Contact Us Free Sample

Search

New user tutorial

Log In

New subscriber?

Create your password

Not a subscriber?

Subscribe

OR

Log In

Email

Password

I forgot my password

Sorry... user email or password wrong, please try again!

We’re sorry, but that email address is not in our system. If you are certain that you have entered the address you used to register for your PTW account, please contact us to confirm that we have entered it correctly in our system.

User Account Expired

Uh-oh. According to our records your subscription to Prepare the Word is no longer active. Did you forget to renew? If so, please click the RENEW button below. If not and you believe there is an error with your account, please contact us here.

My Account

Renew My Susbcription

| Sign Up

Home
About
HOMILY PREP
LIBRARY
Take Five for Faith
- Weekly (Until Dec 29)
- Daily (Starting Dec 29)
How to
My Account

Home
About
HOMILY PREP
LIBRARY
Take Five for Faith
- Weekly (Until Dec 29)
- Daily (Starting Dec 29)
How to
My Account

Search

Search word or phrase

Search word or phrase

Any word Exact phrase

Limit results to the following...

Sundays

Exploring The Word

Homilies

Homily Stories

Take Five Daily and Weekly

Preaching the News

Pastoral trends

Quotes

Tags

Question Catholics Ask

Results

Homily stories

04 Jan 2009 - Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Cycle B

For many people, the problem starts in autumn when the clocks are turned back an hour and evening darkness comes earlier. Depending on where a person lives, it is a sign that there will be precious little sunlight to enjoy until winter turns her face toward spring. Days will be shorter and dark nights longer. People respond differently when this happens. Some of God’s creatures adapt to the darkness. They eat and then they hibernate, living off the fat they have put on. Sounds like some people we know, doesn’t it? They take the lack of light in stride. Life goes on for them. A significant number of people, however, fall into depression caused by what has been named “light deprivation.” They can be brought out of it by sitting in front of bright, natural light that surrounds and envelopes them for a period of hours throughout the dark of winter. No matter how we respond, all of us need the spring that follows winter and the light it promises. So, too, our souls demand the light of Christ that comes to us on the Epiphany of the Lord in the middle of winter. Today, the light of the Lord shines upon us and we follow that light, like the magi, and are brought into the brilliant presence of our God made human. And then that light becomes ours to take out into the darkness and share with others.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

Light deprivation depression spring Epiphany

Restricted
Homily stories

07 Jan 2018 - Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord, Cycle B

For many people, the problem starts in autumn when the clocks are turned back an hour and evening darkness comes earlier. Depending on where a person lives, it is a sign that there will be precious little sunlight to enjoy until winter turns her face toward spring. Days will be shorter and dark nights longer. People respond differently when this happens. Some of God’s creatures adapt to the darkness. They eat and then they hibernate, living off the fat they have put on. Sounds like some people we know, doesn’t it? They take the lack of light in stride. Life goes on for them. A significant number of people, however, fall into depression caused by what has been named “light deprivation.” They can be brought out of it by sitting in front of bright, natural light that surrounds and envelopes them for a period of hours throughout the dark of winter. No matter how we respond, all of us need the spring that follows winter and the light it promises. So, too, our souls demand the light of Christ that comes to us on the Epiphany of the Lord in the middle of winter. Today, the light of the Lord shines upon us and we follow that light, like the magi, and are brought into the brilliant presence of our God made human. And then that light becomes ours to take out into the darkness and share with others.

Authors Father Dominic Grassi

darkness light deprivation Light

Restricted

Take Five for Faith Daily

© 2025 - TrueQuest Communications, LLC. All rights reserved.

Website by ideaPort, LLC

Wait

Success

Error

We have detected that cookies are turned off in your browser settings. To ensure you have the best experience, we recommend that you change your settings to permit cookies for this website.

Get Help