The twelve days of Christmas come to an end on January 6, and the season of [Ordinary Time] begins. But Epiphany not only ends Christmas, it also fulfills it by celebrating the revelation of the Christ to the whole world. The coming of Incarnate God to all people, especially to those of us who are Gentiles, is the bridge from birth into life, the event that makes Easter possible for most of us. The light of the Epiphany illuminates the church’s year as it illuminates the human race from whom the kings came.
– Phyllis A. Tickle
Bridges have often been powerful spiritual symbols. This one, Ponte Vecchio, in Florence, is one teeming with life and commerce – a powerful symbol to St. Catherine of Siena. She understood Jesus to be our Bridge.
When the song of the angels is stilled, when the star in the sky is gone, when the kings and princes are home, when the shepherds are back with the flocks, then the work of Christmas begins: to find the lost, to heal those broken in spirit, to feed the hungry, to release the oppressed, to rebuild the nations, to bring peace among all peoples, to make a little music with the heart…
And to radiate the Light of Christ, every day, in every way, in all that we do and in all that we say. Then the work of Christmas begins.
Your Light has come!
Rise up in splendor…your light has come, The Glory of the Lord shines upon you!
Let the work of Christmas begin, and let it begin with you.
May this holy season be for each of us A time of moving beyond what is “reasonable” And toward the star of wonder; Moving beyond grasping tight to what we have To unclenching our hands and letting go, Following the Light where it leads; Moving beyond competition toward cooperation, Seeing that all humans are sisters and brothers. Moving beyond the anxiety of small concerns Towards the joys of justice and peace. May the transforming acceptance of Mary and Joseph, The imagination of the shepherds, And the persistence of the wise men Guide us as we seek the Truth, Always moving toward the Divine promise. Always aware God can be hidden in the frailest among us, Always open to the unexpected flash of Grace, To the showing forth of that Love that embraces us all.
– W.L. Wallace in “Shine On, Star of Bethlehem”, adapted
Stained glass window from the Cathedral in Chartres
Dear God, this past year has been filled with great challenges. Fear and insecurity are our companions day and night. We pray that you shelter us beneath the shadow of your wings and protect us from all harm. Remove the evil forces that surround us and spread over us your shelter of peace.
In this past year we have been reminded that prejudice still thrives beneath the surface of our society. Grant us that vision to see that we are all your children, that Jew, Christian, Muslim, Hindu, Sikh, Baha’i and so many others are all threads to one magnificent tapestry of life. Nurture our hearts to recognize the good in all people
and plant within us the courage to fight against even the most subtle forms of prejudice wherever they are found.
In this past year we have been shaken by the moral failures of our political, business and religious leaders. Give us the honesty to do a personal accounting and to seek to improve ourselves, and to shape a society built on a solid foundation of ethics.
May it be your will to renew our lives in the coming year. Grant us a life with goodness and vitality, a life informed by purity and piety, a life free from shame and reproach, a life of abundance and honor, a life in which our heat’s desire for goodness will be fulfilled.
The seed of God is in us. Given an intelligent and hard-working farmer, it will thrive and grow up to God, whose seed it is; and accordingly its fruits will be God-nature. Pear seeds grow into pear trees, nut seeds into nut trees, and God-seed into God.
Long after the angels disappear into the heavens, the shepherds return to their flocks, the magi journey home and the great star sets, Jesus remains.
The Child in whom we rediscover God’s great love for humanity becomes the Adult Redeemer who challenges us to imitate his selflessness and compassion in order that we might transform our world in love.
May we allow the miracle of Christmas to continue long after the holiday trappings have been packed away;
May we welcome the adult Messiah and his challenging Gospel to recreate our lives, making the peace, justice and hope of this holy season a reality in every season of the new year.
When peaceful silence lay over all, and the night had run half of her swift course, your all-powerful word, O Lord, leaped down from heaven, from the royal throne.
– Prayer on Second Sunday after Christmas, Roman Rite
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