January 6--Feast of the Epiphany

"We three kings of Orient are/Bearing gifts we traverse afar...." The feast of the Epiphany used to be celebrated on January 6, twelve days after Christmas. It is the day we celebrate the manifestation, or "epiphany" of the King of Kings to the world. It is proclaimed in Matthew's Gospel, which ties in with his theme of Jesus as being the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. The first reading, from Isaiah, tells of how gifts fit for a king are brought to Jerusalem. Psalm 72 is about how kings from far off lands will honor and serve the king of Israel. Matthew's story of the magi shows how Gentiles honor and adore Jesus as the new king of Israel, but Matthew intends more than that. He knows that Jesus is God and that all peoples will come to adore him.

How do we honor and adore Jesus in our lives? Do we give him precedence above all else? Do we acknowledge his role as savior? Do we live as his disciples? Do we spread the Good News of his love? Christmas is a time of celebrating with gifts, but the greatest gift we can offer Jesus is ourselves. We do that when we love as he loved us. We offer ourselves when we love our families, our friends, our colleagues, and those we meet, even, and especially, when they annoy and burden us. May this feast day, when we remember the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh borne by the three wise men, remind us to bear the gift of love that Jesus has given to us to all in our lives.

January 6—St. André Bessette, Religious

Is there a saint for failures?  No one who is a saint is a failure, but many of the saints had numerous setbacks throughout their lives that challenged them to grow in faith.  St. André Bessette, who died in 1937, went though numerous setbacks, or failures, in his life.  He was a sickly child; his parents died when he was 12; he attempted, and failed, numerous trades including shoemaking, baking, and blacksmithing.  He tried to enter the Congregation for the Holy Cross, but was too sick to be admitted.  Eventually, he was admitted and then given the “humble” occupations of doorkeeper, sacristan, laundry worker, and messenger.  However, he served with piety and devotion to St. Joseph.  That devotion to St. Joseph prompted him to work toward having a chapel built dedicated to St. Joseph.  Many years of prayer and dedication and setbacks were put in before he saw the successful culmination of his efforts.

We all fail in our lives, whether it be due to lack of ability, lack of effort, or illness or injury, or even due to “luck” and circumstances beyond our control.  We do not get what we want and that can lead to feelings of feeling despised or put upon, or unlucky.  Nonetheless, the only true failure is sin.  Sin is the ultimate failure to love.  But we have a savior who lifts us up from our failures.  Forgiveness from God is the ultimate success.  As we have been loved and forgiven, we have been called to love and forgive others.  This leads us to a life of spreading the Good News of salvation.  True, we may still not get what we want here on earth.  However, God will always give us what we need to get to heaven.  We just need to turn to him and understand how these setbacks may be calling us to a greater success, as did St. André Bessette.