“See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory.” (Isaiah 60:2). As we continue our celebration of the Christmas season with the celebration of the Epiphany of the Lord, we all need to hear these words of encouragement and assurance of God’s presence. With the ongoing unrest worldwide and even in our own country, we all feel – in some way – to be covered in darkness with thick clouds covering us. But, Jesus Christ, the Light of the World, comes to bathe us in God’s glory. We, in turn, are called to share God’s glory in our daily lives.
It is clear that so many of you recognize this call and I continue to be edified by the generous Christmas spirit so many of you have shown during this season! Whether it was with one of the 250 gifts you provided for the men, women and children who would otherwise have nothing for Christmas or with abundance of gifts and food you provided for the 90 needy families at St. Martin de Porres parish as well as in our own neighborhood, or in so many other ways, you made it clear that you are aware of the true spirit of Christmas and are eager to share God’s glory as we celebrate this clearest sign of his love – his coming in our midst to save us! God came to show his loving concern for all people, and your generosity has helped many people – both here in our own parish and throughout the archdiocese – experience God’s love! I’m sure you can imagine how helpful your generous support has been, especially at this time as so many people find themselves without adequate work or a place to call home! In the name of these men, women and children, I thank Jane Dwyer and Jane Dooner for coordinating the Giving Tree project and Shannon and Brian Reilly, Charlene and John Talucci and the Colfer and Cellucci families for working with Kim O’Neill, our coordinator for parish life and ministry, Stephanie Twohig, our parish youth minister, and Maria Carillo, our coordinator for all of our St. Martin de Porres projects, for coordinating the Adopt-a-Family project once again this year – well done! And, special thanks to all of our Youth Group members who helped unload the cars Saturday and load the truck on Sunday!
I have enjoyed taking part again in the many other Christmas traditions in the parish as well. I was happy to bless our grotto that our school’s Home & School Board once again cloaked in lights. It was a delight to see so many proud parents, grandparents and other family members attend the school’s Christmas Concert and Tableau. I was edified to learn that our Knights of Columbus had raised money to provide 240 new coats for the students at St. Martin de Porres School and happy to participate, once again, in the Keep Christ in Christmas Poster Contest. All of these wonderful events put everyone – participants and viewers – into the true Christmas spirit.
I want to thank everyone who made our parish facilities so beautiful during this special time. The outdoor Nativity scenes in front of our church and school certainly let everyone who passes by know that we are celebrating the birth of Christ, the light of the world! Christmas is a wondrous celebration here, even in these troubling times, and I want to thank everyone who enhanced the Christmas Eucharistic celebrations, using their ministries to help make God present at the altar: the lectors, Eucharistic ministers, ministers of hospitality and altar servers, as well as the cantors and various music groups!
I also want to thank everyone who sent our parish staff and me Christmas greetings in the form of cards and other goodies – these certainly put us into the Christmas spirit!
The church exterior is elegantly decorated with wreathes – ancient symbols of the eternal and undying love that God has bestowed on us through his son! Of course, it is equally important to decorate the inside of the church, where we, God’s faithful, come to worship Him and praise him every day, but especially during this glorious Christmas Season. I’m very happy to see so many of you stopping in front of the Nativity set before the altar. As we draw near to admire the scene, we realize that God draws everyone into his Holy Family!
Yes, as we celebrate the epiphany of our Lord, let us all become more aware that we are all blessed to have our God present in our midst. He is still in our midst today and we are to be the signs of his presence for all to see! And, let us be thankful, allowing the word of God to dwell in us during this holy season of Christmas and throughout the New Year! We need to be signs of hope and new life, especially during these dark times. Just as the star guided the magi to the infant Jesus and protected them as they returned to their home country, we are confident that God will guide us ever closer to our Lord and protect us as we journey to our true home – heaven!