Parish priest: Fr. Tom Wynne. Tel/Fax: 01397-712-238 Mobile: 00796-588-598
e-mail:frtom@rcroybridge.co.uk Parish web site: www.rcroybridge.co.uk
Blessed Mary MacKillop web site: www.gaeldom.com/mmk
Weekly Bulletin Online: www.gaeldom.com/bulletin
RC Diocese of Argyll & the Isles  Charity Registration No. SC002876

Feast of the Epiphany

The story of the Epiphany captures our imagination with its rich mixture of mystery and intrigue. Into the Holy Family's impoverished  shelter come three wise men from the East, dressed in majestic robes and bearing gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. They had travelled from unknown lands following a star, and had experienced the deviousness of King Herod before finally arriving in the presence of  the the infant Christ in the manger.

After paying homage,  they left for home by a different route .The story of the Magi is so colourful, but it also has lesson for us all.

Their journey through desert and mountain following a star reflects our search for a purpose and meaning in our own life. We thank God for our faith and for the teaching of the Church which show us the way to Christ, who said: I am the way, the truth and the life.

On this feast of the Epiphany, the infant Christ who is surrounded by adoration, wonder and mystery, wishes to draw us to himself.

The story is always relevant because God sees to it that people who really search for him  will find him, for he will shed light in their darkness.

As the Christmas season draws to a close, with faded holly and sagging decorations, the Epiphany reminds us of our journeying into another year following the individual paths which we alone tread.

Life is a pilgrimage, a journey, but we need not necessarily travel alone as we make our way towards heaven, for we are members of the one family of Christ by our baptism.

The word Epiphany means the showing of Christ to the non-Jews, the Gentiles.  We will encounter Christ in so many ways throughout the year, for he is always in our midst if we can only recognise him. We find him in so many situations  -  among the poor, those treated unjustly, the sorrowful. He is always there. He is present in the needs of many of the people we meet daily, and in places and times we would least expect him to be. God stands in our very midst revealing himself and inviting us to enter his company. Whatever you  do to the least of these my brethren, you do it to me.

Nothing is ever the same again for those who have discovered this Light. The responsibility we bear is to let the divine Light within us shine through to others, like the sun shining through a stained glass window.

The gospel of love, of forgiveness and redemption is something we are asked to practice in our every-day life.

May Christ's Light lead us all safely through this new Year of 2008, and may he accompany us in all we do, and may we see him present in the poor, the needy, and indeed, in every situation—for he is there!