by popadmin | Jan 4, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups
10 January: The Baptism of the Lord. Today, we celebrate the baptism of Christ in the Jordan by John the Baptist: a milestone event in the life of Jesus, in the Christmas story and in our Christian life. This feast day is usually celebrated on the Sunday after the Feast of the Epiphany. It brings to an end the liturgical season of Christmas. {Christmas is the feast of God’s self-revelation to the Jews, and Epiphany celebrates God’s self-revelation to the Gentiles.} At his Baptism, Christ reveals himself again, this time to repentant sinners. The Baptism of Jesus also marks the first public revelation of all Three Persons in the Holy Trinity, and the official revelation of Jesus as the Son of God to the world by God the Father. Jesus’s baptism is described in all four Gospels and it marks the beginning of his public ministry. “After Jesus was baptized, he came from the water and behold, the heavens were opened [for him], and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove [and] coming upon him. And a voice came from the heavens, saying, ‘This is my beloved son, with whom I am well pleased’ ” (Mt 3:16-17).
We know that Jesus, holy and sinless, did not need to be baptized. Yet he humbled himself and submitted to his Father’s will. Jesus’s baptism sanctified the waters and instituted the Sacrament of Baptism. Fr. Antony Kadavil explains: Neither John nor Jesus invented baptism. It had been practiced for centuries among the Jews as a ritual equivalent to our Confession. Until the fall of the Temple in 70 A.D., it was common for Jewish people to use a special pool called a Mikveh – literally a “collection of water” – as a means of spiritual cleansing. Men took this bath weekly on the eve of the Sabbath; women, monthly. Converts were also expected to take this bath before entering Judaism. The Orthodox Jews still retain the rite. John preached that such a bath was a necessary preparation for the cataclysm that would be wrought by the coming Messiah. Jesus transformed this continuing ritual into the one single, definitive act by which we begin our life of Faith. In effect, He fused His Divine Essence with the water and the ceremony. In this humble submission, we see a foreshadowing of the “baptism” of his bloody death upon the cross. Jesus’ baptism by John was the acceptance and the beginning of his mission as God’s suffering Servant. He allowed himself to be numbered among sinners. Jesus submitted himself entirely to his Father’s will. Out of love, He consented to His baptism of death for the remission of our sins.
‘Looking at the events in light of the Cross and Resurrection, the Christian people realised what happened: Jesus loaded the burden of all mankind’s guilt upon His shoulders; he bore it down into the depths of the Jordan. He inaugurated his public activity by stepping into the place of sinners’ (Joseph Ratzinger (Pope Benedict XVI), Jesus of Nazareth).
Ideas for celebrating in your home:
- The Christian symbol for Baptism is the shell, which you can easily turn into a dinner theme by making pasta shells. Here is a recipe for Nacho Stuffed Shells. Or, try making these Italian stuffed shells. Decorate the table with sea shells (children can color or craft some if you don’t have any real ones).
- Pull out your family’s Baptismal candles and light them at dinner. Tell children about the Baptism of Our Lord and their own special Baptismal days! (Share stories from family baptisms around the dinner table: Talk about who was there, how godparents were chosen, celebration afterwards, etc.)
- This is a wonderful day to renew our baptismal vows: click here for instructions.
- Start a family tradition of celebrating baptism anniversaries: Here are ideas!
Finally, if you have access to a pool, pond, river or stream: we dare you to take a winter plunge in celebration of Jesus’s baptism in the Jordan!
by popadmin | Jan 3, 2021 | CIC Saint Writeups
6 January: The Epiphany of the Lord. The Solemnity of the Epiphany is celebrated either on January 6 or on the Sunday between January 2 and 8. This feast day marks the twelfth day of Christmas and celebrates the young Messiah being revealed as the light of the nations. In the Latin Rite of the Church, Epiphany (comes from the Greek, meaning “revelation from above”) celebrates the revelation that Jesus is the Son of God. It focuses primarily on this revelation to the Magi; but also in the baptism in the Jordan and the wedding at Cana. The Early Church celebrated the advent of Christ by commemorating the Nativity, Visitation of the Magi, Baptism of Christ and the Wedding of Cana all in one feast of the Epiphany. At the Council of Tours in 567, the Church set Christmas day and Epiphany as separate feasts, and named the twelve days between them as the Christmas season. The traditions surrounding the Feast of the Epiphany point to the Magi, the first gentiles to meet Christ. The Bible does not list the names or the number of the wise men, but we do know they were intelligent, wealthy, and brave. The gifts they brought to the Christ-child (gold, frankincense and myrrh) were gifts that point not only to Christ’s divinity and his revelation to the Magi as the King of Kings, but also to his crucifixion. Giving herbs traditionally used for burial was a foreshadowing of what is to come.
There are many Epiphany traditions around the world. In Italy, La Befana brings sweets and presents to children not on Christmas, but on Epiphany. Children in many parts of Latin America, the Philippines, Portugal, and Spain also receive their presents on “Three Kings Day” (children leave shoes out on the eve of Epiphany to receive treats and money from the Kings, similar to St. Nick’s Day). In Ireland, Catholics celebrate “Women’s Christmas” – women rest from housework and cleaning and celebrate with a special meal. In Germany, groups of young people called Sternsinger (Star Singers) travel door to door dressed as the three Wiseman, with the leader carrying a star. Germans eat a golden pastry ring filled with orange and spice representing gold, frankincense and myrrh. They decorate Christmas trees with cookies and sweets that are to be enjoyed on Epiphany. In England, the night before Epiphany is known as Twelfth Night. It is a time for plays, practical jokes, Twelfth Night Cake, and wassailing. The Yule Log was lit on Christmas day and remained burning until Epiphany. For Christians, the symbolism of the Yule log is that it represented keeping the stable warm for baby Jesus. These days, log shaped chocolate cakes are often eaten in place of the Yule logs.
Ideas for celebrating in your home:
- It is traditional to celebrate Epiphany with a Kings Cake: a sweet cake that contains an object like a plastic figure, bean or nut. If you get the bean, you are King or Queen for the day! Recipe here.
- Nativity scene: the infant Jesus could be given a small gold crown or regal robe. The figures of the wise men should have reached the manger by now!
- It is traditional to bless your home on Epiphany using blessed chalk (given out at church). Over the door is inscribed: 20 + C + M + B + 21. The initials CMB stand for the names of the Wisemen or for “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” which means “May Christ bless this house”
- Put on a play: celebrate the three kings by asking children to act out the story of the Magi coming to visit the newborn king. Bedsheets and tablecloths make great robes and crowns can be homemade (tip: Burger King is happy to give out crowns to customers!). Children can carry the three gifts to the Christ-child in the manger: click here for how to make edible “gifts” that are symbolic of the gold, frankincense and myrrh. Be sure to sing “We Three Kings”!
- Visit the Catholic Icing website here for more Epiphany feast day ideas.
by popadmin | Dec 30, 2020 | Bulletin
Click to read this week’s bulletin, the first of 2021: 3 January 2021 Bulletin
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