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The First Presentation of Gifts Peggy Guerrero Jordan Ministry Team “To Proclaim the Savior” Those three wise men came a long way. They probably weren’t the only three people on the face of the earth who saw the star, but they are the only ones that we know of who responded to the star by journeying the distance to see the King whose birth the star announced. In the homeland of the wise men there were others who studied the stars, and they knew what this particular star meant. The “wise men” were most likely scholars who knew not only the stars, but the history and myths of many places. So, if others knew how important this event was, what kept them from making the journey? And why did these three wise men go into foreign lands and risk danger, when others did not? It may be that Jesus tells this story in a slightly different way in the parable of the man who gives a feast and his invited guests do not come. They are busy about the “important” business of their daily life. As we all are! Someone has to earn the living, someone has to take care of the family – often someone has to do both. What happened in the story is not so different from what happens in own lives. In some way, the journey of the wise men is like the procession we make during our liturgy. When we bring the gifts of bread and wine to the altar we connect our lives to the bread and wine. We go about our lives, doing the work of living. And then we pause, like the wise men, and make a journey to bring to God the gifts of our lives. We may not have traveled many miles, but in any given week our lives probably cover a lot of territory! And that is what we bring with us when we gather for liturgy. We join the gifts of who we are, as we are. We bring the gifts of what we do, as well as we can do it. And we bring it in the confidence that the gifts, our lives, will be accepted, and transformed, and given back to us as the body and blood of Jesus. And then we leave; we return to our homes, as the wise men did, nourished by spending time with the Son of God, the Body of Christ. Alleluia! Alleluia! |
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‘The Secret’ is not a secret, thank God!Fr. Joe Rodrigues In our country, Thanksgiving has surprisingly become the most revered and celebrated holiday of the year. It is the most traveled time of the year, even more than Christmas. Families and friends gather together for at least one day to say – “thank you” to God and each other – even if it unfolds into some dysfunctional behavior. Thanksgiving is evolving into its own holyday, where Mass attendance has increased compared to other official holydays. It is a sacred day that crosses all boundaries of traditions, religions, and belief systems. The expression and experience of gratitude brings together the secular and the sacred, human and the divine in one sweeping gesture of humility that levels the playing field for all of us human beings. We acknowledge that we have been graced and gifted by the “Other” in some way. It is not all about me, after all. Before the sleeper hit, “The Secret” achieved mainstream popularity, primarily through Oprah’s influence, a friend had invited me to view the DVD and read the book. I was very impressed on many levels. What struck me the most was its fundamental principle. It simply echoes what Jesus was trying to incarnate within us in regard to living with “faith-filled gratitude.” Most of our saints, if not all of them, have made this assertion at some point in their faith journey towards holiness. In fact, it is usually their ultimate wisdom response – “Be grateful…all will be well.” It has not been a secret. It is a thread running through the Gospels and our Eucharistic celebrations. The word Eucharist itself means thanksgiving! “Let us give thanks to the Lord our God…It is right to give You thanks and praise…If you only had the faith the size of a mustard seed you could move mountains… and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and praise…Your faith, has healed you…has none but this foreigner returned to give thanks?” How often have we heard this throughout our liturgical lives and how often it falls on our deaf rational unbelieving ears? If we truly believe that we are becoming and doing what God has called us to be and do, then it is our responsibility to trust that God will provide the necessary means to fulfill our task, for the sake of the reign of God. This takes genuine faith and above all, gratitude. Gratitude for what God has done and for what God will do! Yes, will do! That is part of “the secret.” Give thanks now, for the reality that will be. Talk about faith. As the profound saying goes, “Faith is not that God can. Faith is that God WILL!” So as Thanksgiving approaches let us be reminded that there is one day that is sacramentalized, “raised up,” for us all to acknowledge the reality we need to be living everyday - an attitude of gratitude. This is one secret I will not place under the seal of confession. So pass the word---I will be forever grateful! |
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