Word for the Weekend: January 10

Tapestry by John Nava

The Christmas season on the church calendar is not yet complete: it will end with the coming weekend's celebration of the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. (We return to Ordinary Time on Monday, January 11.)  

You can find the readings for this weekend and background material on them here.  (Note: there are options for the first two readings, you'll need to ask locally what options your parish will be using.)  If you're shepherding children to Mass you can look here for hints on helping young ones prepare to hear the Word.
 
We are coming to the close of a season of Theophanies: manifestations, appearances of God among us.
 
The word Theophany comes to us from the Greek (Θεοφάνεια - Τheophaneia) which means "appearance of God."  Epiphany originally celebrated four different events, in the following order of importance: the Baptism of the Lord; Christ's first miracle, the changing of water into wine at the Wedding in Cana; the Nativity of Christ; and the Visitation of the Magi. Over centuries, these theophany feasts separated out into individual celebrations.

This weekend the gospel (Luke) tells the story of Jesus coming to John to be baptized and the voice of God declaring Christ as the Beloved Son. 
 
It's a new year!  Resolve, beginning now, to spend some time each week previewing the scriptures for the coming weekend - it's the best way to prepare for Sunday worship!   Start right here!


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