The Epiphany of the Lord
~ Merry Christmas! Happy New Year! Blessed Epiphany!
It is a long-standing tradition of the Church to announce the Date of Easter and the other movable feasts of the Liturgical Year on the Feast of the Epiphany. This hearkens back to days long ago when people did not have or use calendars as we do today and relied on this oral proclamation to know and plan the year. As we begin a new calendar year, this tradition brings to the forefront the importance of the rhythm of liturgical time that should have a place in the life of every Catholic. As the Epiphany is all about the manifestation of the coming of God in the flesh, so too we acknowledge how the Paschal Mystery is manifested in the various feasts and times throughout our year. So, on this Epiphany Day, I offer the traditional announcement here:
Know, dear brothers and sisters, that,
as we have rejoiced at the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ,
so by God’s mercy we announce to you also
the joy of his Resurrection, who is our Savior!
On the eighteenth day of February will fall Ash Wednesday
and the beginning of the fast of the most sacred Lenten season.
On the fifth day of April, we will celebrate with joy Easter Day,
the Paschal feast of our Lord Jesus Christ.
On the seventeenth day of May will be the feast of the Ascension
of our Lord Jesus Christ.
On the twenty-fourth day of May, the feast of Pentecost.
On the seventh day of June,
the feast of the Most Holy Body and Blood of Christ.
On the twenty-ninth day of November,
the First Sunday of the Advent of our Lord Jesus Christ,
to whom is honor and glory forever and ever! Amen!
So we know the dates of Easter and the other feasts during 2026, but what else will happen during this year to come? What does God have in store for us and for the whole world?
This is the Semiquincentennial of our nation, as 2026 marks the 250th birthday of the United States of America. This year is the Bicentennial celebration of the Archdiocese of St. Louis. Our world will come together this year at the Winter Olympics in Milan-Cortina, Italy and at the World Cup in the United States. Our nation will have mid-term elections for Congress and other elected offices. We all hope that there will be no resurgence of Covid, no new pandemic, and that the flu season will be mild. We hope for mild weather and for no natural disasters. We continue to pray for an end to the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East, and for an end to gun violence and crime in our city, yet all that will happen in God’s good time. The news will unfold, and time will march forward. We will have good days and bad days, joys and sorrows. We will experience birth and death, comings and goings. But the Lord oversees all our days, so now, at the beginning of this year, we place our trust and renew our hope in God’s plan and God’s providence.
It is still Christmas for one more week! The Christmas season ends next Sunday, January 11, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. As we put away our Christmas decorations, we give thanks for all the blessings and gifts of this season. Thanks to so many of you who were so kind to me, to Fr. Patrick, and Msgr. Turek at Christmastime. We appreciate your cards, warm wishes, gifts, and cookies! I continue to be so grateful and humbled to be the pastor of St. Margaret of Scotland, and I look forward to leading and working with you throughout 2026 and beyond!