Reflection/Homily

THE THREE WISE MEN: Epiphany of the Lord is an important feast that comes shortly after Christmas, in the early days of January. The word Epiphany comes from Greek verb epiphainesthai, to appear and epiphaneia, which means manifestation (usually associated with a divine being). Thus, Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus to the outside world. Epiphany also means a wonderful discovery or a great revelation. It is a remembrance of the coming of the Magi or the three Wise Men to the infant Jesus at Bethlehem.

If we are to borrow from the inspiration words of the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, the period of Lent can be considered the period when we are forced to think about what he calls, the two philosophies of life. According to him, we can choose to start our lives with the Feast and like all feasts, end up with a serious hangover. The second choice is that we can choose the Fast and after that follows the feast. He further noted that: Deferred joys purchased by sacrifices are always the sweetest and most enduring.

The reality lived by many in our dear country today causes us to reflect deeply on the true meaning of Christmas and the beauty of the gift God has given to us, which is Christ himself.

DARK NIGHT OF THE SOUL

Fr. Gerald Musa

The season of advent reminds us that the Christmas is right at the corner. Apart from the spiritual preparation for Christmas, the month of December is usually choked up with so many activities such as end of year parties, Christmas Sales in the open markets and shopping malls as well as travelling to different destinations. The shops seem to have begun their ‘advent’ long before the Church. Some weeks ago people started buying Christmas decorations, shoes, clothes and gifts for beloved ones.

Advent is here again to renew our circles of hope and joy of the Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. The Catholic Church has created a yearly calendar or a circle of periods that stand as signposts on our journey to eternity helping us to avoid travelling blindly as people without a roadmap.  Advent is one of those signposts.

There is a restlessness in the soul that comes from the Holy Spirit and another that comes from an unclean conscience, Pope Francis said today at morning Mass in the Casa Santa Marta.

According to Vatican Radio, the Pope spoke of this good and bad anxiety, drawing from the account of Herod’s state after he killed John the Baptist:

Today, the Catholic world celebrates the feast of two of the Church’s greatest men, Peter and Paul. It is hard to find any other two people with distinct and contrasting personalities like Peter and Paul. They occupied two ends of a very wide spectrum in our understanding of the mysteries of God. Both men saw things so differently, came from different social classes and backgrounds, had distinct and contrasting personalities and yet, when it came to Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, both men spoke one language. For me, St.