Dear Friends,

As the Christmas season comes to a close, I would like to thank everyone who helped make the church and the music so beautiful! Any attempt at a thorough thank you would fill the whole bulletin, but a special thanks to Deacon Mike for his constant help both in the liturgy and around the parish; to Martha Reid and all the musicians for their beautiful sacred music; to Sherry Gesmundo for coordinating the efforts of so many in making the church look so gorgeous; to Kathleen Foldenauer for the stunning altar frontal; and to Ryan Anthony for all of the time and labor he puts in during these winter months.

We celebrate the Epiphany this weekend, which is a commemoration of our Lord’s first manifestation of His Lordship to the whole world. Traditionally, this feast is associated with the Wise Men/Magi/Kings from the East, who represent the pagans coming to recognize the Lordship of the one God. Their fine gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh also symbolize the mission of the Newborn King: Gold, to show His kingship; incense to represent His priesthood; and the strangest gift, myrrh, to represent and foreshadow His death.

It would be helpful for us on this feast to ask ourselves the question: “What is the finest gift that I could bring to the Christ child as we bring this Christmas season to a close?” I propose that the answer is found in the concluding verse of the beautiful Christmas hymn In The Bleak Midwinter:

What can I give Him, poor as I am?

If I were a shepherd, I would bring a lamb;

If I were a Wise Man, I would do my part;

Yet what I can I give Him: give my heart.

In Christ,

Fr Marotti