Gifts for All

Today, the Catholic Church in America celebrated the Feast of the Epiphany.  We, here, have moved many major feasts to the Sunday of the week it falls in.  We're a very busy country, quite out of the habit of daily Mass.  Mea culpa.

The kids did not have Sunday School, I did not have Children's Liturgy of the Word, I was not scheduled to read.  Still, we got there early.  The kids were about to dash off to the choir room to get their Maginifikids missalette, when I suddenly knew I had to go with them.

Micki would be on a King-hunt.

For Epiphany, our church gets three kids to wear capes and crowns, and to join the procession with the gifts to present at the manger.  The adults seem to think it's cute.  The kids seem to avoid it.  My two did it last year. They declined Micki's offer to be kings again.  (DLG is not keen on being a "king" since she's a girl.)  Micki asked if I would look for the kings.

Carl asked when I knew I knew I was going to be helping with today's liturgy.  "Five minutes ago."

I recruited three kings, and got them decked out.  I explained to them what they would do.  I refreshed the head usher on what the kids would do.  I set up the book and stand at the ambo and altar.  I noted that no one was there for CLoW, so I had to alert folks on for that.  I counted readers... oh, there's one... but Janie said that her reading partner was sick, so I offered to do the second reading.  And the deacon's broken foot was aching him and it hurt to go up and down stairs, could the first reader bring up the book?  Well, Janie had already sat down, but since I was shepherding the kings, I'd carry the book.  My family sat in the pew behind the kings, so I could lead them to their spots for the offertory, and then cue when they were to join the recessional.

Father Louis' homily was about us bringing our gifts to the King of Kings. We have something more precious to offer than gold, frankincense and myrrh.  We can offer ourselves and our talents.

Glad to.