Adult Initiation & Sacrament Preparation

If Easter is our highest holy day, the Epiphany is rightly the second.  It is the celebration of the realization that God's salvation is a gift for all people, everywhere.  It is this feast that defines us as Christians, revealing not only that this child, Jesus, is the Christ, but that the grace of reconciling the people to God is a universal invitation. The Word for the Epiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13 Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-2 Our first reading comes from the later chapters of Isaiah.  Here the prophet sees a glorious vision for Jerusalem… the city shall be radiant and become a beacon for all the nations.  And that is the key point of this reading today... that all people, all kingdoms, will see Jerusalem, God's city and God's people, as the light and life, and be drawn to her and the glory of the Lord.  These later chapters of Isaiah reflect the hope for the end of the Babylonian Exile, and the rec...

Traditionally the celebration of the Epiphany would mark the end of our Christmas Season (the Twelve Days of Christmas), whereupon we continue the celebration with the Octave of Epiphany.  With the revised Liturgical Calendar for the US, however, we celebrate the Epiphany on the first Sunday after New Years Day, and extend the Christmas season through to the second Sunday after New Years with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord. The Word for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord Isaiah 60:1-6 Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13 Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6 Matthew 2:1-12 Our first reading comes from the later chapters of Isaiah.  Here the prophet sees a glorious vision for Jerusalem… the city shall be radiant and become a beacon for all the nations.  These later chapters of Isaiah reflect the hope for the end of the Babylonian Exile, and the reconciliation of God to the people of Israel.  As seen through our Christian eyes, this passage also speaks to our hope for t...