Our photo today is from Pixabay to mark the feast day of the Epiphany
The story of the three wise men is fascinating. As we begin 2024 the story of the Wise Men is still relevant and important. Their story touches our story too. The Epiphany is celebrated all over the world and yet their feast day (January 6th) comes at a time when most people are taking down their Christmas decorations!
On This Day
On January 6th 1979 The Village People’s “Y.M.C.A” becomes their only UK single and at its peak it sold over 150,000 copies a day.
On January 6th 2021 Supporters of US President Donald Trump storm the Capitol in Washington during congressional certification of Joe Biden and Kamala Harris’s win, resulting in five deaths and prompting evacuation of lawmakers and Vice President Mike Pence
Birthdays Today
Rowan Atkinson (Better known as Mr. Bean) is 69
Miriam O’Callaghan (RTE Presenter) is 64
Nigella Lawson (Journalist and Celebrity Chef) is 64
Al Porter (Comedian) is 31
Saint For Today
The Magi from the East
Significance Of Today
Today January 6th The Epiphany is celebrated in many parts of the world. I always have a soft spot for the three wise men! Yes we know some bits about the story and there is also so much more we don’t know too. This adds to the mystery of the Magi and the reason why of their visit. I admire their sense of adventure, determination, courage, bravery and their willingness to take a risk. I am fully convinced their story has a message for all of us too especially as we begin 2024.
Interesting Quote For Today
“The Wise Men remind us to never give up. Their journey was long, difficult, and uncertain but they kept going, even when all was not clear to them.” ~2u.ie
Did You Know
Did you know that the names given to the wise men are Balthasar, Melchior and Casper
Video for the week:
To mark the Epiphany I have uploaded the following video. A new video is posted here each Wednesday
Thought For The Week
Today we celebrate the Epiphany and the story of the wise men visiting Jesus and it is always celebrated on January 6th. It is a beautiful feast day and is celebrated in many parts of the world. Here in Cork, we also of course celebrate Women’s Little Christmas or Nollaig na mBan.
The story of the Epiphany is probably one of the best known scripture stories and in how they followed a very bright star. It is certain that they were the first astrologers and a leading group in exploring the wonders of our amazing universe that we now know is 13.6 billion years old.
The journey of the wise men was slow reminding us how important it is to take our time with many things in life. Sometimes in life we need to slow down and less is often more. As they followed the star, they has a sense that our universe is so much bigger than our tiny world. For the wise men they knew there was something more to this life. It was not random and for them the real meaning of life was to be found with Jesus.
One part of the story that I like is how they were warned in a dream to go home a different way as King Herod wanted them arrested. They followed their inner voice or their sixth sense and went home a different way. There is a beautiful message for us too, that sometimes its ok to try something different. Sometimes what’s old and stale is no longer life giving. And it’s good to step aside, start anew, and try a different approach.
And finally, may the story of the epiphany, encourage you to try something different and especially as we start a new year. May you also have the courage to give it a go. As we begin to settle into the new year, I pray every blessing on you going forward.
The Thought For The Week is updated each Monday
