January 7-8

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

The celebration of the Epiphany of Our Lord is the zenith of the Christmas season. Whereas, the Nativity of Jesus was a revelation to the Jewish shepherds who longed for the promises of God to be fulfilled, now the Gentiles, as represented by the Magi, have their longings fulfilled as well. The Savior has come for all people at all times. (There is a word for that, CATHOLIC). It is absolutely necessary to remember that Christmas/Epiphany is NOT a one day or one week celebration. It happens every day throughout the globe whenever and wherever the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is offered. Christ-Mass assures us that the Lord is here. When we assimilate this dogma, this Truth into our daily lives, we are sustained by the Incarnate love of God, and it makes our life-journeys all the more bearable.
On the natural level, when we abstain from food for long periods of time we feel sluggish, without energy, not to mention hungry. When we absent ourselves from our Eucharistic Lord our soul falls into the same lethargy. We need Christ the Bread of Life to nourish, enlighten, and comfort us in order to face the trials of daily life. In the coming months and years, Catholics are being called to a renewed and revived appreciation of the Holy Eucharist. That which is so precious we sometimes take for granted or simply ignore because IT is so very common. A certain malaise has set in the hearts of fellow Catholics who have forgotten what Our Lord has done for us and has given us Himself as the Bread of Life.

This coming week I will be going to spend time with family and friends. We are very blessed to have Fr. Raphael Amoaka Tawiah from the Diocese of Sunyani (same as Fr. Dominic) to serve you in my absence. Some of you have already had the pleasure of meeting Fr. Raphael, and I know that you will continue to offer him a warm and kind welcome.

With Blessings,
Father Langan