Happy Epiphany!
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Faith on Sunday, January 08, 2012
Those figures who came from the East were not the last but the first of a great procession of those who, throughout the epochs of history, are able to recognize the message of the Star, who know how to walk on the paths indicated by Sacred Scripture.
Thus they also know how to find the One who seems weak and fragile but instead has the power to grant the greatest and most profound joy to the heart of man.
In him, indeed, is made manifest the stupendous reality that God knows us and is close to us, that his greatness and power are not expressed according to the world’s logic, but to the logic of a helpless baby whose strength is only that of the love which he entrusts to us.
In the journey of history, there are always people who are enlightened by the light of the Star, who find the way and reach him. They all live, each in his or her own way, the experience of the Magi.
—Benedict XVI, Solemnity of Epiphany 2010
The Restless Heart of God
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Faith on Friday, January 06, 2012
You must read the Holy Father’s homily for Epiphany this year.
The whole thing is quotable, but I’ll whet your whistle with this:
The restless heart of which we spoke earlier, echoing Saint Augustine, is the heart that is ultimately satisfied with nothing less than God, and in this way becomes a loving heart. Our heart is restless for God and remains so, even if every effort is made today, by means of most effective anaesthetizing methods, to deliver people from this unrest. But not only are we restless for God: God’s heart is restless for us. God is waiting for us. He is looking for us. He knows no rest either, until he finds us. God’s heart is restless, and that is why he set out on the path towards us – to Bethlehem, to Calvary, from Jerusalem to Galilee and on to the very ends of the earth.
Apocryphal Scripture
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Faith on Friday, January 07, 2011
Don’t you miss The Far Side?
The caption reads:
“Unbeknownst to most theologians, there was a fourth wiseman, who was turned away for bringing a fruitcake.”
Benedict The Wise Man
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Faith on Thursday, January 06, 2011
Go here and scroll forward to see a moving series of photos from the Pope’s visit to a spina bifida ward for Epiphany.
The Pope brought presents for the kids: stuffed animals, books and sweets, and he assured them of his prayers.
Here’s a link to his words, and an excerpt below translated by Google with a little assist from me:
Dear children, I wanted to come to see you to be a bit like the Magi whom... READ MORE
Commemorating the Visit
Posted by Arwen Mosher in Family on Thursday, January 06, 2011
After all the excitement of this Christmas season, Camilla seemed surprised when I told her we would put out shoes for the Wise Men to fill. Yet another treat? Will these thrills never end?
Some people put out shoes on St. Nicholas Day but at my house, growing up, we always left them by the door on the evening of January 5th, the eve of Epiphany. We left lettuce or hay in the shoes for the Magi’s... READ MORE
Christmas Time
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Tuesday, January 04, 2011
Every year, my aim is to keep our tree up until Epiphany. Most years, I don’t quite make it.
Usually, by New Year’s Day, our live Christmas tree is dangerously parched and needing to come down. Besides the safety issues, by January I’m generally just ready to take down the Christmas decor and move back towards simplicity and space.
This year I didn’t do any Christmas decorating until the week before... READ MORE
Ninth Day of Christmas
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Faith on Sunday, January 02, 2011
From The Three Kings, Longfellow
...
And the Three Kings rode through the gate and the guard,
Through the silent street, till their horses turned
And neighed as they entered the great inn-yard;
But the windows were closed, and the doors were barred,
And only a light in the stable burned.
And cradled there in the scented hay,
In the air made sweet by the breath of kine,
The little child in the manger... READ MORE
What Gifts Do We Bring?
Posted by Lisa Hendey in Faith on Wednesday, January 06, 2010
With today being the traditional celebration of Epiphany, my thoughts are heading back to my musings Sunday morning as I listened to the words of Matthew’s gospel account of the Magi. Hearing the following words gave me pause:
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
My thoughts immediately went to what... READ MORE
Saints of Christmas: Magi
Posted by Rebecca Teti in Faith on Sunday, January 03, 2010
Because Epiphany is a movable feast in the United States, it falls on the 10th day this year.
Epiphany means “to show,” and the feast celebrates the Magi coming to make the Christ-child known to the entire world.
In last year’s homily for Epiphany, Pope Benedict explained the several meanings of the feast:
“The Latin tradition identifies it with the visit of the Magi to the Infant Jesus in Bethlehem... READ MORE
Epiphany
Posted by Rachel Balducci in Family on Tuesday, January 06, 2009
Epiphany has always been a big deal in our home.
Growing up, each family member would receive a gift on the Feast of Epiphany to celebrate the gifts the Magi brought baby Jesus. Also on that day, the Three Wise Men from my mom’s Fontanini Nativity would finally arrive at the stable. At the start of Advent, the Magi were set apart and slowly, over the course of the weeks leading up to Epiphany, they... READ MORE
