Pastor's Weekly Message
the epiphany of the Lord, 4 jan 2026
My Beloved Fellow Saints-in-the-Making,
Greetings in Jesus Christ, the King of kings! A gloriously joyful Christmastide to you!
We are still in the fullness of the Christmas Season as we celebrate the tireless searching for and the exultant finding of the newborn King by the Magi from the East. This should fill us with wonder as well, for those Wise Men from the East seek the One Who is the Dayspring from on high. It is to the East that we look for the Rising of this Son, for it is from the East that He shall return to us at a day unknown to us. Like the Magi, we must be ready at all times and tirelessly seek His Light that shall break upon us.
What a spiritually rich devotion to embrace this year: readiness for the Light of Christ! In many ways, it is what we have prepared for with our parish-wide Consecration to Mary Immaculate, who herself was ready in anticipation for the Messiah to come, for it has been piously speculated by the Fathers of the Church that Mary was prayerfully reading from the prophecy of Isaiah when the Angel Gabriel appeared to her. And that prophecy is this one: “The virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall name him Emmanuel” (7:14).
And once the guiding star disappears from the sight of the Magi, they ask Herod where the newborn King is, and find some answer only after the chief priests and scribes remind Herod of the prophecy of Micah in the Scriptures, namely that the Shepherd-Ruler of Israel will be born in Bethlehem.
Since we have eyes to spiritually see and ears to spiritually hear, we recognize that this encounter of the Lord through Sacred Scripture is providential. As Mary and the Magi have found the Light of Christ, let us, you and me, spend time this year with an increased devotion to Sacred Scripture, perhaps reading a portion each day from a particular book in the Bible and taking notes.
Are there passages in that particular book that make us grow in greater awe and wonder at the marvels of Our Lord? Are there passages we find difficult to understand and need to re-read and re-view over several days? Are there passages we need to talk about with a Deacon or a Priest? Are there passages that touch us so deeply that we want to commit them to memory? Are there passages that we feel moved to share with family and friends? And how are we inspired to live out the joy and truth of these passages?
The Christ comes to Mary as she is prayerfully reading the Scriptures. And the way to the Christ is revealed to the Magi after a prayerful read of the Scriptures. So, too, will the Lord come to you and me as we make ready time and again to encounter Him in God’s revealed Word.
A blessed, happy, and Scripture-filled New Year!
God love you! I do.
Fr. Lewis