THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

JANUARY 7, 2018

GOSPEL REFLECTION:

After celebrating but lately the day on which immaculate virginity

brought forth the Saviour of mankind, the venerable feast of the

Epiphany, dearly beloved, gives us continuance of joy, that the

force of our exultation and the fervour of our faith may not grow

cool, in the midst of neighbouring and kindred mysteries. For it

concerns all men's salvation, that the infancy of the Mediator be-

tween God and men was already manifested to the whole world,

while He was still detained in the tiny town. For although He had

chosen the Israelitish nation, and one family out of that nation,

from whom to assume the nature of all mankind, yet He was un-

willing that the early days of His birth should be concealed within

the narrow limits of His mother's home: but desired to be soon

recognized by all, seeing that He deigned to be born for all. To

three wise men, therefore, appeared a star of new splendour in the

region of the East, which, being brighter and fairer than the other

stars, might easily attract the eyes and minds of those that looked

on it, so that at once that might be observed not to be meaningless,

which had so unusual an appearance. He therefore who gave the

sign, gave to the beholders understanding of it, and caused inquiry

to be made about that, of which He had thus caused understanding,

and after inquiry made, offered Himself to be found. And when

the wise men had returned to their own land, and Jesus had been

carried into Egypt at the Divine suggestion, Herod's madness blaz-

es out into fruitless schemes. He orders all the little ones in Bethle-

hem to be slain, and since he knows not which infant to fear, ex-

tends a general sentence against the age he suspects. But that

which the wicked king removes from the world, Christ admits to

heaven: and on those for whom He had not yet spent His redeem-

ing blood, He already bestows the dignity of martyrdom. Lift your

faithful hearts then, dearly-beloved, to the gracious blaze of eter-

nal light, and in adoration of the mysteries dispensed for man's

salvation give your diligent heed to the things which have been

wrought on your behalf. Love the purity of a chaste life, because

Christ is the Son of a virgin. Abstain from fleshly lusts which war

against the soul 1 Peter 2:11, as the blessed Apostle, present in his

words as we read, exhorts us, In malice be ye children 1 Corinthi-

ans 14:20, because the Lord of glory conformed Himself to the

infancy of mortals. Follow after humility which the Son of God

deigned to teach His disciples. Put on the power of patience, in

which you may be able to gain your souls; seeing that He who is

the Redemption of all, is also the Strength of all. Set your minds

on the things which are above, not on the things which are on the

earth Colossians 3:2 . Walk firmly along the path of truth and life:

let not earthly things hinder you for whom are prepared heavenly

things through our Lord Jesus Christ, who with the Father and the

Holy Ghost lives and reigns for ever and ever. Amen. (Sermon 31

by Pope St. Leo the Great)

MASS READINGS

MONDAY:IS 42:1-4,6-7, or IS 55:1-11, or

ACTS 10:34-38, or I JN 5:1-9, PS 29, MK 1:7-11

TUESDAY: 1SM 1:9-20, ISM 2, MK 1:21-28

WEDNESDAY: 1SM3:9-10, 19-20, PS 40, MK

1:29-39

THURSDAY: 1SM4:1-11, PS 44, MK 1:40-45

FRIDAY: 1SM8:4-7, 10-22, PS 89, MK 2:-12

SATURDAY: ISM 9:1-4, 17-29, 10:1, PS 21,

MK 2:13-17

NEXT SUNDAY: SECOND SUNDAY IN OR-

DINARY TIME-RDGS: 1SM 3:3B-10,19, PS

40, I COR 6:13C-15A,17-20, JN 1:35-42

MASS INTENTIONS

MONDAY: JOHN SCOWDEN

TUESDAY: GARY MCDANIEL

WEDNESDAY: CATHERINE CLAPP

THURSDAY: BARBARA KOCHERT

FRIDAY: POOR SOULS

VIGIL: PAUL MILLER

7:30: CHARLIE & CATHERINE SPITZNAGLE

10:00: MILDRED BUCKLERS

NOON: FOR THE PARISH

MEMORIAL FLOWERS

Those serving in our Armed Forces, especially

those soldiers who have connections to our par-

ish: (Robert Wood, George, Mary & Jack

Rumpza). Bob Bennett. Marian Schwartz.

(Gerban, Lucille, Stephen & Theresa Brouwer).

(Nobert & Mark FitzSimons, Larry White,

George & Mildred Hatke). Cecil & Francis Al-

bregts. The Fisher families. Francis & Catherine

Spitznagle. Charles Clapp families. Brad King.

Ann Hubertz

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

JANUARY 7, 2018

We three kings of Orient are Bearing gifts we traverse afar.

Field and fountain, moor and mountain, Following yonder star.

Born a king on Bethlehem’s plain, Gold I bring to crown Him again,

King forever, ceasing never Over us all to reign.

Frankincense to offer have I. Incense owns a Deity nigh.

Prayer and praising all men raising, Worship Him, God on high.

Myrrh is mine: it's bitter perfume Breaths a life of gathering gloom.

Sorrowing, sighing, bleeding dying, Sealed in the stone-cold tomb

Glorious now behold Him arise, King and God and Sacrifice.

Alleluia, alleluia! Sounds through the earth and skies.

They were overjoyed at seeing the star,

and on entering the house

What do we learn from the star? Perhaps it is that

God always finds some way of drawing our atten-

tion to Him . For the Magi it was a star, an object of

interest to them under ordinary circumstance. For

us it may be something equally ordinary and yet

filled with meaning there for the discovering. Prayer

is usually the means by which we create the envi-

ronment or the atmosphere whereby this discovery

can take place. We must slow down and take the

time to peer into our lives in order to find that “star”

beckoning us to God and to his will and ultimately

his peace. All too often it is tempting to travel far

and wide after the example of the Magi but for us,

that is not necessary. Right here, right now in our

very lives is the presence of the One who has come

to give us life and give it in abundance. Our journey

begins each morning as we are given the gift of an-

other day to move freely, via grace, through that day

in search of the “star” which will lead us deeper into

a life in God. The “ordinary” become

“extraordinary” since it is filled with the presence of

the God who loves us and who desires to be seen in

the things we would all too often pass by were it not

for the steady and reliable state of prayer in our

lives. Perhaps we have never thought of it but that it

is through prayer that we can love our husbands and

wives more intensely and more sincerely. It is

through prayer that we can be more present to our

children especially in moments of pain and search-

ing. Through prayer we can joyful greet each day,

not as a penance but as an opportunity to give to

God the glory and honor he so richly deserves.

Prayer is there to discover that star and thereby find

us overjoyed to at seeing faces we’ve seen a hun-

dred times but in a new and wondrous light and to

tell them so.

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

JANUARY 7, 2018

Who the magi were

Non-Biblical evidence

We may form a conjecture by non-Biblical evidence of a probable meaning to the word magoi. Herodotus (I, ci) is our authority for

supposing that the Magi were the sacred caste of the Medes. They provided priests for Persia, and, regardless of dynastic vicissi-

tudes, ever kept up their dominating religious influence. To the head of this caste, Nergal Sharezar, Jeremias gives the title Rab-Mag,

"Chief Magus" (Jeremiah 39:3, 39:13, in Hebrew original — Septuagint and Vulgate translations are erroneous here). After the

downfall of Assyrian and Babylonian power, the religion of the Magi held sway in Persia. Cyrus completely conquered the sacred

caste; his son Cambyses severely repressed it. The Magians revolted and set up Gaumata, their chief, as King of Persia under the

name of Smerdis. He was, however, murdered (521 B.C.), and Darius became king. This downfall of the Magi was celebrated by a

national Persian holiday called magophonia (Her., III, lxiii, lxxiii, lxxix). Still the religious influence of this priestly caste continued

throughout the rule of the Achaemenian dynasty in Persia (Ctesias, "Persica", X-XV); and is not unlikely that at the time of the birth

of Christ it was still flourishing under the Parthian dominion. Strabo (XI, ix, 3) says that the Magian priests formed one of the two

councils of the Parthian Empire.

Biblical evidence

The word magoi often has the meaning of "magician", in both Old and New Testaments (see Acts 8:9; 13:6, 8; also the Septuagint of

Daniel 1:20; 2:2, 2:10, 2:27; 4:4; 5:7, 5:11, 5:15). St. Justin (Tryph., lxxviii), Origen (Cels., I, lx), St. Augustine (Serm. xx, De

epiphania) and St. Jerome (In Isa., xix, 1) find the same meaning in the second chapter of Matthew, though this is not the common

interpretation.

Patristic evidence

No Father of the Church holds the Magi to have been kings. Tertullian ("Adv. Marcion.", III, xiii) says that they were wellnigh kings

(fere reges), and so agrees with what we have concluded from non-Biblical evidence. The Church, indeed, in her liturgy, applies to

the Magi the words: "The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents; the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring him

gifts: and all the kings of the earth shall adore him" (Psalm 72:10). But this use of the text in reference to them no more proves that

they were kings than it traces their journey from Tharsis, Arabia, and Saba. As sometimes happens, a liturgical accommodation of a

text has in time come to be looked upon by some as an authentic interpretation thereof. Neither were they magicians: the good mean-

ing of magoi, though found nowhere else in the Bible, is demanded by the context of the second chapter of St. Matthew. These Magi-

ans can have been none other than members of the priestly caste already referred to. The religion of the Magi was fundamentally that

of Zoroaster and forbade sorcery; their astrology and skill in interpreting dreams were occasions of their finding Christ. (See THEO-

LOGICAL ASPECTS OF THE AVESTA.)

The Gospel narrative omits to mention the number of the Magi, and there is no certain tradition in this matter. Some Fathers speak of

three Magi; they are very likely influenced by the number of gifts. In the Orient, tradition favours twelve. Early Christian art is no

consistent witness: a painting in the cemetery of Sts. Peter and Marcellinus shows two;one in the Lateran Museum, three; one in the

cemetery of Domitilla, four;a vase in the Kircher Museum, eight (Marucchi, "Eléments d'archéologie chrétienne", Paris, 1899, I 197).

The names of the Magi are as uncertain as is their number. Among the Latins, from the seventh century, we find slight variants of the

names, Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar; the Martyrology mentions St. Gaspar, on the first, St. Melchior, on the sixth, and St. Bal-

thasar, on the eleventh of January (Acta SS., I, 8, 323, 664). The Syrians have Larvandad, Hormisdas, Gushnasaph, etc.; the Armeni-

ans, Kagba, Badadilma, etc. (Cf. Acta Sanctorum, May, I, 1780). Passing over the purely legendary notion that they represented the

three families which are descended from Noah, it appears they all came from "the east" (Matthew 2:1, 2, 9). East of Palestine, only

ancient Media, Persia, Assyria, and Babylonia had a Magian priesthood at the time of the birth of Christ. From some such part of the

Parthian Empire the Magi came. They probably crossed the Syrian Desert, lying between the Euphrates and Syria, reached either

Haleb (Aleppo) or Tudmor (Palmyra), and journeyed on to Damascus and southward, by what is now the great Mecca route (darb

elhaj, "the pilgrim's way"), keeping the Sea of Galilee and the Jordan to their west till they crossed the ford near Jericho. We have no

tradition of the precise land meant by "the east". It is Babylon, according to St. Maximus (Homil. xviii in Epiphan.); and Theodotus

of Ancyra (Homil. de Nativitate, I, x); Persia, according to Clement of Alexandria (Stromata I.15) and St. Cyril of Alexandria (In Is.,

xlix, 12); Aribia, according to St. Justin (Cont. Tryphon., lxxvii), Tertullian (Adv. Jud., ix), and St. Epiphanius (Expos. fidei, viii).

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

JANUARY 7, 2018

St. John Chrysostom says follow

the Magi

Follow the Magi

The Magi left their barbarian country and fol-

lowed the star to find Christ. We, too, should

leave our old world behind us, says St. John

Chrysostom.

Let us also follow the Magi. Let us separate

ourselves from our barbarian customs, and put

them far behind us, so that we may see Christ—

since they, too, would have missed seeing him if

they had not been far from their own country.

Let us depart from the things of earth. For

the wise men saw only the star while they were

in Persia, but after they had left Persia they saw

the Sun of righ-teousness. And they would not

have even seen the star if they had not been so

ready to get up and go.

Let us also rise up. Though everyone else is

troubled, let us run to the house of the young

Child. Though kings and nations and tyrants

stand in the way, let our desire not fade. In that

way we shall repel all the dangers that we face.

The Magi, too, would not have escaped their

danger from the king if they had not seen the

young Child. Before they saw the Child, fears

and dangers and troubles pressed on them from

every side. But after the adoration, all was calm

and safe, and no longer a star but an angel re-

ceived them. They had become priests from the

act of adoration—

for we see that

they also offered

gifts.

–St. John

Chrysostom,

Homily 7 on Mat-

thew, 6

Introduction to the Epiphany of Our Lord:

The Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the oldest

Christian feasts, though, throughout the centuries, it has celebrated a

variety of things. Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning "to re-

veal," and all of the various events celebrated by the Feast of the Epiph-

any are revelations of Christ to man.

Other Names for the Feast: Theophany, Three Kings Day

History:

Like many of the most ancient Christian feasts, Epiphany was first cele-

brated in the East, where it has been held from the beginning almost

universally on January 6. Today, among both Eastern Catholics and

Eastern Orthodox, the feast is known as Theophany—the revelation of

God to man.

Epiphany originally celebrated four different events, in the following

order of importance: the Baptism of the Lord; Christ's first miracle, the

changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana; the Nativity of

Christ; and the visitation of the Wise Men or Magi. Each of these is a

revelation of God to man: At Christ's Baptism, the Holy Spirit descends

and the voice of God the Father is heard, declaring that Jesus is His

Son; at the wedding in Cana, the miracle reveals Christ's divinity; at the

Nativity, the angels bear witness to Christ, and the shepherds, repre-

senting the people of Israel, bow down before Him; and at the visitation

of the Magi, Christ's divinity is revealed to the Gentiles—the other na-

tions of the earth.

Eventually, the celebration of the Nativity was separated out, in the

West, into Christmas; and shortly thereafter, Western Christians adopt-

ed the Eastern feast of the Epiphany, still celebrating the Baptism, the

first miracle, and the visit from the Wise Men. Thus, Epiphany came to

mark the end of Christmastide—the Twelve Days of Christmas, which

began with the revelation of Christ to Israel in His Birth and ended with

the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles at Epiphany.

Over the centuries, the various celebrations were further separated in

the West, and now the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated on the Sunday

after January 6, and the wedding at Cana is commemorated on the Sun-

day after the Baptism of the Lord.

In many parts of Europe, the celebration of Epiphany is at least as im-

portant as the celebration of Christmas. In Italy and other Mediterrane-

an countries, Christians exchange gifts on Epiphany—the day on which

the Wise Men brought their gifts to the Christ Child—while in Northern

Europe, it's not unusual to give gifts on both Christmas and Epiphany

(often with smaller gifts on each of the twelve days of Christmas in

between).

Read more at: http://catholicism.about.com/

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

JANUARY 7, 2018

THE MYSTEERY OF GOD January 7th-March 4th

Sunday’s 8:30 a.m.-Bennett Hall

Atheism is on the rise. Skeptical thinkers like Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens, and Sam Harris vigorously attack belief in

God as irrational or, even worse, dangerous. The so-called New Atheism has attracted millions of young people thanks to bestselling

books such as The God Delusion and God Is Not Great.

How should Christians respond? How can we turn the tide of secularism and draw people back to God?

You'll discover how in "The Mystery of God," a new six-part film series and study program by Fr. Robert Barron. The lessons reach

into our rich intellectual tradition. Using the insights of St. Augustine, St. Thomas Aquinas, Pope Benedict XVI, you'll uncover a

clear yet sophisticated understanding of what we mean by “God".

Who is God? And why does he matter? Watch this series and you'll not only learn the answers yourself, but you'll discover how to

share them with others - especially those who no longer believe.

LESSON 1 – ATHEISM AND WHAT WE MEAN BY "GOD"

There are lots of views about God. Some see him as a mythical fairy in the sky, others as the Supreme Being. Some consider him a

threat to our freedom. But for Christians, God is not one being among many. He's not a competitor to our flourishing. God is that

than which nothing greatest can be thought, the strange and unique source of being itself. Before discussing anything about God we

must become clear about one question: who is God?

LESSON 2 – ST. THOMAS AQUINAS AND THE PATHS TO GOD

In the thirteenth century, St. Thomas Aquinas composed his famous five paths to God. His proofs don't depend on the Bible or divine

revelation. They simply start from the world around us—trees, birds, buildings, and even ourselves. Thomas noticed that none of

these things have to exist. But if that's the case, there must be some cause behind them, something grounding their existence. For

Thomas and all Christians since, we know this source of all being by its ancient name—God.

LESSON 3 – THE DIVINE ATTRIBUTES

Once we understand who God is, we naturally wonder, "What is he like? How does he act?" We can never fully answer those ques-

tions. Yet we can know that God is self-sufficient—he doesn't need the world but creates it out of love. God is omniscient, knowing

all things. God is omnipresent, everywhere in existence. Through these attributes we discover a God who presses upon the world,

always and everywhere, not aggressively but only with love.

LESSON 4 – PROVIDENCE AND THE PROBLEM OF EVIL

Perhaps the most difficult question in theology is this: Why does God allow evil? If God is all-good and all-powerful, then why are

our lives marked with pain and suffering? These are not abstract questions. They go right to the heart of our experience. We have

each wrestled with misery, wondering when God would intervene. As with Job, God does not give us answers. He instead offers a

person: the crucified Jesus, through whom God enters our suffering and makes it his own.

LESSON 5 – EXPLORING THE TRINITY

Many religions and philosophies profess that "God is loving." Loving is something God does, it's one of his traits. But Christianity's

strange and startling claim is that God is love. It's not what he does, it's who he is. Love always requires three things: a lover, a be-

loved, and the love shared between them. This is what we mean when we say God is a Trinity—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one

God in three persons.

LESSON 6 – THE GOD WHO IS LOVE

The book of Genesis reveals that we are made in the image and likeness of God. What does this mean? For St. Augustine it affirmed

that our own traits—our minds, our self-knowledge, our self-love–can tell us something about God as a Trinity. What is Christianity

finally about? What is the deepest meaning of being and all reality? The Christian answer is this: God is love, a play of Father, Son,

and Holy Spirit.

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

JANUARY 7, 2018

SUNDAY OFFERING

$12,446.00

“FIND OUT HOW MUCH GOD

HAS GIVEN YOU, AND FROM IT

TAKE WHAT YOU NEED; THE RE-

MAINDER IS NEEDED BY OTH-

ERS”

ST. AUGUSTINE

STEWARDSHIP BY

THE BOOK: Today is the

Solemnity of the Epiphany

of the Lord. For centuries

we as Catholics celebrated

this Feast on Jan. 6, but the

decision was made a num-

ber of years ago (at least in

the United States) to cele-

brate the Epiphany on the

Sunday which falls between Jan. 2 and Jan. 8.

“Epiphany” means “manifestation.” It is on this day

that Jesus Christ, the Messiah, is revealed as the light of

all nations. Officially Christmas is not over. In fact, the

recommendation of the Church is that on this day those

who display a crèche, a nativity or manger scene,

should replace the shepherd and sheep with the Magi

and their likely animals on which they traveled as well

as their gifts. However, that is all secondary to the real

meaning of this day.

At Christmas the Messiah Jesus was revealed to the

shepherds, who were Jewish. But on this day the Lord

is revealed to all nations and to the Gentiles

(represented by the Magi). We are all familiar with the

star the Magi followed, but we need to understand all

that is happening and what it means. This all represents

the Light of Christ, a Light which today we honor and

commemorate. We are called to be the Light of Christ

right now to those around us and those with whom we

come in contact. That way we can be the disciples

Christ wants us to be.

The poet William Cullen Bryant captures the signifi-

cance of the star the Magi followed very well when he

wrote, “O Father, may that Holy Star, Grow every year

more bright, And send its glorious beams afar, To fill

the world with light.”

Prayer Service for Christian Unity

Please join area Christian churches as we celebrate the 2018 Week of

Prayer for Christian Unity. The annual Prayer Service will be held at

Evangelical Covenant Church (3600 S 9th St, Lafayette, IN 47909) on

Tuesday, January 16, 2018 at 7:00 pm. There will be a reception im-

mediately following the service. All are welcome. For more information

please contact Deacon Jim Rush deacon.rush@dol-in.org or 765-586-

3922.

Millie’s Thrift Shop Entrusted with the treasures of our friends to

help others

Because of the generous donations of many parishioners and the Lafayette

community, Millie’s has had an increase in quality clothing and household

items. Extra donations, vacations and illnesses have increased the need

for volunteers even more. Please consider helping us through these winter

months. The warmth of good hearts working together will brighten your

Indiana winter. The extra help will enable us to serve those in need in the

community. Volunteers are needed for four or six hours, once a week or

twice a month. For more information, please call Barbara Ahler 765-428-

1929 or visit our store at 626 N. Earl Avenue anytime, Monday through

Friday, 10:00 to 4:00, email questions to millieslcss@gmail.com.

We accept used Catholic school uniforms year-round to pass onto other

families. Earnings from our sales are donated to the Lafayette Catholic

School System to support the Teachers Fund. Thank you.