Happy New Year! And Happy Feast of the Epiphany!

My Dear Parishioners,

Happy New Year! And Happy Feast of the Epiphany! Or Three Kings Day, if you prefer.

Epiphany is from the Greek word epiphanos, usually translated as appearance or manifestation. Epiphanos is usually more specifically used in relation to a Divine Manifestation.

Today we remember this historical event as recorded by St. Matthew:

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw His star at its rising and have come to do Him homage.” When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; since from you shall come a ruler, who is to shepherd my people Israel.” Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search diligently for the Child. When you have found Him, bring me word, that I too may go and do Him homage.” After their audience with the king, they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the Child was. They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the Child with Mary His mother. They prostrated themselves and did Him homage. Then they opened their treasures and offered Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

Interestingly, their exact number of Magi is not given to us. The tradition of “three” comes from the three gifts that were presented to Jesus. There is another tradition from Eastern Rite Churches that there were twelve Magi, representing the Twelve Tribes of Israel.

In many countries, the Feast of the Epiphany is the day that gifts are exchanged in honor of the gifts presented to the Baby Jesus by the Magi. Fr. Anthony Kadavil (Vatican News Network) helps us understand the symbolism behind the gifts:

Gold, frankincense and myrrh may be thought of as prophesying Jesus’ future, gold representing his kingship as well as divinity, frankincense a symbol of his priestly role, and myrrh a prefiguring of his death and embalming.

• Gold was a gift for Kings, and the Magi accepted the baby Jesus as the king of the Gold is also a symbol of Divinity and is mentioned throughout the Bible. Pagan idols were often made from gold and the Ark of the Covenant was overlaid with gold (Ex 25:10-17). The gift of gold to the Christ Child was symbolic of His Divinity—God in flesh.
• Frankincense is highly fragrant when burned and was therefore used in worship, where it was burned as a pleasant offering to God (Ex 30:34) Frankincense is a symbol of holiness and righteousness. The gift of frankincense to the Christ Child was symbolic of His willingness to become a sacrifice, wholly giving Himself up, analogous to a burnt offering.
• Myrrh was used by the High Priest as an anointing oil (Ex 30:23) Myrrh was used in ancient times for embalming the bodies of the dead before burial. It was a fitting “gift” for Jesus who was born to die. It was also sometimes mingled with wine to form an article of drink. (Mt 27:34) refers to it as “gall.” Such a drink was offered to, and refused by, Our Savior when He was about to be crucified, as a stupefying potion (Mk 15:23). Myrrh symbolizes bitterness, suffering, and affliction.

It is quite possible that St. Joseph then sold these valuable gifts to finance the Holy Family’s Flight into Egypt to escape Herod.

Herod the Great played a prominent role in the story, and sadly, he is a tragic figure. He had an opportunity to join the Magi and touch the Divine. Instead, he chose to stay behind and then to try to kill the Divine. Herod represents those of our own time who also allow their pride and their fear keep them from touching the Divine and from knowing Jesus.

Our prayer for them this Epiphany is that they allow Jesus to touch their hearts, to remove their pride and their fear, and to allow them to have what we have: a close and personal relationship with Jesus.

Through the Church and her Sacraments, we have an encounter with Jesus that is just as real but even more profound than the encounter that the Wise Men had with Jesus over 2000 years ago. Jesus is so good and so loving. We give praise and thanksgiving as we cry out, Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!

I will like to continue to thank all of our angels who helped to make our Christmas celebrations so beautiful and inspiring. I will also like to continue all of you for your continued support of our beautiful parish family. May you all be richly rewarded for your love and generosity.

I will also like to thank all who coordinated and supported our giving tree. Over $11,000.00 was collected. Over thirty families were helped and six different outreaches benefited, including Catholic Social Services of Bucks County.

St. Joseph, Patron of the Church and our Patron, pray for us!

Fr. Michael J. Pawelko, Pastor