinity.Epiphany of the Lord 1-2-05
EPIPHANY comes from a Greek word meaning “to shine light upon” which is put more simply as manifestation or revelation. We celebrate Christ being revealed to the world as our God and Savior. Now that Christ shines upon us we also are called to reflect his love and be “little epiphanies” to the world. This little light of mine, I gonna let it shine!