Epiphany
We celebrate in this period the solemnity of the Epiphany! For many people today science has become the authoritative voice, the infallible authority, instead of the words of Jesus explained by the authority that Jesus left us here on earth, His Church with the Pope as its head. A person, who I know well, continued to frequent the sacraments regularly and to pray the Rosary, as he had learned from his family of birth, up until his second year of college. At a certain point he began to have sexual relations with girls out of wedlock without repenting or going to confession. He also began to focus on the defects of his father which helped him to justify throwing out all together the Catholic faith that he received from his parents. After more that 30 years outside of the Church and away from the sacraments, he even make the statement that all religions are the same. One of his poor sons, who was deprived of the inestimable gift of the Catholic faith, declared that he was a “deist”. A few months ago when I telephoned my friend, he expressed to me his preoccupation about the year 2012. At that point I described to him what science had discovered with the help of the computer regarding what the wise men saw 2000 years ago which motivated them to make a trip of about
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God created the universe, which moves like a huge precise clock. The universe was above all created for the King of the Universe, Jesus Christ, and secondarily for human beings. The last time the planets were in the galactic alignment predicted by the ancient Mayans, for the date December 21, 2012, was 26,000 years ago.
THE STAR OF BETHLEHEM has fascinated many for centuries. For millennia, believers, scoffers and the curious have wondered at the Biblical account of the Star. The Bible recounts unusual, or even impossible astronomical events at Christ's birth. For many doubters, the account of the Star is easily dismissed as myth. For many believers, it is a mystery accepted on faith. But what happens if we combine current historical scholarship, astronomical fact and an open mind?
Using Johannes Kepler's discovery of how the solar system works, improvements in our knowledge of first century history and the spread of computers, one discovers that in September, about 16 month before the birth of Christ, the wise men from the East saw something in the sky that they had NEVER SEEN BEFORE. The “King Planet”, Jupiter, made a triple pass around the “King Star”, Regulus, like a coronation. Then after Jupiter finished its rendezvous with Regulus in June of the following year, it moved beside Venus giving the impression of the most brilliant star the wise men had ever seen with the naked eye. That particular evening, our Babylonian wise men, who were good astronomers as well as well informed of Jewish prophecy, would have seen the spectacle of their career while facing toward
How many very intelligent astronomers and scientists there are today who do not believe in God? You can lead a horse to water, but you cannot make it drink! Let us give praise to God for His marvels in His creation! FOR MANY PEOPLE TODAY, SCIENCE IS INFALLIBLE, BUT NOT CHRIST OR THE POPE.
WE MUST DISTINGUISH HERE BETWEEN OBSERVING THE SIGNS OF GOD IN HIS CREATION AND ASTROLOGY.
ASTROLOGY holds that stars exert forces on men. Astrology assumes that stars are causes of earthly events. Astrology is a: "...form of divination based on the theory that the movement of the celestial bodies - the stars, the planets, the sun and the moon - influence human affairs and determine the course of events."(The New
The Catechism of the Catholic Church states, "All forms of divination are to be rejected: recourse to Satan or demons, conjuring up the dead or other practices falsely supposed to ‘unveil’ the future. Consulting horoscopes, astrology, palm reading, interpretation of omens and lots, the phenomena of clairvoyance, and recourse to mediums all conceal a desire for power over time, history, and, in the last analysis, other human beings, as well as a wish to conciliate hidden powers. They contradict the honor, respect, and loving fear that we owe to God alone" (CCC 2116). See also: Job 31:26-28; Deut 17:2-5; 2Kings 23:4.
Still, the Bible does make a surprising number of references to signs in the heavens. See: Job 9:9; 38:31; Is 40:26; Ps 19:1-4; Rm 10:17-18; Lk 21:25; Deut 4:19.
BOTH OLD AND NEW TESTAMENTS ASSUME THAT WHAT HAPPENS UP THERE MATTERS. If we are interested in following the counsel of the Bible, we must hold a distinction in mind. The Bible assumes that there can be messages about earthly events. It may be useful to think of this as a thermometer distinction. A thermometer can TELL you if it is hot or cold, but it cannot MAKE you hot or cold. There is a big difference between a sign and an active agent. This is the difference between "astrology" and what the Bible holds forth.
Let us thank God for the great gift of our faith! May you experience a faith filled celebration of the Feast of the Epiphany!
Father Joseph Dwight
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