Epiphany: the Second Christmas

A Reflection by Fred Schaeffer, OFS 

Soon we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany. This is our second Christmas because at the first Epiphany, Jesus manifested Himself to us. Jesus came not only to redeem people of his time on earth, he came for our redemption too. The Magi brought Him gifts. Jesus would love for us to bring Him a gift also, but the gift He wants is our heart, our very self. 

It is not difficult to give Jesus our heart, our soul. This is done by personal prayer, intention and seeing the promise through. Tell Jesus today, that we will try our very best to sin no more, because we love Him. Tell Him that we will try every day to be Christ-like. To treat brothers and sisters with respect, because they, like us, are temples of the Holy Spirit. (cf. 1 Cor. 6-19). It should also be noted that Jesus did not come to redeem just Christians. He came to redeem the whole world: Everybody who believes in Him! "For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life." (Jn. 3:16). He so loved the world, not just a small part of it. Not just the people in his time, but everyone, in the whole world. That gives all people an opportunity to do Godly things, such as loving one's sister and brother, not only in your family but everyone you meet! 

If we all give our heart to God, our very self, there will come a time for peace in this world. We have had enough of war. We've had wars for 2020 years! Wars that do not solve anything. Wars that set nations against other nations, that set peoples who have never met or shared, against people who want only one thing: destruction. Destruction of buildings, stones and destruction of hearts. In a truer sense than some are willing to admit, the daily ongoing killing of innocents, the aborted, is a war on our sisters and brothers and as such an affront to God. Let us pray that people, all people, will again come to respect human life, stop the wanton killing of the born or unborn, who could become a viable part of each nation. God creates people. They continually fulfill their part as husband and wife to continue God's creation. If we take matters into our own hands and stop this Godly creation, then we are doing a terrible thing. 

If people had this respect for life, because they love God more than they love material things or their own gratification, there would be no shortages of many things. There would be more people to do the work, to be productive in society, and also, there would not be a shortage in the clergy of many Faiths, including the Catholic Church. 

May this year, 2023, be for us all a Second Christmas, an Epiphany to giving our lives to God, by giving Him our very self. And by doing this, let us embrace life in its fullest. Let us follow the example given us by the Son of God, Jesus, who was born in a stable and is now the king of Kings, seated at the right hand of the Father, God the Almighty. 

Parishioners of St. Helen Church (Vero Beach, Florida), some years ago, received a wonderful and valuable Christmas gift, given to us by our Pastor, the Very Rev. Kevin Nelson, V.F. The name of the book he gave us is “Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary” by Dr. Brant Pitre.  think it is the best book on Mary, the Mother of God, I’ve ever read. It is lucidly written with lots of examples and commentary, well researched, I’d even say ‘riveting.’ That means I can’t put it down. The book isn’t expensive but it is valuable in what it teaches us. An inspired gift! 

“In Jesus and the Jewish Roots of Mary, Dr. Pitre takes readers step-by-step from the Garden of Eden to the Book of Revelation to reveal how deeply biblical Catholic beliefs about Mary really are. Dr. Pitre uses the Old Testament and Ancient Judaism to unlock how the Bible itself teaches that Mary is in fact the new Eve, the Mother of God, the Queen of Heaven and Earth, and the new Ark of the Covenant.” Cite: Augustine Institute 

Happy and a Healthy New Year! May God bless you and keep you well!

Fred Schaeffer, OFS 12/26/2022

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