Fr. Bob's Reflection for the Feast of the Epiphany - Guest Post

This Gospel reminds us that the movement of humankind towards God always begins with God Himself. In choosing to enter our world, God embraced direct involvement rather than untouchable distance. This chapter in Matthew’s Gospel is not just the story of the events that surrounded Christ’s birth. When we read this story, we are also reading our own story – the story of our ongoing journey towards God. Like the Magi, we are often summoned in Christ’s direction from far-off places, distances frequently created by our own wandering. Along the way, we may struggle through deserts, uncertainty – and we have to ask others to show us the way. The Magi, the wisdom seekers of the East, pressed on through indifference, hostility, oppression and even scandal. Yet what matters most in their story, and ours, is not the tradition of crowns and caravans, but the human longing it reveals: real people in search of light, truth and hope. It is the light that the world is always trying to find. At its heart, the Christmas story is an inclusive one. The first to arrive at the stable were the shepherds. They did not appear as they do on our Christmas cards. They were looked down upon. The sophisticated ones in society avoided them. And yet it was the shepherds who received Heaven’s first announcement that God had touched the earth. Then came the Magi, the outsiders; Gentiles considered ritually impure, met with suspicion and mistrust. Both groups invited to the stable represented the rejected and the overlooked. But isn’t that where we so often find Christ? With the outcasts? With the weary? With the wounded? He always gives them a way forward, a chance at redemption and the assurance that God loves them without condition. This is why the Church must remain mindful of those whose lives are fractured. Many have stepped away not because they lack faith, but because they have not felt welcome. We must always remember what the Eucharist truly is: not a reward for the perfect, but nourishment for the journey. No one is beyond reach, and no one is without a place at the manger. As we celebrate the Epiphany and remember how God calls the outcasts to the stable, the Church’s Jubilee Year comes to a close on this feast. The Holy Mountain at Graymoor served as an official pilgrim destination this year, and it has truly been our privilege to welcome so many Pilgrims of Hope along their spiritual journey. Each visitor carried a quiet courage, trusting the same truth the Magi sought: a guiding Light that still leads hearts forward. We are deeply grateful for every prayer offered here, every story shared and every life touched. Welcoming so many Pilgrims of Hope has been a joy and an honor for our community. As the New Year begins, the Feast of the Epiphany invites us to ask not only where we are going, but what we will give back to God. When the Magi met Jesus, not a word was spoken – perhaps because words could not capture what they had found. All they could do was fall to their knees, gaze upon Him, offer Him gifts and believe. We see this same spirit when everyday people step up for others: helping strangers on the road, supporting neighbors in moments of crisis, or caring for those most in need. In these moments, the words of Jesus still ring true: “What you do for the least of My brothers and sisters, you do for Me.” Let the goodness in your hearts, the grace you extend to others, be your gift to the newborn Savior. Yours in Christ, Fr. Robert Warren, S.A. Spiritual Director