Intentions of the Holy Father for April

Ecology and Justice. That governments may foster the protection of creation and the just distribution of natural resources.
Hope for the Sick. That the Risen Lord may fill with hope the hearts of those who are being tested by pain and sickness.

A Dawn in the East

Epiphany of Our Lord (Jan 6)


Phane, in Greek, means "torch." An "epiphanos" in ancient Greece was a torchlit procession or parade, as part of a religious or civic ceremony, or a popular demonstration. The idea carried by the word "epiphany" is a bright, blazing forth like fireworks in the night - it is not just a demonstration, but a manifestation; not just an appearance, but a revelation. It is a bold work in an otherwise gloomy time.
The Feast of the Epiphany commemorates specifically the visit of the magi to the Baby Jesus, but more generally all those acts by which the Father has revealed His great love for us. Yesterday at the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception in Washington, D.C., the priest who preached at the 10:30 a.m. Mass had a very interesting metaphor for God's self-revelation to the world. He said the theme is light in the darkness of a world blanketed in sin, and we see this all the time - every day.
In the earliest hours of the day, the world is covered in darkness with only perhaps some starlight. With great difficulty, you might walk across a room or a field, but you must be careful or else you will stub a toe or turn an ankle. This situation is like the world before God's supernatural revelation, with only natural reason and the imprints God has left in nature to give us faint signs of his love and plan for us.
The first set of revelations, to the Jews, are like the full moonlight. By them, one can walk around with greater ease, even maybe in a dense forest. But it is still easy to get lost and more is needed to move with the fullest ease. Similarly, with the Jewish revelation, one can live a good life and know of God's great love for us. But to live the sort of life God has in mind for us is still not possible.

With the early events of Christ's life, the Annunciation to Mary, the birth of Christ, the visit of the wise men from the East, God's fullest revelation begins. The sun itself dawns. As our Lord teaches, the full light of day begins to shine. With His death, Resurrection, and Ascension, the sunlight of God's love for us is at full noon. Since the time Our Blessed Lord ascended from the earth, the sun has begun slowly to set.
It is not that God has abandoned us - we must remember that as times continue to get darker and darker. These things were foretold and promised. We should expect them. It is that God's love made so manifest is now again being obscured from our sight by the darkness of sin and hatred in the world, which are themselves as clear as the sunlight they try to block out. We do not see God or his love for us with our own eyes, as the Apostles did. We see by Faith.
Our Holy Faith tells us to be confident that the sun will dawn again, and this time in a blazing eternal day that will never end. The sun, when He returns, will never set again. It is for this that the Christmas season is meant to prepare us. It is for this that we hope.

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