The Feast of the Epiphany 

   Today we celebrate the manifestation of our Lord to the nations.  Three foreigners from the east, the Magi, had followed the star of Christ from their homelands to give praise and gifts to the newborn King of Israel.

   Jesus came to God’s chosen people, to reach out to them and offer them the salvation and eternal glory God desires for them.  Most of His earthly mission was rightly directed to the Israelites, His chosen people.

   Yet Christ came not just for the Israelites but for every man, woman, and child in the world for all time.  We, the gentiles, have been grafted onto the vine God planted in the promised land; we have become God's chosen by adoption and brothers and sisters of our Lord.  What incredible love God has for all His children.

   Today, let us offer Him the gifts we have for Him; our hearts, our souls, and our love.  Let’s say a prayer for peace and love in the world and always remember the words of our Lord, “I have overcome the world.” (John 16: 33)

 

 Love Eternal 

   “We have come to know and to believe that God has love for us.  God is love, and whoever abides in love abides in God, and God in him.” (1 John 4: 16) 

   Many are unaware of or choose to ignore God’s love for them.  They wander through life, often unhappy, seeking the love they know they need but are unable to obtain.

   When I read scripture it’s so apparent that the whole bible is the story of the love that God has for us.  Over the centuries we have denied it, rejected it, and thrown it away.  And yet His love is there, offered for any who are willing to accept it and become His child.

   The Song of Songs is considered by many to be lewd, and some translations of  scripture have refused to include it.  But read with faith and with the desire to understand God’s love we find that it is one of the best love poems ever written.  It tells of the undying love of God for His people in the words that anyone can understand if they can drag their minds out of the gutter long enough to accept it.

   One of the greatest tragedies of this world is the failure to recognize God’s love in all that exists.  There is nothing that has been and nothing that will ever be that isn’t a reflection of God’s love for us.

   When we accept His love and give all our love in return there is a wondrous exchange.  The more we love Him the greater our reward in this life.  God wants to give us all the happiness there is in this world and total happiness in the world to come.  The price of this treasure is our love, given freely to the One who loves us with a far greater love than we can ever know in this lifetime.

Two Families 

   I like to keep things simple.  When we complicate the issues we often lose sight of where we are to go and become confused in how we are to follow our Lord.

   I’ve come to see all people on earth as members of one of two families.  We are either children of God or we are children of Satan.  There are no other options and the sooner we realize that the sooner we can begin to live as the children of God.

   Another way of saying this is that we have either love or hate in our heart.  In the heart of a child of God there can be no hate and true love does not exist in the heart of the children of Satan.  We must be one or the other, our heart can’t be divided between the two.

   I am saddened by the many evils in the world today.  It breaks my heart to see the confusion and division in the Church, I pray for the souls of the millions of innocent babies sacrificed on the altar of “free love” through abortion.  It would be quite easy to say that I hate those who foster such things, but I would then no longer be a child of God but a child or Satan.

   I can, and should, despise the evils of the world, but I can never allow myself to come to hate those who practice those evils.  I must instead love them, pray for them, and place them in God’s hands.  He is the only one who can touch their heart and create a renewal within them.

   We must choose, will we be children of God or children of Satan?  There really are no other choices.  One leads to eternal joy, the other to eternal damnation.

  

 Walk In The Light 

   “I am the light of the world.  The one who follows me will never walk in darkness.  Rather, he will have the light of his life.” (John 8: 12) 

   Imagine a candle.  Once it is lit, the light from that candle can be shared over and over again without ever diminishing.  Each new candle can be lit from that wick without ever taking any of the light from the candle.

   That is our Lord, Jesus Christ.  He is the light of the world, and His light can be shared all over the world with every person in the world.  His light is the light that lives are meant to know; a pure light, a light that knows no prejudices or hatreds, but only love.

   The light of Christ can never be overcome by Satan and his evil desires.  As long as we continue to walk in His light the evil one can’t draw us away though he will never give up trying.

    The only one who can extinguish the light of Christ within us is us.  We can refuse to walk in His light and turn to the darkness.  Sadly, many do exactly that.  St John said it quite clearly, "And the judgment is this: the light has come into the world, but people prefer darkness to light because their deeds were evil.” (John 3: 19).

   Receive the light, keep it burning bright and share it with others.  Those who do these things will know blessings beyond compare in this life and eternal joy in the next.

 Into the Cloud 

   Between me and God is a cloud, a cloud of unknowing.  Though I love and know my Lord there is so much about Him that is and will remain a mystery for as long as I am in this world.

   However, within the mystery is extraordinary bliss.  Simply to sit silently, contemplating God is a tremendous joy and helps me come to know and love Him more and more.  This is why I am so at peace and ease when I am in the adoration chapel before the Blessed Sacrament. 

   Of all the wonderful mysteries of God I find His incredible love for me, a sinner who has so many times disappointed Him, to be the greatest of all.  In the ways of the world He would have rejected me long ago, but His ways are not of the world, so He continues to reach out to me with the purest of love.  His love is proven over and over, even to this day.

   Not only does He give me His love, but allows me to love Him in return.  And when I give it, wholly and completely He refills me with an even greater love.  His love is like an eternal well, the more I pull from the holy waters of that well, the more it fills up and offers more.  In this way I can give Him all my love, knowing that He will give me so much more of His love to share with others, loving them with the same holy love He gives to me.

   I wait with great anticipation to pass through the cloud of unknowing and coming face-to-face with my Lord.  But until then I will explore the mysteries, love my God, and seek to do His will in all I do.

God’s Love 

   “What is man that you are mindful of him, and a son of man that you care for him?” (Psalm 8: 5) 

   I am constantly in awe of the love God has for me and all His children.  Higher than the stars, deeper than the ocean, His love has no limits and is never-ending.

   This fact has become even more evident to me in recent weeks.  New joy, new love has entered my life and there is no doubt from where it came; it is a gift of God.

   Sometimes life can be difficult, and joy and happiness hard to find.  Many of the saints speak of times of darkness or coldness in their lives, times when it seemed as if God had abandoned them.  And yet, they never lessened their devotion, their prayer life remained strong and even grew stronger.  They had confidence that God was still with them through it all.  Their strength gave me strength.

   I’ve read of the joy they knew when the dryness departed, and they again knew the full force and indwelling of God’s love for them.  I feel that joy in my life now as well.  Though I know He was with me all the time, this fullness of heart and soul that He has given me lights up my life.

   I felt alone and He comforted me, I felt lost, and He showed me the way.  I felt that I would never again know such joy and happiness, but He has renewed those wonders within me.  I will cherish and protect this blessed gift, constantly giving Him all glory and praise.

  

 

 

 

 

“The Lord let His face shine upon you, and be gracious to you.  The Lord look upon you with kindness and grant you peace.

 

 

 

Happy New Year!