January 5th, 2025 – The Epiphany of the Lord
Merry Christmas! Happy Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord!
As many of you know, I love the liturgy of the Church. When we hear the word “liturgy,” we often think of Mass; however, the church’s liturgy is so much more than Mass. Liturgy is the public work of the church, which includes Mass, the celebration of the sacraments, and the liturgy of the hours among other public acts of prayers. The liturgy of the hours is the daily prayer of the church that clergy and many religious are required to pray. Some beautiful antiphons and readings come from the liturgy of the hours that many people never pray or hear.
Today includes one of my favorite antiphons of the year, which is prayed during evening prayer on Sunday night:
“Three mysteries mark this holy day: today the star leads the Magi to the infant Christ; today water is changed into wine for the wedding feast; today Christ wills to be baptized by John in the river Jordan to bring us salvation.” What a beautiful statement connecting these three great mysteries. Jesus reveals himself through these three events to show the world that he has come to bring us in communion with God. When we read the story of the Magi, the church invites us to not only think of this moment in Christ’s life but to connect it to these other moments to allow Jesus to reveal himself in our lives as well.
I pray you have time in the remaining Christmas season to reflect on how the Lord reveals himself in your lives.
