Dear friends,

Tomorrow marks the twelfth day of Christmas, January 6, the traditional date for the Epiphany. On this day we celebrate the manifestation of Jesus to the world as represented by the visit of the three kings, the wise men from the east who have come to pay homage to the King of Kings. Guided by the star, these three kings were attentive to the signs of the times and encountered the Christ, the Messiah, the long awaited redeemer of mankind. Not only were the Israelites waiting, the whole world, since the day of the fall, was waiting for the coming of the Savior.

Today is a wonderful time for us to pay attention to the signs that God has given us. This takes a bit of reflection, and for the most part, we are lazy when it comes to this, I speak for myself before anyone else. We tend to go from one thing to the next, one day to the next, without really reflecting on what the Lord is doing or where He might be leading us. At the beginning of this year I encourage you to think about where you have been in the last year. Take some time to spend with Jesus and recount the blessings you received in the last year. Maybe it’s been a hard year, all the more do we need to reflect on the good things that have happened. Try to see where God has been working. Maybe He is working in the things that are not going so good as He is trying to tell you to change direction, turn to Him, start afresh.

Beginning this New Year, I encourage you to start a new habit, prayer. Maybe you already have the habit. Commit yourself to more. Daily, start with a prayer first thing. Rising, thank the Lord for the day and offer it to Him. Ask Him to guide you and to order it according to His will, not yours (that’s what we ask for in the Our Father). If you can, spend a few minutes with Him in silence before you get going. Then through the day, He’ll be right there by your side to guide and direct you especially as you encounter trouble or temptation. He will be right there to inspire you to reach out in love with a kind word or act of charity. Mark the transitions of your day with prayer. On the way to work, at lunch, on the way home, check in with the Lord. Then at the end of the day, take some time to reflect on the day. In silence, maybe in front of a crucifix or holy picture, start a conversation with God asking Him to be with you and help you reflect on the day. First remember the blessings, the good things that happened and thank the Lord. Then recount the things that did not go so well. What happened to cause the situation? How did you react? What could you do differently? Ask the Lord to give you those insights and to do better the next day when you encounter these situations, temptations, frustrations. He will be right there to ready to give you a hand. Take it.

If you build up this habit, the Lord will reveal Himself to you more and more. He will help you to see more clearly the plan He has for you. In conjunction with the Mass where you hear His Word and receive Him in the Holy Eucharist and the Sacrament of Confession, daily prayer is the key to being attentive to our relationship with Jesus and we will come to know Him and who He is calling us to be more and more. A daily habit of reflection will also help us to be more attentive to those things that we do that are taking us away from who God is calling us to be and so we will have more material for our next Confession. Be not afraid. The three kings did not know the plan God had for them yet they set out in faith and when told to go back by a different way they were attentive and heeded the Lord’s counsel. May we begin this year more attentive to where the Lord is leading us.

Sts. Melchior, Caspar, and Balthazar, pray for us.

Fr. Jack D. Shrum