Epiphany: Today we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, one of the oldest Christian feasts. Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning “to reveal.” All of the various events celebrated by the Feast of the Epiphany are of how Christ reveals himself to humanity.
New Year: What will this year bring? No one knows. The only certainty is that we have a Presence who loves us (so much more than we know!) and who is always with us in good times and in bad. May the Lord bless you and your families abundantly in 2016.
A couple of funerals: Forgot to mention that I attended a couple of funerals lately. The first was of a Lansing diocese priest, Fr. Frank Williams, 90. Fr. Frank was considered a late vocation. He was ordained a priest when he was 52 years old! (Please remember that Pope Francis was elected to be the pope at age 76—one is never too old to serve). After graduating from University of Detroit he served in the Korean War and won a medal of honor. Fr. Frank was a gentle and kind man and I’ll never forget his patience. Whenever he helped out with communal confessions, I knew he would only hear two or three confessions during the hour or so. That’s how much time he took with each person. When a priest dies, I often wonder who will step up and take his place. The other funeral that I attended recently was of my uncle Gene. He was 92 and my mom’s oldest brother. He served in World War II. He was the last Marine from his battalion that was living. I still find it remarkable that 18 and 19-year-olds went to serve in battle overseas.
Day of Reflection: Next Sunday, January 10, I won’t be here to celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord with you. I will be at Sacred Heart Seminary in Detroit to offer Mass and give a day of reflection to seminarians and faculty. The theme is mercy. Please pray for me.
Deacon Discernment Day: I have to admit that I was a bit surprised when I arrived here that we don’t have any permanent deacons (Deacon Peter is a transitional deacon on his way to priesthood). I am grateful that staff member Larry Blondin is on his way to becoming a deacon. I would like a couple more permanent deacons if possible. The diocese is hosting a deacon discernment day for men and their wives who are interested in learning more about the diaconate on February 7. If you feel like you might be called to become a permanent deacon, please let me know.
Miracle: I’m sure you have heard by now that Pope Francis has approved the latest miracle in Blessed Mother Teresa’s canonization process. This reminds me of a similar story of 30-40 years ago that I watched on television, but I still remember it as if I saw it yesterday. The show was called “Unsolved Mysteries.” It told the story of a young boy near death in a hospital in Philadelphia. A relative pinned a relic of St. John Neumann (whose feast day is Jan. 4) on the boy’s hospital gown. The next day the boy was completely healed. When his mother visited her son, all he talked about was that another boy visited him during the night. The mother didn’t know what he was talking about. Later on she took her healed son to visit the Church of St. John Neumann. In the Church was a picture of St. John Neumann as a child. When the son saw the picture, he exclaimed with excitement, “Mom, he was the one who visited me in the hospital!”
Msgr. Jerry
Saint quote of the day:
“We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty. The gate of heaven is very low; only the humble can enter it.”
St. Elizabeth Ann Seton, (Feast day is January 4)