These have been busy days of joyful celebration: Advent, Christmas, New Year’s, The Feast of Mary the Mother of God and the Epiphany: the manifestation of Jesus come as our Lord and Savior. So, I want to begin wishing everyone a very Happy New Year, one I hope will be filled with the rich graces that the Lord God will bestow on all of us. I hope too, that each of us will make the best effort to bring happiness and joy to one another in the months to come.
On many of our special feast days our liturgy offers us a special solemn blessing to be imparted,
blessing we receive at the end of every Mass is given instead. The feast of the Epiphany is one of those occasions when a solemn blessing is part of the concluding rites of the Mass so I would like to share it with you today. It includes three invocations. I hope you will take the time to read over these three invocations and perhaps spend a few moments reflecting on their meaning for us. They’re quite beautiful.
May God, who has called you
Out of darkness into his wonderful light,
Pour out in kindness his blessing upon you
And make your hearts firm
In faith, hope and charity.
Amen!
And since in all confidence you follow Christ,
Who today appeared in the world
As a light shining in the darkness,
And may God make you, too,
A light for your brothers and sisters.
Amen!
And so when your pilgrimage is ended,
May you come to him
Whom the Magi sought as they followed the star
And whom they found with great joy,
A Light from Light,
Who is Christ the Lord?
Amen!
And may the blessing of almighty God, the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit come down upon you and remain with you for ever. Amen!
And again, my best wishes for a Happy, Holy, and Healthy New Year!
Fr.Walt
Recent Comments