The Humble Place God Chose to Reveal Himself
On this Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, I invite our eyes to be drawn to the quiet, tender scene of Bethlehem once more: Mary, Joseph, and the Child Jesus gathered together in the humble shelter of a manger. It is an image of peace and beauty, but it is also one of stark realism. The manger was not tidy or ideal. It was crowded, rough, and imperfect. And yet, it was precisely there that God chose to dwell.
That truth speaks powerfully to our own family lives.
Our homes, like the manger, are rarely picture-perfect. They contain joy and laughter, but also tension and fatigue. There are misunderstandings, unfinished conversations, messy rooms, busy schedules, old wounds, and daily struggles. And sometimes we may feel that because of these imperfections, our families fall short of what God desires.
But the Feast of the Epiphany gently corrects that fear.
God did not wait for ideal conditions to enter the world, to manifest His desire to be the Light of the Nations. He did not choose a palace or a pristine home. He chose a manger, filled with straw, animals, noise, and uncertainty. In doing so, He revealed something essential about His love: He enters reality as it is, not as we wish it to be.
The Holy Family itself knew hardship. They faced poverty, displacement, danger, and uncertainty about the future. Yet within those ordinary and sometimes difficult circumstances, God was at work, sanctifying family life from the inside.
So too with our families. Christ does not stand at a distance waiting for things to improve. He desires to be born again and again within the concrete reality of our homes: in patient forgiveness, in quiet sacrifices, in shared meals, in prayers said imperfectly but sincerely.
The manger teaches us this: holiness is not found in the absence of mess, but in the presence of love. When we make room for Christ (however small or humble that space may feel) He comes. And where He comes, grace is already at work.
May the Lord at His Epiphany be a light for our families, that we may experience Him still choosing to dwell with us, even in the often-messy realities of our families.
Praised be Jesus Christ, now and forever!
Holy Family of Jesus, Joseph, and Mary, pray for us!
All you holy saints of God, pray for us!
Merry Christmas!
Fr. Michael Silloway
Pastor