Recently I've been posting on this blog less frequently than before. There are times that I just do not have such a strong opinion that is somehow relevant to the Catholic Mass readings of the day. I know that during those dry spells I could just go rant about whatever is on my mind with no regard to what the readings of the day happen to be. However, those readings keep me focused. If I just ranted about whatever was on my mind on a particular day, my blog would be no different from the seemingly infinite and obscure blogs that random people put up to make themselves feel like they're noticed. That was never the purpose of my blog.
As I said before on video during this most recent Lent, I've been trying to reach out to those who may have become separated from God as well as those who might have it in them to seek God and come into the Church for the first time. My purpose was to meet them halfway by relating to them on a very real and human level. I am not an intellectual or a "brainiac" nor do I have any desire to be. If someone had tried to reach out to me back in the day with all the fancy talk, I would have been totally turned off by it. On the other hand, if someone had tried to reach out to me by relating to my experiences, by trying to understand me rather than categorize me, then they would have been on to something. As it turned out, I found God by unexpectedly stumbling upon Him at a time in my life when I would have seemed the least likely to be receptive, go figure.
This blog began many years later at the beginning of Advent of 2011. Of course, those of you who have been Facebook friends of mine for more than 2 years might remember my daily videos in Lent of 2011. I had wanted to post those videos on YouTube to reach a larger audience but came across some technical difficulties and thus ended up just posting them directly on Facebook. Thankfully, by the time Advent came around later that year, I had it figured out and videos got posted on YouTube and the links for those videos got posted to this blog (and to Facebook). During those times, I had a lot to say and a lot to write. I was a man on a mission! But I was also a hurt child in need of healing and all that speaking and writing gave me what I needed. I liked my own entries much more than anything I heard or read on other Catholic blogs or at retreats, discussion groups, speeches, etc. Of course I would - it's not possible for other people to relate to me as well as I relate to me!
More recently, however, I have not been feeling it as much. My faith itself has been rock solid but my passion for this blog has waned a bit. It's not a bad thing - I guess I'm just not as needy as I used to be. A period of 1.5 to 2 years is a long time and a lot can happen, a lot can change. The state of mind I was in back then was vastly different from where it is now. I have come to the point where I would rather hear what others have to say or read what others have to write than listen to or read one of my most recent entries. Some of my older entries were great and still rule the roost in my opinion but I'm not producing entries like that now. I never want to "fake it" just for the sake of putting another entry out. For the last 1.5 to 2 years, this has been my calling. Maybe it's just not my calling anymore - and I'm perfectly okay with that. There are, after all, other ways to live out one's faith. Now if I'm really "feeling it," I'll make another entry at an appropriate time, but I'm not making any promises.
Acts of the Apostles 2: 1-11
Sunday, May 19, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Love
Love is greatly misunderstood in large part for one simple reason. People just don't understand that you can't love something or someone if it lacks the capability or potential to love you back. For example, I can't rightfully say that I love my skis or that I love my food. Now if someone or something does have the capability or potential to love you back, you can certainly love it or them. That is not to say that it necessarily loves you back but you can still love it nonetheless, just as long as it has the capability or potential. This would be known as unrequited love, which is sadly a tragic aspect of the human condition that is all too real.
Today is Mothers' Day, also known as Mothering Sunday. We are hopefully all aware of all the sacrifices and great effort our mothers put into rearing us. Not just the big and obvious things like career decisions and tuition payments but also little things like driving us around to the various things we do or hosting birthday parties or keeping us on task, especially in terms of sleep and wake schedules amongst other seemingly mundane procedures. All of this is done out of love.
Given how "easy" it seems for a woman to become pregnant, it is easy to forget that the beginning of a life is a miracle. There are a series of chemical reactions that take place, involving proteins and amino acids, all very specific like locks and keys. Cells divide but somehow in a seemingly methodical way. There may be a code that dictates a certain sequence but that code must be replicated perfectly for the newly formed cells every time. Furthermore, if even one step of this rather complex process does not go precisely as it ought, you will have nothing to show for everything that happened leading up to that point. In other words, life is a miracle. Our life was a gift to our mothers, given out of love by one who loves our mothers as well as us.
How do we return that love, given that we are capable and have potential to do so? We can call them, visit them, be a listening and sympathetic ear when they have something on their mind they want to talk about. Love is unfortunately a favor that is sometimes not returned but it is something that ought to be shared all the time so let's get ourselves in a sharing mood if we're not there already.
John 17: 20-26
Today is Mothers' Day, also known as Mothering Sunday. We are hopefully all aware of all the sacrifices and great effort our mothers put into rearing us. Not just the big and obvious things like career decisions and tuition payments but also little things like driving us around to the various things we do or hosting birthday parties or keeping us on task, especially in terms of sleep and wake schedules amongst other seemingly mundane procedures. All of this is done out of love.
Given how "easy" it seems for a woman to become pregnant, it is easy to forget that the beginning of a life is a miracle. There are a series of chemical reactions that take place, involving proteins and amino acids, all very specific like locks and keys. Cells divide but somehow in a seemingly methodical way. There may be a code that dictates a certain sequence but that code must be replicated perfectly for the newly formed cells every time. Furthermore, if even one step of this rather complex process does not go precisely as it ought, you will have nothing to show for everything that happened leading up to that point. In other words, life is a miracle. Our life was a gift to our mothers, given out of love by one who loves our mothers as well as us.
How do we return that love, given that we are capable and have potential to do so? We can call them, visit them, be a listening and sympathetic ear when they have something on their mind they want to talk about. Love is unfortunately a favor that is sometimes not returned but it is something that ought to be shared all the time so let's get ourselves in a sharing mood if we're not there already.
John 17: 20-26
Sunday, April 21, 2013
Hope
The events that transpired this past week in and near Boston were like a zit on top of a wart - there was no ignoring them! That is, unless one has the ability to ignore the most painfully obvious things, but then again most of us wonder about the people who have such an "ability" and just shake our heads in pity for their general ineptitude. Well, anyway, some of the events, such as a bombing and an execution-style shooting, showed the deepest and darkest side of humanity. They exposed a certain ugliness and profound evil. For those affected by the lockdown, it was almost as if our lives just came to an eerie standstill.
But something beautiful happened in the midst of all the ugliness. People reached out to help those in need, beyond what they normally would have done. They even put their concern for their fellow man ahead of their concern for their own safety. These people were mostly complete strangers to one another - not likely to have met before nor ever again. Yet they reached out anyway with no expectation of any personal gain. Each one acted as a gift of self rather than serving oneself. In the midst of all the cold blood, a warm ray of hope came shining through, showing the pure goodness of humanity, showing that it could never be taken away from us no matter how bad things got.
Revelation 7: 9, 14b-17
John 10: 27-30
But something beautiful happened in the midst of all the ugliness. People reached out to help those in need, beyond what they normally would have done. They even put their concern for their fellow man ahead of their concern for their own safety. These people were mostly complete strangers to one another - not likely to have met before nor ever again. Yet they reached out anyway with no expectation of any personal gain. Each one acted as a gift of self rather than serving oneself. In the midst of all the cold blood, a warm ray of hope came shining through, showing the pure goodness of humanity, showing that it could never be taken away from us no matter how bad things got.
Revelation 7: 9, 14b-17
John 10: 27-30
Sunday, April 07, 2013
Divine Mercy Sunday
Divine Mercy Sunday: That's what this and every Second Sunday of Easter is known as. We need His Divine Mercy because we are never good enough on our own. It's only by the grace of God that we ever keep ourselves together so as to be in good standing with Him.
An example of our human frailty is shown in today's Gospel. Our Doubting Thomas said he would not believe that Jesus returned unless he had proof. When Jesus offered him the opportunity, Thomas did not actually need to stick his finger into Jesus's hand nor did he need to stick his hand in Jesus's side. He came to believe right on the spot in spite of what he had said earlier. But nevertheless he still failed to believe without seeing. The other disciples did not fare any better the previous time. Jesus showed them His hands and His side before they rejoiced. The only reason they knew and believed before Thomas did was because they had the benefit of seeing the proof first.
Given our frailty, the best approach is to just focus on loving Jesus and trust in Him. Matters such as discernment and other related life decisions are things we ought not to stress over excessively or over-analyse. These decisions are ultimately not ours to make. We just do not see the big picture adequately enough to deal with these matters extensively. It's not what we're made for. All that is expected of us is to trust that we are being guided in the right direction and to focus on loving the one who is guiding us.
John 20: 19-31
An example of our human frailty is shown in today's Gospel. Our Doubting Thomas said he would not believe that Jesus returned unless he had proof. When Jesus offered him the opportunity, Thomas did not actually need to stick his finger into Jesus's hand nor did he need to stick his hand in Jesus's side. He came to believe right on the spot in spite of what he had said earlier. But nevertheless he still failed to believe without seeing. The other disciples did not fare any better the previous time. Jesus showed them His hands and His side before they rejoiced. The only reason they knew and believed before Thomas did was because they had the benefit of seeing the proof first.
Given our frailty, the best approach is to just focus on loving Jesus and trust in Him. Matters such as discernment and other related life decisions are things we ought not to stress over excessively or over-analyse. These decisions are ultimately not ours to make. We just do not see the big picture adequately enough to deal with these matters extensively. It's not what we're made for. All that is expected of us is to trust that we are being guided in the right direction and to focus on loving the one who is guiding us.
John 20: 19-31
Sunday, March 31, 2013
Saturday, March 30, 2013
Friday, March 29, 2013
Thursday, March 28, 2013
Sunday, March 24, 2013
Holy Week = Playoffs
http://youtu.be/ZDrT5lQnfus
Please copy and paste the above web address to see the video on YouTube.
Please copy and paste the above web address to see the video on YouTube.
Sunday, March 17, 2013
St Patrick's NOT Irish
http://youtu.be/SxPfprS4aEM
Please copy the above web address and use it to get to this week's video. Once again, YouTube is NOT letting me post directly to my blog (wow, what a surprise!).
Please copy the above web address and use it to get to this week's video. Once again, YouTube is NOT letting me post directly to my blog (wow, what a surprise!).
Sunday, March 10, 2013
Sunday, February 24, 2013
Sunday, February 17, 2013
Wednesday, February 13, 2013
Sunday, February 10, 2013
Never give up on a play
There's an often-repeated phrase amongst play-by-play commentators in sports. It's "never give up on a play." In "soccer" (football), it could be a rather innocuous-looking cross from one of the wingers that appears destined to be a routine sweep by the opposing defenders or a routine save by the opposing goalkeeper. That is, until one of the strikers just seems to suddenly appear right in position to smash it through a tunnel amongst the crowd of players toward the far end of the goal away from where the opposing keeper is.
In ice hockey, it could be a puck brought across the blue line but with the defending players all in their own zone already - the kind of play that does not seem likely to even generate a shot on goal, let alone a goal. But instead of staying at his customary spot at one of the points to catch any wayward pucks so as to keep the play alive, one of the defenders for the attacking team takes the proactive approach and goes right up the middle to slow down a potential counterattack by the defending team. While driving forward, the attacking defender suddenly finds the puck on his stick, perhaps a rebound or an errant bounce or an interrupted pass attempt by the defending team, and just shoots for the goal in this brief and slightly unexpected window of opportunity that was just gifted to him. There are, of course, numerous examples in many other sports.
The same is true in life, as well. No matter how far down the wrong path you think you've gone, no matter how bad you think you are, and no matter how badly things are going for you, there is no such thing as a lost cause. Neither you nor your life is beyond redemption. Three years ago, my Lenten Season was effectively nonexistent. This was not just a Catholic-specific problem either because it was my whole life that was a bit out of sorts back then. But with a very well-timed Cursillo weekend (something I had been trying to go on for over a year at that point) which ended on Divine Mercy Sunday (very fitting name, by the way), the healing process began and I've been stepping up my game ever since. This year, for example, I plan to give up skiing for Lent. Yes, you read that correctly, Bryan Carnahan - former ski bum, current tree-skiing enthusiast, gifted powder hound, and occasional off-piste trekker - plans to hang up his skis for the next several weeks and, thus, probably for the rest of this ski season. That would be like a girl giving up chocolate when Lent begins the day before Valentine's Day.
I have come a long way in the past 3 years. That Lenten Season that came right before my Cursillo back in 2010 is now a memory that has become mercifully distant. Even at a time when things looked hopeless, I refused to give up hope. You all ought to have the same "never say die" approach to life, as well. For those of you who are Catholic like I am, the upcoming Lenten Season is an opportunity for renewal and healing. Don't expect everything to be fixed all at once, or even quickly, but something good will come of it as long long as you "never give up on a play."
Isaiah 6: 1-2a, 3-8
1 Corinthians 15: 1-11
Luke 5: 1-11
In ice hockey, it could be a puck brought across the blue line but with the defending players all in their own zone already - the kind of play that does not seem likely to even generate a shot on goal, let alone a goal. But instead of staying at his customary spot at one of the points to catch any wayward pucks so as to keep the play alive, one of the defenders for the attacking team takes the proactive approach and goes right up the middle to slow down a potential counterattack by the defending team. While driving forward, the attacking defender suddenly finds the puck on his stick, perhaps a rebound or an errant bounce or an interrupted pass attempt by the defending team, and just shoots for the goal in this brief and slightly unexpected window of opportunity that was just gifted to him. There are, of course, numerous examples in many other sports.
The same is true in life, as well. No matter how far down the wrong path you think you've gone, no matter how bad you think you are, and no matter how badly things are going for you, there is no such thing as a lost cause. Neither you nor your life is beyond redemption. Three years ago, my Lenten Season was effectively nonexistent. This was not just a Catholic-specific problem either because it was my whole life that was a bit out of sorts back then. But with a very well-timed Cursillo weekend (something I had been trying to go on for over a year at that point) which ended on Divine Mercy Sunday (very fitting name, by the way), the healing process began and I've been stepping up my game ever since. This year, for example, I plan to give up skiing for Lent. Yes, you read that correctly, Bryan Carnahan - former ski bum, current tree-skiing enthusiast, gifted powder hound, and occasional off-piste trekker - plans to hang up his skis for the next several weeks and, thus, probably for the rest of this ski season. That would be like a girl giving up chocolate when Lent begins the day before Valentine's Day.
I have come a long way in the past 3 years. That Lenten Season that came right before my Cursillo back in 2010 is now a memory that has become mercifully distant. Even at a time when things looked hopeless, I refused to give up hope. You all ought to have the same "never say die" approach to life, as well. For those of you who are Catholic like I am, the upcoming Lenten Season is an opportunity for renewal and healing. Don't expect everything to be fixed all at once, or even quickly, but something good will come of it as long long as you "never give up on a play."
Isaiah 6: 1-2a, 3-8
1 Corinthians 15: 1-11
Luke 5: 1-11
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Once Upon A Time
Everyone has a guilty pleasure. Mine is a television show called "Once Upon A Time." Outside of sporting events, it's the only program I watch on TV.
In the first season, all these fairy tale characters live under a curse that has banished them to a life in our world. While that in itself may not be so bad, they also have no memories of their lives in the Enchanted Forest. Basically, they don't know who they are. There is no hope in the hollow lives they have been forced to live.
But at the end of the first season, they all regain their old memories while still retaining their memories from their lives in our world. Not only do they know who they are but now their identities have been enhanced by an enormous amount and diversity of life experiences. They become more complete than they ever have been before. There is hope.
It's not all a bed of roses, however. Some characters feel ripped off, as if their lives had been stolen from them. Remembering everything does not necessarily make all the wrong things become right. Some would have preferred not to remember that they once had a life that may never be completely restored.
But at least they know who they are. Regaining their memories has been a healing process. Healing can be painful and thus hard to swallow. But now their lives have direction and a purpose. There is hope.
Nehemiah 8: 2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
Luke 1: 1-4; 4: 14-21
In the first season, all these fairy tale characters live under a curse that has banished them to a life in our world. While that in itself may not be so bad, they also have no memories of their lives in the Enchanted Forest. Basically, they don't know who they are. There is no hope in the hollow lives they have been forced to live.
But at the end of the first season, they all regain their old memories while still retaining their memories from their lives in our world. Not only do they know who they are but now their identities have been enhanced by an enormous amount and diversity of life experiences. They become more complete than they ever have been before. There is hope.
It's not all a bed of roses, however. Some characters feel ripped off, as if their lives had been stolen from them. Remembering everything does not necessarily make all the wrong things become right. Some would have preferred not to remember that they once had a life that may never be completely restored.
But at least they know who they are. Regaining their memories has been a healing process. Healing can be painful and thus hard to swallow. But now their lives have direction and a purpose. There is hope.
Nehemiah 8: 2-4a, 5-6, 8-10
Luke 1: 1-4; 4: 14-21
Sunday, January 20, 2013
Conference Championship weekend (NFL)
For those of you who watch the National Football League playoffs, you are aware that Conference Championship weekend is behind us and in the books. I will resist the temptation to comment on the outcomes themselves. Nevertheless, this is the cream of the crop we see on the field for any given NFL game. Anybody who has grown up in the United States knows just how huge American Football is in high schools. I reckon it would be particularly huge in places like the South and the Midwest. Imagine how many thousands of boys play football and make their way through their respective high school teams. Each year thousands upon thousands of football players graduate and just about every one is replaced by a crop of new faces every year. Now consider that the NFL probably has only about 1500 players on active rosters. To skew it even further, this particular weekend generally involves the teams most heavily loaded with talent, as if the NFL isn't already heavily skewed with extreme talent.
But this talent still comes in many forms. Defensive coaches constantly move players around according to what kind of play they anticipate their opponent to run. Who covers which receiver? Who covers the tight ends? Do we drop linebackers into coverage? Do we bring the secondary forward toward the line of scrimmage? Do we play zone or man? Do we play inside/underneath on an anticipated pass play to severely limit yardage (while risking giving up a big play) or do we play over the top to prevent the big play (while potentially giving up a first down on shorter yardage plays). Offensive coaches try to run or change where they put players based upon where they are on the field, how they're doing on downs, and on yardage remaining for the next first down, as well as certain formations they either are seeing or have been seeing from the opposing defense. In other words, in spite of them all being the elite amongst the elite, different players could have very different characteristics. Different strengths, different specialties, different roles. But those on the same team are all working toward one common goal - the championship.
1 Corinthians 12: 4-11
But this talent still comes in many forms. Defensive coaches constantly move players around according to what kind of play they anticipate their opponent to run. Who covers which receiver? Who covers the tight ends? Do we drop linebackers into coverage? Do we bring the secondary forward toward the line of scrimmage? Do we play zone or man? Do we play inside/underneath on an anticipated pass play to severely limit yardage (while risking giving up a big play) or do we play over the top to prevent the big play (while potentially giving up a first down on shorter yardage plays). Offensive coaches try to run or change where they put players based upon where they are on the field, how they're doing on downs, and on yardage remaining for the next first down, as well as certain formations they either are seeing or have been seeing from the opposing defense. In other words, in spite of them all being the elite amongst the elite, different players could have very different characteristics. Different strengths, different specialties, different roles. But those on the same team are all working toward one common goal - the championship.
1 Corinthians 12: 4-11
Monday, January 14, 2013
Renewal
Apparently, it is still the Christmas season - barely. I thought Christmas had 12 days, although the song "12 Days of Christmas" was really just a covert way to teach the ways of the Catholic faith to children in Catholic families at a time and place when and where having any written material of the sort was forbidden. But I still honestly believed that Christmas was 12 days. I mean, we have "12th night" for a reason, right? But then why did my parish have elaborate Christmas decorations still intact? And why did the Roman missal refer to this Sunday as part of the "Season of Christmas?"
Well, I was not completely wrong. This Sunday is a feast day known as the "Baptism of the Lord." For those of you Cliff's Notes types who know the Gospel story mostly based upon Rosary Mysteries, this would be the 1st Luminous Mystery. Early on there's the Nativity. The presentation in the temple comes a few days later. The finding of the child Jesus comes a few years later. The Baptism of our Lord takes place when He is about 30 years of age. In other words, it comes well after the birth of Jesus or the visitation by the foreign kings.
Also, this feast day is not always on a Sunday. Sometimes it is just a weekday Mass on the Monday right after Epiphany Sunday. In this case, the Christmas Season would be long gone before the Sunday after Epiphany comes around. When the feast does fall on a Sunday, like this year, it represents part of the Season of Christmas but is also known as the "1st Sunday in Ordinary Time." So it is a transition. Out with the old and in with the new. Renewal. So I learn something new every day. Renewal. That's what Baptism is, by the way - renewal.
Jesus does not seem like one who needs any renewal. John the Baptist certainly would not think so. In John's mind, if Jesus were an important dignitary with a massive estate, John would have been the random dude who got chased off the property by Jesus's servants on account of being too "sketchy." But Jesus is not like that (nor are most of His servants). Jesus went ahead and got Baptised by John, even though it seemed well below His stature in the eyes of many. But this was merely a testament to his humility, courage, and openness to follow His true calling. Don't let anyone tell you what your true purpose in life is, even if your understanding of your true purpose seems to defy conventional wisdom. You may just be in need of a change or overhaul. A renewal.
Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22
Well, I was not completely wrong. This Sunday is a feast day known as the "Baptism of the Lord." For those of you Cliff's Notes types who know the Gospel story mostly based upon Rosary Mysteries, this would be the 1st Luminous Mystery. Early on there's the Nativity. The presentation in the temple comes a few days later. The finding of the child Jesus comes a few years later. The Baptism of our Lord takes place when He is about 30 years of age. In other words, it comes well after the birth of Jesus or the visitation by the foreign kings.
Also, this feast day is not always on a Sunday. Sometimes it is just a weekday Mass on the Monday right after Epiphany Sunday. In this case, the Christmas Season would be long gone before the Sunday after Epiphany comes around. When the feast does fall on a Sunday, like this year, it represents part of the Season of Christmas but is also known as the "1st Sunday in Ordinary Time." So it is a transition. Out with the old and in with the new. Renewal. So I learn something new every day. Renewal. That's what Baptism is, by the way - renewal.
Jesus does not seem like one who needs any renewal. John the Baptist certainly would not think so. In John's mind, if Jesus were an important dignitary with a massive estate, John would have been the random dude who got chased off the property by Jesus's servants on account of being too "sketchy." But Jesus is not like that (nor are most of His servants). Jesus went ahead and got Baptised by John, even though it seemed well below His stature in the eyes of many. But this was merely a testament to his humility, courage, and openness to follow His true calling. Don't let anyone tell you what your true purpose in life is, even if your understanding of your true purpose seems to defy conventional wisdom. You may just be in need of a change or overhaul. A renewal.
Luke 3: 15-16, 21-22
Sunday, January 06, 2013
Catholicism = Symptom of the Universe
Several years ago, during an RCIA (Rite of Christian Initiation for Adults) class, it was explained to me that "Catholic" means "universal." My classmates and I were not yet Catholic so we did not know much about the faith and therefore needed even the most basic things explained to us. It is pretty well-documented in the Old Testament that salvation would come from the Jews. Jesus states in the Gospels that He is the way, the truth, and the light. Salvation comes only through Him and He was, is, and ever shall be a Jew. So there you go.
This may not sound particularly "universal" now, would it? But it is. Salvation may only come from the Jews but it is open to anyone who seeks it, including Pagans - even KINGS of Pagans. But it is important to note that in order to receive, one must seek. In other words, it's not about where your origins lie but rather it's about where your heart is, your attitude. King Herod happened to be Jewish, if you could call a figurehead for the oppresive Roman Empire a true "Jew," but he had the wrong attitude, even going as far as trying to deceive those with noble intentions. On the other hand, the eastern kings were foreign to all Jewish people in every way yet they had the right attitude, even going through a great deal of trouble and potentially risking their lives to pay homage to a Jew.
The visitation by the eastern kings to pay homage to the King of Kings generally marks the end of the Christmas season. Traditionally, the 6th of January has been known as "12th Night" and the 7th has been the Feast of the Epiphany. Obviously, Epiphany falls on the nearest Sunday these days. But if you follow the traditional calendar and count the days, you will immediately see that the 6th of January would be the 14th night and that the 7th of January would be the 14th day of Christmas. So what gives?
The answer is simple. Just like in Lent, when counting days, you don't count Sundays. According to the old tradition, Saturday the 5th of January would be the 11th day of Christmas and Monday the 7th of January would be the 12th day of Christmas. "12th Night" would be Sunday night, the 6th of January. So why don't we count Sundays when counting days in special seasons? Well, I think it's because we're supposed to be good EVERY Sunday. No lyin', cheatin', or hurtin' - or your time is gonna come. As an erstwhile co-worker said to me one Sunday when I suggested in jest that we had more work left to do than we really did, "Lyin' on a Sunday?! Day-um!"
Matthew 2: 1-12
This may not sound particularly "universal" now, would it? But it is. Salvation may only come from the Jews but it is open to anyone who seeks it, including Pagans - even KINGS of Pagans. But it is important to note that in order to receive, one must seek. In other words, it's not about where your origins lie but rather it's about where your heart is, your attitude. King Herod happened to be Jewish, if you could call a figurehead for the oppresive Roman Empire a true "Jew," but he had the wrong attitude, even going as far as trying to deceive those with noble intentions. On the other hand, the eastern kings were foreign to all Jewish people in every way yet they had the right attitude, even going through a great deal of trouble and potentially risking their lives to pay homage to a Jew.
The visitation by the eastern kings to pay homage to the King of Kings generally marks the end of the Christmas season. Traditionally, the 6th of January has been known as "12th Night" and the 7th has been the Feast of the Epiphany. Obviously, Epiphany falls on the nearest Sunday these days. But if you follow the traditional calendar and count the days, you will immediately see that the 6th of January would be the 14th night and that the 7th of January would be the 14th day of Christmas. So what gives?
The answer is simple. Just like in Lent, when counting days, you don't count Sundays. According to the old tradition, Saturday the 5th of January would be the 11th day of Christmas and Monday the 7th of January would be the 12th day of Christmas. "12th Night" would be Sunday night, the 6th of January. So why don't we count Sundays when counting days in special seasons? Well, I think it's because we're supposed to be good EVERY Sunday. No lyin', cheatin', or hurtin' - or your time is gonna come. As an erstwhile co-worker said to me one Sunday when I suggested in jest that we had more work left to do than we really did, "Lyin' on a Sunday?! Day-um!"
Matthew 2: 1-12
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