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In Luke’s Gospel we have a brief description of Jesus being baptized by his cousin, John the Baptist. The details are scarce. We don’t know why Jesus chose to participate in this ritual or how it impacted his ministry. This story is problematic however, as this ritual was designed for sinners, why would Jesus who had not sinned be participating in this ritual?

This is a good lesson for us in that while we may have the right to do something we ought to also take into account the impact that our actions may have upon others.

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In today’s Gospel the arrival of the Magi is noted. This Gospel is full of symbolism about who Jesus would be. Some biblical traditions list the Magi as kings and some traditions have even named them, Caspar (or Gaspar), Melchior, and Balthazar. Likely, this naming is primarily derived from Western Christian tradition. Its highly unlikely that three kings would have gone into the desert alone without an entourage for protection. Likely if three kings showed up in a small town everyone would soon know and King Herod would not have had to rely on the Magi to find out exactly where Jesus was. The gifts brought by the Wise Men give us a hint and foretell the ministry of Jesus. Gold representing royalty, frankincense symbolizing divinity, and myrrh foreshadowing suffering and death.

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I like to do something special for Lent and Advent. Last Easter I set up an internet retreat. This Christmas season I want to talk about the spirituality of New Years Resolutions. I feel very strongly about this. I am surprised the Church doesn’t say more about New Years Resolutions. I believe there is something spiritual happening when people at the end of the year look at their lives and make decisions about where they can do better or acknowledging where they are being held back. In many cases they attempt to make changes. Sadly, they are seldom successful.

Many people do not realize that they may be self sabotaging their plans to achieve their goals.

Making changes in one’s life is not easy. We are creatures of habit. I would like to provide some direction for those who would like to have their Resolutions result in positive changes in their life.