by Faith Central & Steve Welsh
“#Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan …
… After Jesus was baptized,
He came up from the water and behold,
the Heavens were opened for Him,
and He saw the Spirit of #God descending like a dove
and coming upon Him.
… a Voice came from the Heavens, saying,
‘This is My Beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.'”
“The chalking of the doors is a centuries-old practice throughout the world … an easy tradition to adopt, and a great practice whereby we dedicate our year to #God from its very outset, asking His blessing on our homes and on all who live, work or visit them there. …”
“… The three Wise Men, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar followed the star of God’s Son who became human two thousand and fifteen years ago. May Christ bless our home and remain with us throughout the new year. Amen. … Visit, O blessed Lord, this home with the gladness of Your Presence. Bless all who live or visit here with the gift of Your Love; and grant that we may manifest Your Love to each other and to all whose lives we touch. May we grow in grace and in the knowledge and love of You; guide, comfort, and strengthen us in peace, O Jesus Christ, now and forever. Amen. …”
“… This Sunday we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. The celebration commemorates the visit of the magi to the child Jesus, the King of the Jews. The significance of this feast is that Jesus is made manifest to the nations. The magi who come from foreign lands to see the newborn king represent the ‘nations.’ The light that comes into the world comes … for all peoples. The magi, following the light of the star, search for the child until they find Him in Bethlehem 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.’ Coming to the close of the Christmas season, we have the opportunity to reflect, once again, on the birth of the Messiah. Our celebrations recall and remember that He has been born among us. We recognize the Gift of Life that comes through Him. We celebrate God becoming man and living among us. We commemorate God taking on flesh so that he could give it up on our behalf and thereby opening the gates of Eternal Life. …”
“… Pope Francis in his homily spoke about these three Kings who, he said, ‘personify all those who believe, those who long for God, who yearn for their home, their heavenly homeland.’ They reflect, he added, ‘the image of all those who in their lives have not let their hearts become anesthetized.’ Like these kings, the Pope explained, ‘a holy longing for God helps us keep alert in the face of every attempt to reduce and impoverish our life. That longing keeps hope alive in the community of believers, which from week to week continues to plead: ‘Come, Lord Jesus.'” …”
“‘Arise, be enlightened, Jerusalem, for your Light has come.’ The Light indeed had come; He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, but the world did not know Him. He was born but He was not known, until this Day of Light began to manifest Him… . ‘Arise, you who sit in darkness; look at the light which has risen up in the darkness but is not mastered by the darkness. Draw near to Him and be enlightened, in His light you shall see the light; and it will be said to you: ‘You were once darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.’ Look upon the Eternal Light which has tempered itself to your gaze, so that He who dwells in inaccessible light affords access even to weak and bleary eyes. …”
“… 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. …”
“… in 431, the Council of Ephesus met, under Cyril’s leadership, and solemnly proclaimed that #Mary is indeed rightly to be honored as the #Theotokos, the Mother of #God. It proclaimed that from the moment of his conception, God truly became man. Of course Mary is a creature and could never be the origin of the eternal Trinity, God without beginning or end. But the second person of the blessed Trinity chose to truly become man. He did not just come and borrow a human body and drive it around for awhile, ascend back to heaven, and discard it like an old car. …”
“Saint Proclus of Constantinople (c.390-446), Bishop, Sermon no.1; PG 65,682 … ‘… Let all humanity dance in unison …. The holy Mother of #God has brought us together in this place; the Virgin #Mary, purest treasure of virginity, the Second Adam’s spiritual paradise, place in which the two natures are united, place of exchange in which our salvation has been brought to pass, nuptial chamber in which #Christ espoused our flesh. She is that spiritual bush which the fire of giving birth to a God did not burn, the bright cloud who bore him who is enthroned above the cherubim, the pure fleece that received celestial dew… Mary, handmaid and mother, virgin, heaven, the one bridge between God and man, loom of the incarnation on which the tunic of the union of natures was so skilfully woven, its weaver being the Holy Spirit. …'”
“The shepherds went in haste to #Bethlehem and found #Mary and Joseph,
and the Infant lying in the manger.
… they made known the Message
that had been told them about this Child.
… Mary kept all these things,
reflecting on them in her heart.
… the shepherds returned,
glorifying and praising #God ….
… He was named #Jesus, the Name given Him by the #Angel
before He was Conceived in the Womb.”