Scriptual Commentary

Epiphany – Making Justice Our Aim

| Fr. William Smith

The Magi Journeying (Les rois mages en voyage), James Tissot, 1886-1894 (Brooklyn Museum)
(About this Image)

Fr. Smith’s Commentary on the First Reading
Feast of the Epiphany
Isaiah 60:1–6
January 3, 2021

The first reading for the feast of the Epiphany is standard and doesn’t change every year. You may find previous commentaries for 2019 (Jan. 6, 2019) and 2020 (Jan. 5, 2020). As Isaiah speaks today of light and salvation, it is a perfect selection for Epiphany. It also, as we have seen over the years, contains many images and thoughts which give it a certain complexity. Reviewing it every year reveals what I have learned about the First Testament over the previous year and how it can be applied to our immediate situation.

There are some elements which however are central and constant. Three people used or were given the name Isaiah. A more complete background of the three Isaiahs may be found in the commentary for December 13, 2020. Let us however review the highlights. First Isaiah lived in Jerusalem and was an active prophet between roughly 700 and 695 BC., second Isaiah lived in Babylon after the people had been brought into captivity around 540 BC and third Isaiah had returned to Jerusalem and wrote around 515 BC.

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Events, Videos

Community Mass – Epiphany

| St. Charles Borromeo

Please join us to celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord on Sunday, January 3:

  • 9 AM EST – Morning Mass – In Person at the Church, not live streamed.
  • 11:15 AM EST Community Mass In Person at the Church and also streamed online and available for playback.

    Instructions to view the Mass are available here. You can also watch the video via YouTube Live in the window above.

Today’s readings and hymns are available to download here:

2021-01-03Download

Events, Videos

Community Mass – Mary, Mother of God

| St. Charles Borromeo

Please join us to celebrate the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God on Friday, January 1:

  • 9 AM EST – Morning Mass – In Person at the Church, not live streamed.
  • 11:15 AM EST Community Mass In Person at the Church and also streamed online and available for playback.

    Instructions to view the Mass are available here. You can also watch the video via YouTube Live in the window above.

Today’s readings and hymns are available to download here:

2021-01-01Download

Events

Octave of Christmas Schedule

| St. Charles Borromeo

Wednesday 12/30
Weekday Mass at 12:10 pm at the Church

Thursday 12/31
Catholic Charities Food Pantry at the Church
9 am – noon or until all food has been distributed

Friday 1/1: Mary, Mother of God
Mass at 9 am and 11:15 am (also live streamed)

Sunday 1/3: Epiphany
Mass at 9 am and 11:15 am (also live streamed)
Make-up Bible Study at 5 pm on Zoom

Homilies, Videos

Holy Family – Homily (Msgr. LoPinto)

| St. Charles Borromeo

In this time of Christmas, the Holy Spirit guides the Church in the celebration of the Feast of the Holy Family.  It is a special remembrance, for it reminds us that Jesus was born into the most basic of communities: the community of the family. And it was there that he learned much of what became the source of the convictions of his life.

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Events, Videos

Community Mass – Holy Family

| St. Charles Borromeo

Please join us to celebrate the Holy Family on Sunday, December 27:

  • 9 AM EST – Morning Mass – In Person at the Church, not live streamed.
  • 11:15 AM EST Community Christmas Mass In Person at the Church and also streamed online and available for playback.

    Instructions to view the Mass are available here. You can also watch the video via YouTube Live in the window above.

Today’s readings and hymns are available to download here:

December-27Download

Homilies, Videos

Christmas – Homily (Fr. Smith)

| St. Charles Borromeo

Transcript:

I would first like to extend my prayers that you will have a happy and a blessed Christmas. I speak not only for myself, but for Monsignor LoPinto and Father Gribowich. This is a still a blessed and wonderful time of year, however difficult it may be this particular year. I remember my parents telling me about what Christmas was like during the Second World War. My father was off in Europe fighting, and my mom was at home, and I now understand if the Christmas song “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” was sung, my parents would kind of hold hands and almost tear up. So for those of you us who are not being able to see our families this season, let us remember that the Church is a family because of what we celebrate here today. Jesus has truly made us brothers and sisters, and it is also good to see so many and hear so many familiar things at Christmastime. We have the hymns so beautifully sung and played by our our music ministry. We have the altar wonderfully decorated. We see the creche and all the symbols within and it does give us a sense that this too shall pass. There’s something more permanent.

But and among the people, or the groups that we see at this time, are the shepherds. Shepherds are a very important part of the stories of Jesus’ birth. They receive a special invitation by angels to meet Jesus, yet but they disappear from history immediately afterwards. They do not appear in the Gospels again. Luke does not have even one of them encounter Jesus or the Apostles at any time or place even in the Acts of the Apostles. There are no – as far as I can tell – legends about them. Despite their powerful introduction to Jesus, why did they simply vanish? Luke’s answer is simple: they did not ponder. 

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