ARCHDIOCESE OF PHILADELPHIA

Dear Friends in Our Lord Jesus Christ,

            The planet Mars is very much in the news these days. During the summer months, it aligned closely to Earth and was clearly visible to the naked eye. Many people were drawn to view the night sky. So many were in awe of the beauty of creation. There is truly something magnificent about the planets and the stars, which ornament the night sky. They remind us of the One who brought order out of chaos and who illumines our world with true light.

            Perhaps you were among those who took the opportunity to view Mars during the summer and autumn nights. If so, you may have a greater appreciation of what the Magi experienced when they viewed a “Star rising in the East.” The Magi were astrologers who looked to the stars to provide a foreshadowing of things to come. However, the Star which they observed held the greatest significance ever. Recognizing that this Star heralded the birth of a Great King, the Magi journeyed from their homelands to seek this wondrous Child.

            Saint Matthew’s account of the Magi and the offering of their precious gifts to the Christ Child fills our imaginations. We easily can envision this sacred moment since this event has been captured in song, in numerous artistic renderings, in novels and in films. What Christmas Nativity scene would be complete without the statues of the Wise Men bearing their treasures?

            While all of these images, stories, paintings and films stir our appreciation of Our Lord’s Epiphany - which means “manifestation”- to the Magi, the most poignant reminder of the Epiphany is all of us gathered here today. The Epiphany solemnly celebrates the revelation of Jesus to the people of every nation. Jesus Himself is the Star whose light guides us to recognize Him as Our Lord and Savior. He is the Light which illumines the pathways of our minds and hearts and guides us in the ways of righteousness and truth. Represented by the Wise Men of Old, we, whose ancestry can be traced to every corner of the world, have been given the gift of faith in Jesus Christ and, even more importantly, we have embraced that gift.

            Like the Wise Men of Old, we are transformed by this gift of Faith. While we do not bear gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh - those gifts which acknowledged the Messianic role of Jesus as King, Priest and Sacrificial Victim - we do bear the gift of Christ Himself, whose peace reigns in our hearts. While the Magi were called to seek the Christ, we are called to show the radiant face of Christ to a world so often in darkness.

            This is the New Evangelization initiated by our Holy Father Pope John Paul II. The New Evangelization provides us with an exciting opportunity to re-insert the Gospel message into an indifferent world; to re-introduce the Person of Christ into a society desensitized to the dignity of the human person; to re-present the Presence of the all-powerful, merciful and loving God to a

culture that prefers power, violence and selfishness. The New Evangelization prods us in a way that recalls the old adage, “See the Christian, see Christ.”

            Today, we are gathered in this sacred shrine to celebrate God’s manifestation of Christ to people of every nation. It is no coincidence that we celebrate this solemn feast of the Epiphany in the shrine of a saint who embodied fully the work of Evangelization. Saint John Nepomucene Neumann was in many ways a man ahead of his time. As a priest, missionary, religious and bishop, every aspect of his life and ministry focused on bringing Christ to others, that is, the work of Evangelization. He courageously left his homeland of Bohemia and traveled, guided by the light of faith, to the New World, a land of promise, opportunity and vast missionary needs.

            Nineteenth-century America, at the time when John Neumann arrived, extended open arms to people from the Old World, offering them new beginnings and promise of prosperity. Many left their homes in search of fortune. Instead, many found hard labor, poverty and spiritual neglect. John Neumann inserted himself with missionary fervor into the lives of these people so that they would know that the Catholic Church would not neglect them. To accomplish this, he learned eight languages in order to communicate in the native tongue of those for whom he cared. Yet, his most recognizable language was the compassion of Christ which John Neumann vividly demonstrated in all of his pastoral actions.

            When he felt the exhaustion of his extensive ministry, John Neumann knew that he needed the several support of brother priests. As a result, he joined the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, the Redemptorists, founded by Saint Alphonsus Liguori. This congregation was dedicated to preaching, especially to the poor, a charism which John Neumann valued deeply.

            His zeal, gentleness, organizational skills, and pastoral charity were contributing factors in his selection, at the recommendation of Archbishop Francis Patrick Kenrick of Baltimore, as Fourth Bishop Philadelphia. John Neumann, in his humility, resisted the appointment feeling “unworthy” of the “cultured world of Philadelphia.” In his obedience, however, John Neumann accepted the appointment as a cross which God had given to him. Philadelphia, because of the presence of this saintly “Little Bishop,” would never be the same.

            Bishop Neumann reached out to immigrants of all nationalities so that they would not wander from the Church. He established Catholic schools for the Catholic education and faith formation of children. He invited to the diocese many teaching religious to staff the new schools. He founded a religious community which would be dedicated to teaching and to care for the sick. He instituted in the United States the Forty Hours Eucharistic Devotion, a treasured practice in the Church. He continued gradually the construction of our cathedral, which was initiated by Bishop Kenrick, and strengthened the diocesan seminary. All of this, Bishop Neumann accomplished within a tenure which lasted a mere eight years. On January 5, 1860, while carrying out an errand of charity, Bishop Neumann collapsed and died. Everything he did, Bishop Neumann did for the love of Jesus and, in all things, Bishop Neumann was guided by the light of faith.

            Of Saint John Neumann, Pope John Paul II stated: “His message and example of holiness must continually be transmitted to every new generation. And, if we listen carefully today, we can hear Saint John Neumann speaking to all of us in the words of the Letter to the Hebrews: ‘Remember your leaders who spoke the word of God to you; consider how their lives ended, and imitate their faith. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever’ (Heb 13:8). . . I am reminded of the one thing which motivated Saint John Neumann throughout his life: his love for Christ. . . What really matters in life is that we are loved by Christ and that we love Him in return. In comparison with the love of Jesus, everything else is secondary. And without the love of Jesus, everything else is useless.”

            On this day of Epiphany, let us seek, not in the heavens but in our hearts, the splendor of the Light of Christ. Guided by the radiance of Jesus, let us bring His message of love and mercy to a world in need. Like the Magi of Old, let us bring to Christ the gift of our hearts, more precious to Him than any treasures. Like Saint John Neumann, let us participate zealously in the call to Evangelization, and, at every moment and every opportunity, let us share the love of Christ, let us live the truth of Christ, and let us show the face of Christ to everyone we meet.