We Ever since the 1st Sunday of Advent, my friend, we have been about the business of responding to John-the-Baptist’s challenge: “Prepare a way for the Lord; make straight pathways for him.”

And now that we have celebrated the 2007th anniversary of his birth, we are into the joy and experience of intensifying what should be our relationship to Him.

For some of us, those efforts will take the form of New Year’s resolutions, you know; in some way or ways to become more virtuous and better disciples of the Lord.

Please God, those resolutions don’t meet the same fate as so many other of our New Year’s intentions seem to.

Many don’t even make it past New Year’s Day - which means we really have to be more realistic about our personal goals for the future - but that’s another homily.

Nonetheless, we are faced with this wonderful opportunity to do something ourselves about this child born unto us.

Let’s draw a very human parallel.

As an expectant mother draws near to the time of her delivery, she and all the family and friends really get excited about this new birth, and they do things accordingly that they would not do.  They have baby showers.  They select godparents.  Grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins all begin in their own ways to decide on how to relate to this new-born child.

 Some are thinking about gifts they will give either to the new parents, the child, or both.  Others, perhaps godparents and grandparents, are planning on how they will re-arrange their lives to baby-sit, or even set aside some financial resources for this child’s future education.

And, in all honesty, it must be noted that sometimes, after a baby is born, not everyone in the family is thrilled beyond words over the whole event.

I will always remember my dear niece, who is my oldest of 6 godchildren.

By the time she gave birth to her second child, a little girl, the older , a boy, was just old enough to be able to put into words his true feelings.

And so when Marie brought the baby home, and suddenly David, who was all caught up in the excitement of a new birth that his parents had been preparing him for, when David suddenly realized after the baby got home that no longer would he be the sole object of his Mom and Dad’s attention, he crawled up into my niece’s lap, and looked her right in the eyes and said: “Not a good idea, Mom!”

So hear we are on the Epiphany of the Lord, the historical moment that commemorates his debut, not just to the Jewish world, but, by virtue of the 3 Gentile Wise Men, to ALL the world.

And we are faced with the same challenge: what do we do? 

Personally, what do we do  Are we willing to make adjustments in our own lives to stay close to this child, just as grandparents, godparents, brothers, sisters, aunts and uncles are?

When I baptize children here in Church, I always say to the godparents, “Look, if you handle this godparenting the way it’s supposed to go, from now on, this child’s birthday, graduation, academic or sports award, Christmas, wedding, anniversary, etc., etc., these days in your godchild’s life will always become special in your life, too, so much so that the bonds between you become more sacred every year that they are celebrated.

I guess I make that point because for me, my 6 godchildren are it for me.  And they know Uncle Tom would swim the Erie Channel for each one of them.

So are we willing this New Year to not only keep close to this Child Jesus, still here in front of us in the manger scene?  And is that willingness only enough to maintain the status-quo; just like it’s been last year, and all along?

Or are we humbly open to doing what He gives us an opportunity to do, especially for the least of our brothers and sisters.  For we know that when we do for them, we do for Him.

We just never know when we’ll have the chance to be the arms, the legs, the hands, the feet, the eyes, the ears,  or the brains to be His representative to someone in need.

I believe that’s letting ourselves be angel in human form.  But however you understand it, however you count it, it is what you do, what we do, for this Child, born to us!

So, Thank you.