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Rev. Fr.
Leonard Goffine's
The Church's Year
FIRST SUNDAY
AFTER EPIPHANY
In the Introit of the Mass of
this day the Church exhorts us to a joyous adoration of Christ by
the following words:
INTROIT Upon a high throne I saw a man
sitting, whom a multitude of angels adore singing together: behold
Him the name of whose empire is to eternity (Is. 6). Sing joyfully
to God, all the earth: serve the Lord with gladness (Ps. 99:2).
Glory be to the Father.
COLLECT Attend, O Lord, we beseech
Thee, of Thy heavenly mercy, to the desires of Thy suppliant people;
and grant that they may both perceive what they ought to do, and may
have strength to fulfill the same. Through our Lord.
EPISTLE (Rom. 12:1-5).
Brethren, I beseech you by the mercy of God, that you present your
bodies a living sacrifice, holy, pleasing unto God, your reasonable
service. And be not conformed to this world, but be reformed in the
newness of your mind: that you may prove what is the good, and the
acceptable, and the perfect will of God. For I say, by the grace
that is given me, to all that are among you, not to be more wise
than it behooveth to be wise, but to be wise unto sobriety: and
according as God hath divided to every one the measure of faith. For
as in one body we have many members, but all the members have not
the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and
every one members one of another in Christ Jesus our
Lord.
EXPLANATION The apostle entreats, even
conjures us by all the mercies we have received to bring to God a
living sacrifice; namely, the mortification of our carnal desires,
and the practice of every virtue, a holy, pure and immaculate
sacrifice agreeable to God, intended for His glory alone; not a dead
sacrifice as the Jews offered by killing animals, nor an unholy one
as the Gentiles offered by polluting their bodies. This living,
holy, God-pleasing sacrifice should be the offering of our body; but
this does not exclude the sacrifice of our spirit, because all our
actions, the corporal as well as spiritual, should be directed to
God, the end for which we were created. The sacrifice of the spirit
is made when we overcome pride, anger, impatience, etc., and by
avoiding willful distractions during prayer and divine worship. Like
David we should have a contrite and humble heart to present to the
Lord; this is a most pleasing sacrifice in His eyes, one which He
will never despise. Thus we render a reasonable service, and are, as
St. Peter says (I Pet 2:9), a kingly priesthood, because we govern,
like kings, our evil inclinations, and offer with body and soul a
continual sacrifice to God. The apostle further exhorts us not to
become like the world, that is, not to follow the corrupt manners
and principles of the children of the world; not to desire those
things at which the world aims; not to love that which the world
loves; not to act as the world acts; but rather seek constantly to
change our evil disposition, by combating our corrupt and evil
inclinations and by practicing virtue instead. We must cease to be
the old worldly man, and become a new heavenly man; to be such, we
must carefully seek to
know in all things what is pleasing to God, and therefore perfect
and good. This is the necessary science to which St. Paul alludes,
when he says that we should not wish to know more than is proper.
All worldly arts and sciences will not help us to gain heaven, if we
do not endeavor to learn thoroughly that which faith teaches, and
what God demands. Even if we have made great progress in this holy
science we should not presume to think more of ourselves than what
we really are, nor violate charity by contempt of others less
instructed, for God gives to every one, in some measure, the gift of
faith. This gift of faith we should use in order to continually
glorify the body of Christ, His Church, Whose members we are, and
enable us to lead such a life that others, being edified, may be
brought into the true fold.
ASPIRATION Grant, O Jesus, that by
mortification, humility, and contrition, I may offer my body and my
soul as a living, holy, and pleasing sacrifice to Thee, and that I
may never defile them by impurities. 
GOSPEL (Lk. 2:42-52). And when Jesus
was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem according to the
custom of the feast, and having fulfilled the days, when they
returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem; and his parents
knew it not. And thinking that he was in the company, they came a
day's journey, and sought him among their kinsfolks and
acquaintance. And not finding him, they returned into Jerusalem,
seeking him. And it came to pass, that after three days they found
him in the temple sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them
and asking them questions. And all that heard him were astonished at
his wisdom and his answers. And seeing him, they wondered. And his
mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? behold, thy
father and I have sought thee sorrowing. And he said to them: How is
it that you sought me? did ye not know that I must be about my
Father's business? And they understood not the word that he spoke
unto them. And he went down with them, and came to Nazareth; and was
subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart.
And Jesus advanced in wisdom, and age, and grace with God and
men.
Why did our
Savior go with His parents to Jerusalem to the
temple?
Because God commanded (Deut.
16:16) that all the male Israelites should appear, three times a
year on certain festivals, and offer sacrifice to Him in the temple;
Jesus fulfilled this commandment to set us an example that we, according to the will
of the holy Catholic Church, should willingly and devoutly be
present at the services of the Church on Sundays and holydays of
obligation. Neither the distance from the church nor the
difficulties of the way should prevent our attendance, since Jesus
did not shun a three days' journey to the temple.
Why does the
gospel say according to the custom of the feast?
That we may understand, that
like Mary and Joseph, we should be punctual in observing the
ecclesiastical festivals and holy usages, and like true Catholics,
should observe them. Parents should require their children at an
early age to take part in prayer, attend church and school, and see
that they conduct themselves quietly and reverently while there.
Mary and Joseph took the holy Child Jesus with them to the
temple.
Why did the
child Jesus remain in Jerusalem?
Because of His love of prayer
and communion with His Heavenly Father, and to show, even then, some
rays of His divinity, by which to make known that He had come for
the glory of His Father, and to procure our salvation. The glory of
God and the salvation of our souls should be our chief object in
life.
Why did Mary
and Joseph search so diligently for Jesus?
Because they were fearful
lest they should lose Him Whom they loved so exceedingly. We should
learn from this, how careful we should be not to lose Jesus by sin,
or having lost Him, how anxiously we should seek by penance to find
Him. The parents of Jesus, by their diligent search and inquiries
for the divine Infant, teach and rebuke those parents who care less
for the Christian education of their children than for their
temporal advantages, who pay no attention to the persons with whom
their children associate, nor to the places which they frequent,
whether they learn things that are useful to them, and who for the
sake of some temporal advantage permit their children sinful
intimacy with evil-minded persons. From these parents God will one
day demand the souls of their children with severest
justice.
Why was our
Savior found in the temple in the midst of the doctors, hearing
them, and asking them questions?
To teach us that we ought to
seek the knowledge necessary for our salvation, and attend carefully
to the sermons and instructions on Christian doctrine; we should by
no means be ashamed to ask questions of our pastors when we are in
doubt, and should listen to their answers. Was Christ, the Eternal
Wisdom, ashamed to ask questions and to answer? Why should we
ignorant people hesitate? It is much to be regretted that persons
who have many important things concerning their spiritual welfare on
their minds, through pride and false shame, would rather go to
perdition than ask advice, solely for fear of showing their
ignorance.
Why did Mary
say: Son, why hast thou done so to us?
These words were forced from
her by pain at the absence of her Son, Whom she loved above all
things, and not by indignation, for He was blameless. Mary's conduct
should teach parents to remember their duty of caring for their
children, and punish them when they do wrong.
INSTRUCTION ON THE VIRTUE OF OBEDIENCE
He was subject to them
(Lk. 2:51).
From this all Christians
should learn to be obedient to the commandments of God and of the
Church. God has united life or death, blessing or malediction with
obedience or disobedience to His commandments, and the Bible (I
Kings 15:22) shows that obedience pleases God more than sacrifices
or the fat of rams, and that He despises disobedience as He does
witchcraft and idolatry. We must be obedient to the Church, because
Christ Himself with His holy Spirit lives in her, and governs her,
and has said: Who hears not the Church, let him be to thee a heathen
and a publican, therefore, shut out from eternal life. We must be
obedient to our parents, because they are placed over us by God, and
we are indebted to them, under Him, for life and many benefits.
Those children who do not assist their parents when they are old,
poor, and helpless, or are ashamed of them, have reason to be
afraid, since even Christ Jesus, the God-Man, was obedient and
subject in all things to His poor mother, and to a humble mechanic
who was only His foster-father. Cursed be he that honoreth not his
father and mother (Deut. 27:16); how much more cursed those who
despise, deride and abandon their parents? Their eyes will one day
be picked out by ravens (Prov. 30:17). If God commanded obstinate
and disobedient children to be stoned (Dent. 21:20), what do those
not deserve who even strike or abuse their parents?
How did
Jesus advance in age, wisdom and grace?
He showed new effects of the
wisdom and grace with which He was filled, as He advanced in years,
and thus teaches us to progress the more in virtue, and fulfill the
duties of our state in life that we may attain perfection
hereafter.
ASPIRATION Most amiable Jesus! Who in the twelfth
year of Thy age, didst permit Thyself to be found in the temple by
Thy parents, and, as an example for us, wast humbly obedient to
them, grant that we may diligently attend to the important affair of
our salvation, willingly carry the yoke of Thy law from our youth,
and be always obedient to the laws of Thy Church, to our parents,
and superiors. Prevent uneducated youth from growing reckless, and
preserve them from a scandalous life. Give parents wisdom and grace
to educate their children according to Thy will in all virtue. Grant
to us all, that we may never lose Thee by sin, or if we have lost
Thee, anxiously to seek Thee, happily find Thee, and with Thy grace
more and more increase in wisdom and in virtue. Amen.
TRUE PIETY
They found Him in the
temple (Lk. 2:46).
Many people deceive
themselves in regard to true piety, because their imagination
represents it to them according to the effect produced by their
passions or disposition of mind. He who fasts often and willingly
believes that he is pious, though in his heart he nourishes a secret
hatred, and while he fears to wet the tip of his tongue with wine,
even with water, lest he should not live temperately enough, finds
pleasure in detraction and slander, that unquenchable thirst for the
blood of his neighbor. Another, because he is accustomed daily to
recite a long string of prayers, esteems himself pious, though he
gives vent afterwards to haughty, bitter, offensive language,
hurting people at home and abroad. Another keeps his purse open for
the poor, but keeps his heart ever closed to the love of his enemy,
whom he will not forgive; another forgives his enemy with all his
heart, but will not pay his creditors, until forced by law. All
these think themselves pious, and are perhaps so regarded by the
world, but in truth they are far from being pious. In what then does
true piety consist? In the perfect love of God. This love is called
the beautiful love, because it is the ornament of the soul, and
attracts to itself with complacency the eyes of the Divine Majesty.
When it strengthens us to do good, it is called the strong love;
when it causes us to do that good quickly, carefully, and
repeatedly, it is called piety. The ostrich has wings, it is true,
but never uses them to fly; the chickens fly heavily and not high;
but the eagles, the doves, and the swallows, fly high and swiftly,
and do not easily tire. The sinners are but earthly people, they
creep upon the ground; the just, who are still imperfect, rise, it
is true, towards heaven but seldom, and then but slowly and heavily.
But there are some, true, pious souls, who like the doves and the
eagles soar high on strong, swift wings to God. In a word, piety is
nothing else than a certain active, swift energy of the spirit, with
which the strong love in us, or we with it, performs, as far as it
is possible to us, all good. As the strong love urges us to keep
God's commandments, the perfect love, that is, piety, urges us to
keep them carefully and with all possible zeal.
No one is just or pious who
does not keep all God's commandments without exception; for, to be
just we must possess the strong love, and to be pious we must
possess besides, a certain eagerness to profit by all the occasions
of doing good, that present themselves. Thus St. Francis de Sales
writes in his Philothea, from which it is seen that true
piety consists not in special devotions, or the practice of special
good works, but in the zealous, earnest, continuous obedience
to the commandments and performance of duty for the love of God.
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