The story of the Magi, the three wise men, who traveled from the East to pay homage to Jesus as the King of the Jews, is part of our Christmas tradition. The Magi, after a detour to see King Herod, brought their most valuable possessions to lay at the feet of the newborn King. As we see the scene unfold, it doesn’t look much like a royal court. It simply looks like a father, mother, and child, living in humble circumstances in the tiny town of Bethlehem in a rural province of Rome. It was there that the Magi encountered the King of all creation and to worship the baby Jesus.
Magi were originally part of the Median or Persian priestly class, and later this term came to be used more broadly to refer to people who had some sort of mystic abilities. From a distant land in the East, the Magi in today’s Gospel reading see a great star in the sky, which in ancient times signified the birth of a great ruler.
Matthew tells us that they prostrate themselves before the child Jesus. This is a significant detail in the story because these Magi were important men, probably serving in royal courts back in the East. And yet these foreigners bow down to worship a baby in Israel. The Church Fathers recognized that this scene shows how the child who came to be the king of Israel was also the king of the whole world.
Another interesting detail from today’s reading is that the Magi bring the new king Jesus three gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. The gold is a fitting gift for a king and points to Jesus as the true king. Frankincense was a perfume used as incense in worship, and so it points to Christ’s divinity. Since myrrh was an expensive spice used in burial, this gift points to Christ’s mortality and tells us that this king one day will die.
What can this mean for our lives? As we approach Jesus on this day of Epiphany— and on every day—we want to approach him in great reverence as our Lord and our King. Like the Magi we bow down before him as our king, we recognize his divinity and worship him, and we bring the gift of self-sacrifice, just as the Magi offered him myrrh.
As we approach the Eucharist, we can see ourselves coming before the Lord, offering our most precious possession, our very lives, as we worship and adore him as the Magi did those thousands of years ago.
Welcome Back!
I hope everyone had a holy and blessed Christmas! Once again, thank you for the delicious treats, gifts, and good wishes! Your generosity is overwhelming. God bless you and your families today and throughout the New Year!
Remote instruction begins tomorrow, Monday, January 3rd, and will continue on Tuesday, January 4th, and Wednesday, January 5th. This will allow for the five-day primary incubation period of COVID-19 to pass after the New Year’s Eve celebrations.
The school vestibule doors will be open today, Sunday, January 2nd from 7:30 A.M. to 3 P.M. for those who requested to pick up books prior to Christmas recess. If you did NOT request books before Christmas recess, they will not be in the vestibule.
Below, please see the academic letter day for the remote days of instruction.
Prayers and announcements will be made via School Messenger Voice, a phone call, at 8:10 A.M. Following prayers and announcements, your child should join his/her teacher’s Google Meet at 8:15 A.M. for attendance. After attendance, your child should join his/her 1st-period class at 8:24 A.M. The teachers will post the academic schedule on their Google Classroom.
Special Content Classes will be in effect on these remote days. Students should join the special content teachers’ Google Meet at the assigned time of the class. Students should not join in before the assigned time of their class.
~St. Agnes Cathedral School Remote Learning Standards~
Despite being at home, it’s important to remember that the same rules apply as being in the classroom, particularly with respect to behavior and conduct. Below, please find St. Agnes Cathedral School’s remote learning standards.
Please be mindful of the COVID-19 protocols before returning back to school in person, on Thursday, January 6, 2022. Masks must be worn correctly. All COVID-19 cases and exposures must be reported before the break ends. Please use the Google Form embedded below to report positive cases as well as direct contacts.
Due to the current COVID-19 surge, the 2nd Grade Christmas Pageant will be taped on Little Christmas, the Feast of the Epiphany, Thursday, January 6th. The second graders should wear their gym uniforms to school on Thursday and bring their costumes to school in a bag. The link to the pageant will be emailed out to all.
Friday, January 7th is a half-day, 12-noon dismissal, to enable the teachers and administration to meet for planning and professional development.
Help, Help, Help: Please send in your family pictures for the Main Hallway Banner. This tradition, of displaying pictures of the St. Agnes Families, goes back many, many years. Thank you to Mrs. Margie Tomlin who continues to keep this St. Agnes Cathedral School tradition alive. It is a labor of love and one that I am truly grateful to her for continuing.
Re-registration: Please be on the lookout for our re-registration materials this week. Each year families who will be coming back to St. Agnes for the next school year must re-register. Re-registration is important to be completed before our open registration so as to keep your child’s seat for next year.
Children entering Kindergarten must be five years of age by December 1, 2022. If you have an incoming Kindergarten child, please indicate this on the re-registration materials and contact the school office to register your incoming Kindergarten child for next year.
Tuition assistance is available through the Tomorrow’s Hope Foundation. Applications will be available this month on the Foundation’s website: www.tomorrowshopefoundation.
Happy Epiphany Day!
Mrs. Cecilia St. John, Principal