Epiphany and Baptism of the Lord and. . . Cousin

Sisters and brothers in Christ, it has been an eventful Sunday of the Epiphany of the Lord. I served at the 10:00 and 12:00 Mass and then enjoyed a wonderful production of the Boar's Head Pageant - An Epiphany Celebration. My wife, Theresa, and I were involved with the pageant as lord and lady for many years but we decided to hang up our dancing shoes a few years ago because of Diaconal Formation and my ministry commitment as a deacon. The pageant itself underwent a rewrite of the script after being absent in 2021 because of the pandemic, followed by a video tribute in 2022.

The angels and sprites were adorable. The musicians, dancers, and jesters were great. The royal court and shepherds were fantastic. Along with the change to the script came the addition of a new character in the royal court, the unnamed, Cousin, of the king and queen. Cousin (enthusiastically and perfectly played by the one and only, Nick S.), in a way, is like the three wise men / kings / magi in search of the Christ Child. As first, Cousin was all about the party and gifts, as is the case with most everyone during the holiday season leading up to the Christmas season. However, by the end, he desires in his heart to follow the light of Christ. Cousin's journey, the wise men's journey, is our journey of faith but, more than that, it is God calling us to himself. Like the magi following the star, God puts people in our lives to lead us back to Him.

I say "lead us back to Him" because through our Baptism, we are His beloved sons and daughters. We celebrate the Baptism of the Lord to remind us that, while Jesus did not need to be baptized, he allowed himself to be baptized by John the Baptist to purify and sanctify the water of Baptism and left us an example to follow. And when he emerged from the water of the Jordan, the Trinity - Father, Son, and Holy Spirit - is revealed and, through our Lord Jesus Christ, we are reborn in the water of Baptism as beloved sons and daughters of our Lord and our God. However, in small ways, through the words and deeds of our parents, others around, and, especially, ourselves, we slowly drift away from God. Yet, God loves us and always calls us back to Him, desiring to reveal His Sacred Heart to us that was pierced for us.

Let us be like the magi who risked everything and even left behind loved ones to follow the star to Christ. Let us be the light to lead others to Christ, imitating its "humble service: to be servants, as best we can, of the grace that invites all men to find Christ" (Saint Leo the Great, pope). Let us be like Cousin in our willingness to open our hearts to our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and allow the trajectory of our lives to change because of our encounter with our Lord and our God. Most of all, let us always call to mind our Baptism into a new life in Christ.