“Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the LORD shines upon you.” (Isaiah 60:1)

As we begin a new weekly series for January, we are still celebrating Christmas and a New Year has begun. The Church celebrates Christmas beyond December 25 because the mystery is bigger than a single day. God has entered our history, and that changes our ordinary days.

Isaiah 60 comes from the later part of Isaiah, often linked to the years after the Babylonian exile. God’s people have returned to Jerusalem, yet the return feels hard and unfinished. The city is battered, worship needs rebuilding, and the community is weary. Into that fragile moment a prophet speaks a word of consolation and summons. The audience is not a nation at its peak, but a small people tempted to believe their future will be defined by what was lost.

In that context, “Rise up in splendor” is more than a motivational speech. It rests on the prior announcement: “Your light has come.” The command is possible because God has acted first. The “glory of the LORD” names God’s real presence- His holiness drawing near, His faithfulness refusing to let His people disappear. Isaiah will soon admit that darkness still covers the earth, but the Lord’s shining is stronger than the darkness. The original hearers would have understood: God has not abandoned His covenant. Their calling is to stand again and to become, by grace, a sign that draws others toward the true God.

Isaiah addresses the city as a person, almost like a bride being awakened. The imperatives assume that God’s saving work is already underway, even if the streets still look dim. To “rise” is to step into public hope: to rebuild worship, practice justice, and welcome the stranger, trusting that God’s presence is the true security for all.

That pattern- gift first, response second- helps us read the verse as Christians at the beginning of a new year. Before we “rise,” we first receive. God’s light is not something we achieve; it is a gift. At Christmas, the glory of the Lord does not manifest in a King in a palace but in a Child in a manger. Jesus is the revelation not of an abstract idea but a personal God: the Savior comes to save, close enough to be held and adored. Mary shows what it means to receive that gift. She welcomes the Word, carries Him, and offers Him to the world. The new year can pressure us into proving ourselves by resolutions alone, but the first Christian step is simpler: welcome Jesus. Let His light fall on what is tired or resistant in you, and let His presence become the beginning of real change.

This weekend we celebrate the Epiphany, and Matthew gives us the line that echoes Isaiah’s light: “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” (Matthew 2:2) The Magi embody holy change. They leave what is familiar, travel with questions, and keep going when the road is uncertain. God guides them with light step by step, leading them not to an idea but to a Person. When they find Jesus, they respond with worship and gifts. Epiphany teaches that God’s light is not for insiders only, but for every nation- and that includes the people in our homes, workplaces, and neighborhoods. If Christ has been revealed to us, then our parish life should help others recognize Him too.

At the start of 2026 we also have staff transitions to share. Our Pastoral Office is saying farewell to our Faith Formation Director, Shawn Gregory. We’re grateful that he will remain as our Religious Education Teacher at St. Michael School, and we thank him for the insights he brought to our faith formation programs. Our Director of Operations & Communication, Lisa Cooper, has also been called to other work. We thank her for her service and ask your patience as

we redistribute her responsibilities among the staff. Along with loss there is often gain: we welcome Jonathan Hoffmann as Pastoral Administrative Assistant, supporting our priests in their sacramental work. Welcome, Jonathan. Father Toniyo will be on vacation in India starting January 4 for six weeks; we wish him safe travels and a joyful time with family. During his absence, St. Francis Xavier’s Thursday 8 a.m. Masses will be cancelled until his return. Fathers Michael Seavey and Joseph Ford will assist us with weekend Masses.

As with every change, Isaiah’s promise steadies us: the Lord’s light has come. If we receive that light together- across our six churches- then we can rise, not by our own brilliance, but by the glory of the Lord shining upon us.