Today's Solemnity of the Epiphany is really a big deal that just does not get the play it truly deserves! At my current parish, Most Holy Trinity, we try to make the Epiphany a big deal as we will all gather at a nearby country club for our annual Epiphany Party. Also, since the Epiphany ushers in vocations, we had a beautiful ceremony today where a family was presented a vocations chalice at 9 a.m. Mass to pray in a special way for vocations in the week ahead. And I was able to meet today after Mass with our PSR students to share a vocation story. Finally, our new vocations committee is meeting Monday night to pray and discern how we can support vocations. As a relatively new parish we are prayerfully awaiting the day that one of our very own parishioners answers a call to a religious vocation! While we so anxiously await that first possible seminarian, we surely believe by the beginnings of the next diaconate class in the Archdiocese of New Orleans we may have a candidate, or two!! The Solemnity of the Epiphany is a great day to pray for vocations and to encourage those who are discerning a vocational call!
Now what about this homily. We are gifted in that we have two excellent homilists in our Priests; they never use notes; never!! Today, Fr. Dean reflecting on the Epiphany described all the things we hope to hear in a homily for this day. He explained so distinctly that we may not know exactly when the Magi saw the star, or if they took a particular route, if they really rode camels or not, or if they arrived soon after the birth of Jesus or not; none of this is important. What is important is that they indeed did seek out the Christ-child. They were guided by the light of a star and they brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. And there is real reason that these three gifts were presented: gold, frankincense and myrrh were to represent in Jesus His mission as Priest, Prophet and King! And we are to remember as Baptized members of His body, we too were annointed a Priest, Prophet and King! This manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles, in the persons of the Magi, means we share in Christ's life in a very special way.
Fr. Dean than shared the story of the great Russian novelist, Alexander Solzhenitsyn, who after publically criticizing the Soviet dictator Stalin, found himself thrown in the infamous Gulag Archipelago. Solzhenitsyn describes himself, after imprisonment as a bit of a monster. And he was treated accordingly. The Soviet officials threw him in solitary confinement, a dungeon like cell and they went so far as to paint the outside of the windows with heavy dark lead paint so that he may truly be cast into darkness all the time. Then one day a small tiny fleck of paint was dislodged and light would shine through the opening. That beam of light would become for Solzhenitsyn a beacon of hope, a reason to persevere and, over time, a believer in the one true light, Christ himself.
Fr. Dean concluded by challenging each of us, followers of that same "Light"to be light for others. And then he lead us in arousing verse of "This Little Light of Mine". By the way, this is a favorite song of the men at Rayburn Prison who I visit!
I will use today's homily from Fr. Dean to be aware if I myself am a light to others. May all of us to likewise. And in the week ahead, pray for vocations too!!
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