"Behold, Magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem"
Tomorrow will be the last day of the Octave of Christmas. On this day, the Church continues to invite us to reflect on the mystery of Christmas and the Incarnation with a feast honoring Jesus' mother, Mary. So, January 1 is the Solemnity of Mary, the Mother of God. This title (Mother of God or theotokos) is an ancient one officially declared by the Council of Ephesus in AD 431, but which echoes the belief of the Church that existed long before that. This feast is a Holy Day of Obligation in the Church, and so there will be Mass on Tuesday, December 31 at 5:30pm at St. Pius and on Wednesday, January 1 at 10:00am at Gesu.
Additionally, this Sunday is another of the great feasts of the Christmas Season: the Epiphany. The Church's liturgical season of Christmas begins on Christmas Day, includes the Octave of Christmas, and ends with the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, which this year held on Sunday, January 12. This upcoming Sunday's feast, the Epiphany of the Lord, is when we recall the visit of the Magi to the Holy Family. Its significance lies not so much in the visit itself as in what it represents: the promise of God extending beyond the Jewish people!
The Prophet Isaiah foresees this reality in the first reading when he says, "Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance." The reading from the Letter to the Ephesians continues this theme with Paul saying that "the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel." And so, from the earliest days of Jesus' life, we see God reaching out to people beyond the boundaries that were previously thought to exist. For these men, called magi, come from the east and, by all accounts, are not Jews but are Gentiles. The vast majority of Gesu parishioners are also not of Jewish blood but are Gentiles. And yet, we have been sought out by God and, by our baptism, joined to God's people.
So, as we move forward from the Octave of Christmas into the liturgical season of Christmas, and as we enter into the year 2025, let us pray that we may imitate our God! For God did the unexpected; God drew people from outside the Jewish community; God offered an invitation in order to grow His family of grace. May our lives be a part of that invitation, always seeking to draw new members to God's family, even from those peoples and places that we think are off limits.
Want to prepare your heart and mind for this Sunday's Mass? Click here to find the readings.