Happy Feast of the Epiphany!

TWELFTH NIGHT

By: Oscar Méndez Cervantes

In the place of honor in the house, the Nativity scene for the Christ Child was a reflection of Glory, in the miraculous simplicity of its brief and meticulously crafted setting.

A gentle bank, on whose slope the Grotto and the Manger seemed—for the soul—a tiny resonating chamber, still trembling from the Christmas carol. Mary and Joseph, in loving adoration. The angelic concert, in impalpable fluttering, among the branches of resinous fragrances. Shepherds and flocks, populating slopes and hollows. Swans, on mirror-like lakes. Traditional huts, rising above the topographical grace of a small precipice.  Beside them, scratching through the carpet of hay and moss, roosters almost as large as the indigenous Xochimilca couple, with their tray of floral offerings and their basket overflowing with fruits that were anything but Palestinian, yet undeniably Mexican. Further on, above the roofs of a shingle-roofed hamlet, the bullfighters' entourage, circling the bull poised to charge, added a touch of festive traditionalism. In a secluded hollow—a reflection of the Sinai of the ascetics—the indispensable hermit pondered the grandeur of the Mystery and the fulfilled prophecies. A noble, shaggy dog ​​stood guard around the hermitic cave, keeping the prowling Evil One at bay: its body and wings stained—in the face of its failed attempts—a ridiculous, bilious green.

And above all, even higher than the spheres of multicolored lights, with a snowy fleece of frost clinging to its celestial tail, the radiant Star pointed to the place of adoration for the imminent and generous arrival of the Three Wise Men.

It was impossible for them to lose their way. Throughout the night of Epiphany, the star rested there, illuminating the sweet and traditional precision of that privileged corner of the home. Therefore, at the foot of the last slopes of the Nativity hill, the children sought refuge, their shoes resting, in anticipation of the—unfailing—gifts from Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar.

And what joyful anticipation filled us when, having delivered the classic begging letter—requesting an exorbitant list of gifts, enough to drain the coffers of all the Eastern kings—we retreated to the seclusion of our childhood beds, and, with the lights out, kept our senses alert and broke our whispers into silence at the slightest nocturnal noise. (“Could it be them?... No, it’s still too early!”) And a little later, we thought we could already discern the stealthy passage of the caravan: camel hooves striking the courtyard tiles, the clinking of silver-plated palfreys, the rustling of silks and purples, legendary, prestigious aromas of desert and oasis…

Finally, weariness overcame our vigilant alertness and closed our eyelids.  Then, sleep filled the room with the most wondrous visions, worthy of that land of plenty so vividly described in fairy tales: rivers of molasses cascading onto the floor; palaces of crystallized sugar where a magical light shattered into enticing iridescence; mechanical toys running noisily before the delight of entire regiments of lead soldiers; the elegant slowness of a sawdust and plush cat; and, on the corner shelf, the celestial notes of a music box serenading dolls with astonished blue eyes… And then, the wooden rifle, and the shadow puppet, and the picture book, and countless other marvels, all glittering, stirred by an indefinable pulse of life…

But the beauty of all those sweet phantasmagoria paled in comparison to the morning confirmation of the Magi's visit.  Ah, our boisterousness, our joy bursting forth in shouts, leaps, and races, with which, at the crack of dawn, we pierced the ears of the grown-ups! Beside the tally of obligatory new gifts lay the miraculous reality of the toy and the sweet treat, and this or that note, handwritten by Gaspar or Melchior, leaving greetings and hugs and promises for the best-behaved children in the coming year. From then on, the day unfolded in an enchanting succession of games and conversations among the children, who never tired of caressing the toy and consuming—in wise pauses—candies and doughnuts…

Blessed is our Tradition, which, in each of its nuances and expressions, from childhood to old age, adorns our lives with the gentle gift of its luminous enchantment!

WHERE HAVE THEY LED IT?

Pope Pius XII: "I am concerned about the messages of the Blessed Virgin to Lucia of Fatima. This persistence of Mary regarding the dangers that threaten the Church is a divine warning against the suicide of altering the Faith in its Liturgy, in its Theology, in its very soul... I have heard around me innovators who want to dismantle the Sacred Chapel, destroy the universal flame of the Church, reject its vestments, and make it feel remorse for its historical past.

"A day will come when the civilized world will deny its God, when the Church will doubt as Peter doubted. She will be tempted to believe that man has become God. In our churches, Christians will search in vain for the red lamp where God awaited them."  As Mary Magdalene wept at the empty tomb, they will ask, “Where have they taken him?”” 

(Pope Pius XII, quoted in Mons. Roche, Pius XII Devant l’Histoire, pp. 52-53).

THANKSGIVING FOR ANOTHER YEAR

Our Father who art in heaven, Lord of Truth, of time, and of eternity: Yours is today and tomorrow, the past and the future. As the year 2025 comes to a close, on behalf of myself and my family, we want to thank you for all that we have received from you.

Thank you for the family you gave us, for life and love, air and sun, for joy and sorrow, for all that was possible and for what could not be.

Thank you for welcoming us into your true Church. We offer you all that we have done this past year: the work we were able to accomplish, the things that passed through our hands, and the positive things we were able to build with them.

Also, Lord, today we want to ask for your forgiveness.

Forgiveness for our sins, for the harm we have caused, for the time wasted, for the money squandered, for our omissions, for our useless words, and for the love wasted.

Forgive us for empty deeds and for work poorly done. And forgive us for living without enthusiasm. Forgive us also for the prayer that, little by little, we postponed and that we only now offer to thank you for all that you have given us.

For all our forgetfulness, negligence, and silences. Again, we ask your forgiveness, Lord.

We begin a new year and pause our lives before the new, unused calendar. We present to you these future 365 days, which only you know who will live to the end. If we do not finish them... help us to die in you, in sanctifying grace, after having gone—sincerely contrite—to the tribunal of Confession.

Today we ask for each of us: peace and joy, strength and prudence, charity and wisdom, the commitment to be faithful to you and always live in your grace, for only in grace is the path safe.  Only a fool fails to understand this, so we ask you to remove any blindfold that prevents us from seeing our folly.

Lord, help us to be zealous for your glory and that of your Church, and to live only for you, in you, and through you.

We want to live each day with optimism and kindness, carrying everywhere a heart full of understanding and peace that always seeks the Truth of your Word. May nothing separate us from it, for your faith is our greatest treasure.

Close our ears to all slander, to false doctrines against your Word. And our lips to lying, selfish, biting, or hurtful words. Open, instead, our being to all that is good.

May our spirit be filled only with blessings, and may we pour them out wherever we go. Fill us with goodness and joy, so that all who live with us, or those who come near us, may find in our lives a little of you.

Thank you, Lord, for everything, and forgive our debts to you. Guide us all along the narrow path that will one day allow us to enter through the narrow gate and be in your eternal embrace to bless you forever and ever. If for this it is necessary that you use your right hand to shake us, we accept beforehand any sorrow and pain, however difficult they may be.

Grant us a happy 2026 and teach us to love you by always living in your grace and following you with complete fidelity. Thank you, Lord, for all the blessings of the past year, as well as for those you will bestow in the coming year.

Most Holy Virgin Mary, I entrust my entire family to your Immaculate Heart.

Amen.

REFLECTION:

Perhaps you spent part of this year in mortal sin. If you had died during that time, where would you be now? God has given you time to do penance; make better use of it in the future—perhaps you have only this year of life!  Prepare yourself, then, to die; make a good confession, and if you wish to live holy lives throughout the coming year, reflect daily on death and eternity. God has hidden your last day from you so that you may prepare for it every day of your life.

DISCERNMENT IS ESSENTIAL

Today, many psychologists confuse spiritual problems with psychological ones, and this confusion ultimately harms the individual. Not every inner conflict stems from an emotional wound, childhood trauma, or a chemical imbalance. Some struggles are rooted in conscience, moral life, the relationship with God, and the ultimate meaning of life. When everything is psychologized, what is actually spiritual disorder, objective guilt, temptation, or a lack of inner life ends up being treated as pathology.

Modern psychology, having lost its holistic anthropology, tends to interpret all anguish as a symptom, all inner demands as repression, and all moral struggles as neurotic conflict. Thus, a person living in contradiction with their conscience is soothed instead of being helped to order their life. The discomfort is anesthetized without discerning its cause. But some suffering persists because it doesn't originate from a wound, but from an inner rupture between what is experienced and what is known to be right. This cannot be healed simply by talking;  Healing comes through conversion, ordering, and taking responsibility.

Saint Anthony the Abbot said that it is important to soberly distinguish between human frailty and spiritual combat. He taught that the devil acts primarily in our thoughts, taking advantage of laziness, pride, and lack of vigilance. If the problem is spiritual, the remedy is not exclusively psychological: it is prayer, the sacraments, inner discipline, and living truth. Treating this as a “disorder” disorients the soul.

This does not mean disregarding psychology or denying real disorders. There is clinical anxiety, pathological depression, and deep wounds that require serious professional intervention. The error lies in not knowing how to discern. When a psychologist does not believe in the spiritual dimension of humankind, they interpret everything from an emotional or behavioral perspective. And thus, the person becomes trapped in endless therapies for a problem that is not clinical, but existential and spiritual.

Knowing how to differentiate is an act of professional and human responsibility. Good accompaniment distinguishes between what is addressed with therapy and what is confronted with conversion, spiritual life, and moral order.  Not everything can be cured with techniques, just as not everything can be resolved through prayer alone. But when a spiritual struggle is confused with a psychological problem, the person is deprived of the remedy they truly need. True help integrates, it doesn't diminish; it illuminates the full reality of the person and doesn't mutilate an essential part of their inner life.

The Catholic Psychologist

Retracing History (Beautiful video)

 

Merry Christmas to our readers and friends

 On this holy night, allow the Christ Child to be born in your heart and in your home, and never let Him go. 

 Let the world continue its course, while you and your family step away from its whirlwind to silently and reverently adore the Child born in the humblest manger. Afterward, with fervor, sing to Him and lull Him to sleep with Christmas carols, and pray, thanking Him for all the blessings He brings. This is not just another family dinner: it is a family gathering to celebrate the birth of the Christ Child. 

 Saint Alphonsus Liguori teaches us: "Only in this Child did the eternal Father find his delight, because, as Saint Gregory says, only in him did he find no sin. Let us, therefore, miserable sinners, take comfort, for this divine Infant has come from heaven to communicate his innocence to us through his Passion. His merits, if we only knew how to value them, can transform us from sinners into saints and innocents; let us place our trust in them, let us always ask the eternal Father for grace through them, and we will obtain everything."