Epiphany of the Lord
Installation of Fr. Brian Nolan as Pastor
St. Ignatius, Ijamsville
January 7, 2024
A Word of Thanks
It is a pleasure to offer Holy Mass with you on this beautiful Feast of the Epiphany, and to install your pastor, Father Brian Nolan. You have found in Father Brian a good and gentle shepherd, a priest whose life is dedicated to Christ and to the Church, a priest who leads but also works with you in fulfilling the mission of this parish. Thank you, Father Brian, for your leadership and service here at St. Ignatius!
Epiphany and the Mission of the Parish
This beautiful Feast sheds light on the mission of your parish, a mission entrusted to Father Brian as Pastor, a mission he fulfills in collaboration with his staff and lay leadership, and with all of you who are part of this parish family. Let us focus on this mission by reflecting on what the Gospel tells us about the appearance of the Star, the arrival of the Magi from the East, and the gifts they offered to the Newborn Savior.
The Star and the Light of Faith
What are we to make of the mysterious star that appeared in the sky, the star that led the Magi to come in search of the Christ Child? On the night of Christ’s birth, the winter sky was bright with the glory of God, as if to celebrate the birth of the One who is “the light of the world”. Amid that display of heavenly glory was one particularly brilliant star that attracted the attention these Wise Astronomers, scientists of their time endowed with bright minds and good hearts, open to truth. This star signaled to them the birth of a king and they came in search of him.
What does this tell us about the mission of this and every parish? Elsewhere I have written that parishes are to be “a light brightly visible”, a light that shines with the attractiveness of truth and the beauty of faith, a light that shines amid the darkness of a world marred by violence and confusion, and draws those who are searching for something more and better to itself. This is not a light of our own making but the light of Christ shining through us. St. Paul tells us that we are “children of the light and children of the day; we are not of the night or of darkness” (1 Thess 5:5). When we are attentive to God’s Word like a lamp shining in a dark place (2 Pet 1:19), the light of Christ shines through us and through our faith . . . shines in our homes, in our places of work, among our acquaintances and friends. When we partake of the Risen Christ’s Body and Blood in Sunday Eucharist, the glory shining on the face of Christ begins to shine on ours. When we serve the poor and the vulnerable as if we were serving Christ himself, and when we act with compassion, integrity, and justice then, does our light shine brightly and convincingly. The closer God gets to us the more we beautiful and radiant we become! (Bp. Barron, WSJ)
The Wise Men and the Search for Truth and Love
The star attracted three learned and good-hearted scientists who were seeking the truth. Whom are we seeking to attract? On whom do we shine “the search light” of faith? Some would tell us that, in today’s world, the light of faith fades into nothingness amid the dazzling light of science and technology and the glare of political power, But let us not fall prey to a defeatist way of thinking, for the Magi teach us that faith and authentic reason are not competitive but complementary. What’s more, John’s Gospel reminds us that God’s light is brighter than our darkness, for “the light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it” (Jn 1:5).
That light, the light of Christ, corresponds to the deepest desire of every human heart for a love that is pure, infinite, self-giving, and redeeming. Without love, St. John Paul II wrote, our lives make no sense, and there are many people who seeking and searching for meaning and purpose. This includes non-practicing Catholics, Christmas and Easter Catholics, and the many people today who have no spiritual home, no heavenly moorings. It is rightly said that parishes need to move “from maintenance to mission”, meaning that, as a parish community, we must be dedicated to reaching out to those who are searching for God, and those who do not realize what or whom they are searching for. Let us be convinced that in our missionary efforts, the light of Christ precedes us, for the Word made flesh is the light that shines in every human heart, and our mission is to evangelize, to lead those who are searching to embrace in faith the One who is “God from God and light from light”, so as to become active members of Christ’s Body, which is the Church.
The Stable and the Sanctuary
As the Magi sped on their journey from the East, they arrived at a crude stable where they found the Infant Jesus on Mary’s lap, a juxtaposition of divine splendor and human poverty. The sinless Virgin Mary, Mother of the Savior, is like a tabernacle as she holds in her arms her Divine Child, the long-awaited Messiah. In this, Mary became the pattern for the Church at prayer, for, as you heard in the charge I gave to Father Brian at the beginning of Mass, the Church, indeed, this church is the dwelling place of Christ on earth. Not unlike the stable at Bethlehem, our sanctuaries juxtapose divine truth and beauty with human poverty and need. And this is a beautiful mystery, for God the Father of Mercies sent his Son to share in our humanity so that, in our poverty and need, we might share in his divinity. For this, we should endlessly give God thanks and praise!
The Gifts of the Magi and Our Gift
Finally, we read that the Magi presented Jesus with three precious gifts: gold, to acknowledge his kingship, frankincense to acknowledge his divinity, and myrrh to acknowledge his mortality, for one day he would die to save us. The symbolic gifts of the Magi should guide our response to the Christ who dwells in our sanctuaries, in our homes, and in our hearts. Let us confess Christ to be our King, the One whom we call Lord and Savior. Let us proclaim Christ’s divinity, for he is the beloved Son of God the Father. Let us give thanks to Christ who assumed our humanity so that in our flesh and by our flesh he would rescue us from sin and death. It is the gift of our faith, our hope, and our love that the Lord desires, and indeed the ability to give that gift is itself the result of God’s grace at work in us. And as we entrust ourselves and our very lives to Christ our God, his light shines in us and through us ever-more brightly!
Rejoicing in the Light
On this Feast of the Epiphany, let us rejoice as the light of Christ, shining in our midst, lights the way to a future full of hope for St. Ignatius Parish, for the Archdiocese of Baltimore, and for the Church throughout the world. Happy Feast Day! And may God bless us and keep us always in his love!