The Guiding Light

     My Mom was a great soap opera fan, and one of her favorites was a program called "The Guiding Light".  This guiding light was cast as a lighthouse, which serves to bring people safely home through the comfort and security of its beacon.  I'm not sure what anything in the program had to do with that thought, but that was so long ago that my memory fades.

     We celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany this weekend, and the story of the magi coming from the east involves another "guiding light" - this time the star that guided them on their journey for truth and enlightenment and which came to rest over the place where "the" LIGHT would be found, the house where the Christ child lived with Mary and Joseph. 

 



     These magi, these wise men, these kings were searchers for the truth, they studied the heavens for signs, they waited for that moment of revelation that would give their very existence meaning.
Seeing that sign in the heavens, the star, they gathered their resources and found companionship in the quest.  And when they found what they were seeking, in the most unexpected of circumstances, they quietly and reverently brought their gifts to place before this life changing king of kings.  The gifts they brought were gold (earthly power), frankincense (the perfumed fragrance reserved for the divine) and myrrh (the ointment used for anointing the body in death).  But most importantly they brought themselves, their hopes and aspirations, their desires and longings, and they took home a profound joy and peace.

    May we bring ourselves to this King of Kings, and may we find within ourselves profound joy and peace.  As the Prayer After Communion on the feast states:

"Go before us with heavenly light, O Lord,

always and everywhere,

that we may perceive with clear sight

and revere with true affection

the mystery in which you have willed us to participate."

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     January 4th also marks the 6th anniversary of my installation by Bishop Lawrence Brandt as the fifth pastor of Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton Church.  These have been six fast years but six wonderful years of blessing as I minister to and am ministered to by the good people of this community.  I am very grateful for this assignment.

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     And January 4th is also the Feast of our parish patron, Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton.  Mother Seton's life and story are inspiring and if you do not know the story, read about her life.  I have been blessed over the years in my association with her Sisters, especially the Sisters of Charity of Seton Hill in Greensburg.  They are a blessing to the Church and to the local Church of the Diocese of Greensburg.  May the Lord continue to bless them,