The Real Reason to Remember January 6

You’ve probably heard the date of January 6 talked about ad nauseum for a while now… it’s all over the news.  According to the talking heads in the media, the only thing worth remembering today is the protest that turned violent on this day one year ago, when concerned Americans marched on our Nation’s capital, protesting election fraud.  Unfortunately—as did all the countless protests of 2020 and 2021—it turned from protest into a riot and people ended up dying. Very sad!  Of course, every pundit on the news has to give their political opinion about it. Sigh!

Today also marks the one year anniversary of my starting this blog–when I wrote an article about those same protests. Here’s a link: https://pastoraaronkalbas.com/2021/01/08/violence-in-the-capitol/

But all this distracts from what truly makes this day a day to remember:  Today is the Epiphany of our Lord!

This is the twelfth and last day of Christmas and the day the Church remembers the coming of the wise men to worship Jesus.  Epiphany is a word that means to “shine through” and quite literally reminds us of the star that revealed to the wise men the whereabouts of Christ.   It’s also a day for us to reflect on what Christ meant when He proclaimed, “I am the light of the world” and then told His followers, “Let your light shine before others so that they may see your good deeds and give glory to your Father in heaven.”  Like the star that led the wise men to Jesus, we get to reveal who Jesus Christ is to all the world.  

Epiphany, then, truly makes a wonderful start to a brand-new year.  With the busyness of Christmas behind us, we can look ahead and ask ourselves in stereotypical new-year’s-resolution-like-fashion how is the light of Christ shining through me?  How did my last conversation show Christ’s light and love?  How did my last visit with family show Christ’s light and love?  What about the way I disciplined my child today?  What about how I interacted with my co-workers?  What about in the way I spoke to my spouse?  What about with those who disappointed me? In all these ways and more, how did Christ’s light shine through me? What changes do I need to make? 

That’s a lot to think on. We’ve got a whole year ahead of us to do it.

Blessed Epiphany to all of you!