2 January 2012: The Faith of the Three Kings

“In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem, certain wise men from the East came to Jerusalem.” (Mt 2:1) Astrologers, “God called them by what was most familiar to them ... a marvellous star, so that it would attract their attention by its greatness and beauty”. (St John Chrysostom, “Homilies on St Matthew”, 6:3)
Nobody told them the star’s exact meaning; but they knew and immediately left. They received a very extraordinary inspiration as prophesied: “Lift up your eyes and look around, sons, come from far away.” (cf Isaiah 60:4)
They left behind their families, comfort, goods. The journey must have been very difficult, but they persevered on their way to adore God. These men teach us what we must do to reach Jesus.
“Sometimes we can be held up in following Jesus closely, lovingly -- by the fear of what people will say, that our acting may be extreme in some way ... these men gave us a lesson in bravery. ... not to heed human respect which paralyzes many who could already be close to Christ, living with Him.” (cf A M Doronsoro, “Time for belief”, 76-7)
On the feast of the Epiphany, let us ask Our Lord for a firm and solid faith on our journey so that we may be worthy of the gifts he has promised. As always, we will find our Blessed Mother very close to her Son, Jesus.
Ref: Cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 1:319-25

On employing Time well
To sanctify time, we must live in habitual grace and with a pure intention. Faith teaches that however holy an action may be, cannot earn eternal merit for whoever acts in a state of mortal sin. Thus, time passed as such is lost forever. What a miserable loss!
All our actions, good or indifferent, must have supernatural motives -- for God, in God’s sight. Men see only the exterior. God judges the intention. He will not reward what is not done for Him.
The Scribes and Pharisees did many good works, but for show and conceited popularity. Jesus Christ tells us, they will not be rewarded -- they will have lost their time and labor. We have reason to fear the loss, partly at least, of the merit of many of our good works; because vanity, the desire to please men, has been secretly mingled with our motives.
We do many good acts with an habitually pure intention; but these are done imperfectly, in a lukewarm way. One way is to form a habit of saying, ‘I wish to perform this action well’.
Ref: Cf “Practical Meditations” by a Father of the Society of Jesus, 1964, pp12-4

The mission of parents
Pope John Paul II recalled the words of Pope Paul VI which parents should keep in mind whenever they contemplate the Holy Family devoutly reciting traditional prayers said in every Jewish home.
“Do you teach your children Christian prayers? Do you prepare them, in conjunction with the priests, for the sacraments they receive when they are young: Confession, Communion and Confirmation?
"Do you encourage them, when they are sick, to think of Christ suffering, to invoke the aid of the Blessed Virgin and the saints?
“Do you say the family Rosary together? Do you pray with your children, with the whole domestic community, at least sometimes?
Your example of honesty in thought and action, joined to some common prayer, is a lesson for life and an act of worship of singular value. In this way you bring peace to your homes. Thus you build up the Church.” (cf John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation, “Familiaris consortio”, 60)
The family is a school of virtues and the ordinary place for us to find God. Husbands and wives “will achieve this aim by exercising the virtues of faith and hope, facing serenely all the great and small problems which confront any family, and will be persevering in the love and enthusiasm with which they fulfil their duties. They will learn to smile and forget about themselves in order to pay attention to others.
“Husband and wife will listen to each other and to their children, showing them they are really loved and understood. They will forget the unimportant little frictions which selfishness can magnify out of all proportion. They lovingly do all the small acts of service that make up their daily life together.
“The aim is this: to sanctify family life, while creating at the same time a true family atmosphere. Many Christian virtues are necessary in order to sanctify each day of one’s life. First, the theological virtues and then all the others: prudence, loyalty, sincerity, humility, industriousness, cheerfulness ...” (cf St Josemaria Escrivá, “Christ is passing by”, 23)
United to Christ, a family, called the ‘domestic Church’ is a member of his Mystical Body. (Second Vatican Council, “Lumen Gentium”, 11) “The Christian family proclaims aloud both the present power of the kingdom of God and the hope of the life to come.” (Ibid, 35)
Spouses faithful to their matrimonial vocation will pray for vocations for their children. “Mary spent nearly every day of her life like millions of other women who look after their families. ...” (St Josemaria Escrivá, op cit, 148)
Ref: Cf F Fernandez, “In Conversation with God”, 1:231-3

Mother of Christians
The disciples, full of faith, prayed as a single family “with Mary, the mother of Jesus” (Acts 1:14). St Luke has the longest account of Jesus’ childhood as if he wanted us to understand that just as Mary had a major role in the incarnation of the Word, she was intimately involved in the beginning of the Church, Christ’s body.
From the first moment of the Church all Christians who have sought the love of God revealed in Jesus Christ have encountered our Lady and experienced her motherly care. She can truly be called the Mother of Christians. “With her charity she cooperates in the birth of the faithful to the Church and they are members of a head, of which she is effectively Mother in the flesh.” (St Augustine, “De Sancta virginitate”, 6 [PL 40, 399])
“We gather under your protection, holy Mother of God. Reject not the prayers we say to you in our need, but save us from all dangers, O glorious and blessed Virgin.” (“Sub tuum praesidium ...” [‘We fly to your patronage ... in Litany of the Blessed Virgin’, Fr Charles Belmonte and Fr James Socias (editors), “Handbook of Prayers”, 1988, p286]
Ref: Cf St Josemaria Escrivá, “Christ is passing by”, op cit, 141

• Our Lady of the Pillar (Saragossa, Spain) (maryfest.htm / www.starharbor.com/santiago/m_feasts.html)
• Foundation of the Abbey of Dunes, Flanders, in honor of the Blessed Virgin (1128). (www/divinewill.org/feastsofourlady.html); (www.iskandar.com/ourlady/ourladyfeasts.html); (www.miraclehunter.com/marian_apparitions/calendar/index.html)
• Foundation of the Abbey of Dunes, in Flanders, in honor of the Blessed Virgin, in the year 1128, by Fulk, a Benedictine monk. (Bethlehem Observer Historical Calendar)
• Abbey of Dunes (Abdij Ter Duinen) founded in honor of Mary. On the beach in Sint-Idesbald, Flanders, Belgium. 1128. New abbey built 1628–42 by Cistercian monks, and now a UNESCO world heritage site. Abbey itself lies in ruins, but is open to visitors. ... [...founded "in the year 1128, by Fulk, a Benedictine monk. (Chronicon Bertiennae.)"]. (www.marylinks.org/Mary-Calendar.htm)
• Memorial of Panaghia Portaitissa, the Holy Guardian of the Door of Mount Athos (http://mariedenazareth.com)