Dear Family of God,

Most of you would agree me with that the world we live in today is becoming very polarized. And, we are witnessing the same concern here in our beloved country. In a deeply polarized society, people constantly attack each other. I guess some of you deal with this every day, especially if you are very active in social media. But as Christians, we can’t get caught up in this and live like the people of the world. In Romans 12:1, St. Paul admonishes us, “Not to be conformed to the standards of the world.…” There is the need then to constantly examine our conscience. How do we respond to attacks or opposition? Or how have we been responding to opposition?

We start telling lies around the age of three, the experts tell us. It’s understandable. Lying is a god-like power. Whatever I want, I need only say it, and the world rearranges itself accordingly. It’s amazing at first. But soon reality snaps back and I’m faced with a dilemma. If I remain committed to my lie I start to fracture into pieces. My words and reality drift apart, and I find myself lost in a lonely world of further falsehoods and fear of being found out.

The readings for this weekend speak to us about God’s call. Those of us doing our best to practice the faith heard God’s call at one point in our life and said yes to Him. The goal of God’s call for each one of us is to grow in holiness. Our celebration this weekend gives us an opportunity to reexamine our expectations about the call to holiness. It is important we have the right understanding of what holiness is, else we risk burdening ourselves with unrealistic expectations.

Dear Family of God,

This weekend we will celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord. What is Epiphany?

The word Epiphany (επιφάνεια) comes from two Greek words; epi, “on, upon”; and phaino, “to appear, to shine.” Therefore, the “Epiphany” refers to the divinity of Jesus “Shining upon” the earth. In other words, it is the manifestation of His Divine Nature. The Feast of Epiphany commemorates the coming of the Magi as the occasion for the first manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles in the Western Church.