Reflection by Fr. Chris

We continue the Christmas season celebration, and if you’re like me, you’ve gotten some rest and caught up on some streaming that you missed during December. The day after Christmas I noticed that Nate Bargatze had a new comedy special on Netflix, and I immediately watched it. At one point the comedian references the fact that he does his own laundry, while his mother always did his father’s throughout their marriage. Thinking that this was a major accomplishment, Bargatze held onto this point of pride until he found himself in an argument with his wife that he was losing. He quickly discovered that doing his own laundry was not the accomplishment he believed it to be because “I thought it would win the argument, when all it did was start another argument.” Comedy is hard to translate to the page, trust me it was funny. 
 
This brings me to the point of the Epiphany. As we hear of the gifts that the Magi bring Christ, we reflect on the gifts that we have been given by God. Nate Bargatze’s reference to doing his own laundry was funny because it is not an accomplishment but a reality of being an adult. One of the realities that we face as we grow in the Church is the need to use to the gifts that God has given us to build up the Church. These gifts can take many different forms and are used in a variety of ways. God is not asking us to brining Him gold, frankincense and myrrh. He is asking us to use what he has already given us to help our neighbor and bring the joy of Christmas into the world. 

Fr. Chris