Author: SHSS

How do we hear these Christmas stories? What are we hearing? Do we assume we know the story? Allow me to repeat what I said at the beginning of Advent: “We are hearing the readings again for the first time.” The text of Scripture remains the same; you and I have changed. The depth of our belief may have changed. Faith may be deeper or shallower. We may be hearing these readings after experiencing loss or sadness. We may be hearing these readings at a time in life when change, for better or for worse, seems imminent. You may be hearing these texts after having your own child or while expecting your own child. How is God showing, or not showing, himself to you today?​

The Meaning of Epiphany

Today is the great feast of the Epiphany. The word Epiphany means “to show” or “to manifest.” Today’s feast is more catechetical than historical. This means the story is teaching us about Jesus. The story is addressing the identity of Jesus through the use of symbols. The liturgy recognizes three major epiphanies: the Arrival of the Magi, the Baptism of the Lord, and the Wedding Feast of Cana.​

In many ways, this feast is like a summation of the whole Gospel story. The entire Gospel shows us Christ. The ultimate question that the entire Gospel addresses to us, after telling us about Jesus, is “Who is Jesus?” For the Gospel, Jesus is the Messiah, the Savior, the Redeemer, and above all else, Jesus is God made flesh. If you were asked, “Who is Jesus?” how would you answer?​

Manifestation to the World

If the celebration of Christmas was an epiphany to the shepherds and to the people of Israel, then today’s feast has a universal theme. Today is the manifestation of Christ to the world. The world is represented by gold, God is represented by frankincense, and the suffering servant who would die for his people is represented by myrrh.​

The Mystery of the Incarnation

The mystery of the Incarnation of God among us in the humanity of Jesus is so great an event that words, celebrations, poetry, music, or art cannot adequately express its complete meaning. In the mystery of the Incarnation, we see that humanity can be a vehicle, a carrier, a minister of the divine. God is made present through human relationships. The Incarnation continues in the Body of Christ, also known as the Church. Those in a relationship with Christ in his day were encountering and interacting with God.​

Thus, it is in and through our humanity—baptized into the Body of Christ, nourished by the Eucharist, in prayerful conversation with God, anointed by the Holy Spirit—that we manifest Christ to the world. It is through our frail humanity that mercy, love, kindness, justice, truth, peace, joy, etc., are carried to our respective worlds of home, work, and school. Because of the Incarnation, we carry God to a waiting world.​

Living the Incarnation

Yes, through the Incarnation, God touches a broken, weak, dirty, sinful, imperfect humanity and brings healing and reconciliation. When believers in the Incarnation live their faith in every circumstance, then Christ is manifested to the world.​

Msgr. Guy A. Massie​
January 4, 2026
Readings for The Feast of the Epiphany

At last, Christmas is upon us. Whether you are reading this before or after Mass, between visits, in a rare quiet moment, or at the end of a long day, know that you have a place in this parish family.

Most of us have watched enough Hallmark Christmas movies to last a lifetime. The cocoa is perfect, the snow falls on cue, every problem is wrapped up in 90 minutes, and the town square always looks like a postcard. Bethlehem did not look like that. Real life does not look like that either.

Imagine Mary in the real Bethlehem of 2,000 years ago: a brand new mother in a rough place, tired, probably a little nervous, holding the Child an angel once promised her. Joseph is doing his best with what they have. It is holy, yes, but also simple, very human, and a little messy.

Right there, in that ordinary scene, God chooses to step into our world and into our chaos with a love no movie can touch. Mary “treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart,” not because everything was perfect, but because God was truly with her (Luke 2:19).

So maybe this Christmas your life feels more like that real Bethlehem of long ago than a Hallmark movie. Schedules are crowded, loved ones are missed, budgets are tight, or the house looks more “lived in” than “Instagram-ready.” And yet, into exactly that kind of life, Jesus is born.

The Gospel tells us that the angel’s message was “good news of great joy that will be for all the people,” and “to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:10–11). That promise of joy, peace, and saving love is meant for hearts like ours, right here and now.

And the story does not stop at the manger or in Bethlehem. We are not only invited to receive this hope, but also to share it, carrying the news that Christ is born into our families, workplaces, and neighborhood streets, especially to those who feel forgotten or overwhelmed this year. The love we quietly experience in prayer and in the Eucharist, and yes, especially on Christmas Day, is meant to overflow in kindness, forgiveness, and concrete care for others. Like the carol “Go, Tell It on the Mountain” reminds us, this good news is too great to keep to ourselves, a message to carry “over the hills and everywhere” so that others may know that Jesus Christ is born.

Thank you for all the ways you have already done this in our parish this year: your generosity to those in need, your presence at Mass, your patience with one another, your quiet acts of service that nobody applauds but heaven notices. You are remembered at the altar this Christmas and held in the prayers of your priests and parish staff.

So yes, from the heart of Sacred Hearts – St. Stephen Parish, the most beautiful parish in Brooklyn, a very warm and joyful Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones. May you know, deep down, that Christ is born for you, that His peace is stronger than your worries, and that His love is far better than any “perfect” Christmas we could script. May the blessing of the Holy Family rest upon your home, and may this Christmas fill you with a hope you cannot help but share.

A very perfect, imperfect Merry Christmas to everyone.

Monsignor Guy Massie and the Parish Staff
Christmas 2025

The Nativity Family

The Nativity scene, both outside and inside the church, presents us with a family. Family is the cornerstone of society. We learn how to be human in our family. We learn how to share mutual concern for others and the values by which we construct our respective lives. Family teaches us about loving relationships and mutual responsibilities.

Evolving Definition of Family

The constitution of the family has changed through the years. While family was defined as people who were related by blood, today that definition has expanded to mean all people with whom we have meaningful and loving relationships. Therefore, while family may include all one’s relatives, it may also include friends with whom we have bonded for many years and with whom we share a common life.

Categories of Families

There are many categories of families. There is our immediate family of mom, dad, and brothers and sisters. There is our work family. There are the people we see every day and with whom we spend most of our waking hours. There is the parish family, which is made of people with whom we worship and with whom we work for the greater good of the community.

Challenges in Relationships

Family is a network of relationships. Relationships can be rewarding and wonderful, or they can be difficult and frustrating. Relationships are complicated, and they need constant work. Forgiveness, understanding, remembering that no one is perfect, remembering that every life goes through difficulties and needs understanding, can help family life.

Importance of Communication

Communication is most important in families. Communication issues are the reasons for many family struggles. Parent-child relationships, husband-wife relationships, and brother-and-sister relationships often fall or rise over the quality or lack of quality of communication. The ability to listen to each other, to listen to what is said, and react reasonably, is a major challenge for many.

Intergenerational Stress

These issues become more acute as we are now seeing intergenerational living together. The caring for children and, at the same time, the caring for aging grandparents adds more stress to family life. Hurts come frequently in families because it is usually those you love the most who hurt you the most.

Foundations of Family Life

Family is important. For the sake of family life, the struggle to make peace based on truth and understanding is paramount. While family life has changed through the years, the way to maintain a family has not. Love, mercy, forgiveness, and sharing a common life are foundations of family life. For the family to survive, we all need to see ourselves as part of the community of family and not as independent individuals.

Reflection

What is your most challenging family issue? What is your most rewarding family issue? Both challenges and rewards make us a family.

Msgr. Guy A. Massie
December 28, 2025

Sunday is the Fourth Sunday of Advent. The readings focus on Mary. Since Christmas is the celebration of the Incarnation (the taking on of flesh) of God among us, Mary is very important. Mary gives flesh to the Word of God.

The reason why Mary holds an important place in Catholic and Orthodox theology and spirituality is her role in the Incarnation. Mary makes God more than a concept; she saves us from a too theological or philosophical approach to God. Through the Holy Spirit, she makes God visible. Mary is one of us. Honored in the Gospel, holding a special place in the Church and in the hearts of the faithful, she is the first disciple of the Lord. She is the first member of the Church. She is not divine but human, yet she is for us a model of faithfulness to the Word of God. She is the Mother of the Faithful.

Mary in Art and Scripture

The world of art has done both a service and a disservice to Mary. Icons aim at preserving her holiness and her motherhood. Various forms of Western art, in an attempt to portray her, sometimes presented us with an image that was too perfect and too distant.

Yet from the sacred text, which is rather silent on Mary, we do have an outline of a strong witness, a woman of prayer who seems down to earth. In Luke 1:34f, we see that she questions the angel. She clearly knows the facts of life. How many of us would question an angel? We find her in Cana being concerned over the couple who has just been married because they have no wine. She moves Jesus to perform a sign. We see her enduring sorrow beyond all imagination at the foot of the cross. She seems to struggle to understand Jesus in Mark’s Gospel (not unlike all souls who seek to follow the Lord).

Mary as Journey Partner in Faith

For me, Mary is an important journey partner in the walk of faith. I see her not as a person reserved for women only, but as a companion for any soul who is longing to live a life in the Spirit of God. Carrying Jesus in her womb or in her heart, she is a sign for me that God is present even when he seems absent and distant.

A woman who went through times of confusion and upsetment, she reminds me that God does have a plan. God is in the many changes that occur in our respective lives. Not unlike a parent who gently reminds us to have patience and wait, she is an example of one who waits on the Lord. She is a sign that God does fulfill his promises.

Mary as Teacher of Prayer

As a sign of prayer, she teaches us that prayer is a matter for the heart. In Luke 2:20, we learn that she kept all the things regarding Jesus in her heart and reflected on them. Perhaps we can imitate her prayer and reflect on the Word of God made flesh, also known as Jesus, all the day of our lives.

Just as Mary brings Jesus to us, she can bring us to Jesus in a real and compelling way. Just as Mary gives flesh to the invisible Word of God, thus making God visible in Jesus, so we too, through practicing of our faith, can give flesh to Mercy, Love, Compassion, Justice, and Peace by the way we choose to live out the Gospel of Christ Jesus.

Together, let us proclaim the greatness of the Lord who is Jesus.

Msgr. Guy A. Massie
December 21, 2025