10. What statement about friendship can be more sublime, more true, more valuable than this: it has been proved that friendship must begin in Christ, continue with Christ, and be perfected by Christ. Come, now: propose what in your opinion should be the first question about friendship.

IVO. I think we should first discuss what friendship is, lest we appear to be painting on a void, not knowing what should guide and organize our talk.

11. AELRED. Is Cicero’s definition not an adequate beginning for you? “Friendship is agreement in things human and divine, with good will and charity.”

12. IVO. If his definition suffices for you, it’s good enough for me.

–Aelred of Rievaulx Spiritual Friendship I.10-12 (Lawrence C. Braceland, tr., Marsha L. Dutton ed., Collegeville, Minnesota: Liturgical Press, 2010), p.57

12th January – St. Aelred of Rievaulx.

A talented author, theologian, preacher and diplomat, Aelred rose to become abbot of Rievaulx between 1147 and his death in 1167. He wrote a book on Spiritual Friendship in which he shared that God was pure reciprocity. pic.twitter.com/0bPfn8hLtK

— Ninefold Kyrie (@Gda1238) January 12, 2026

Almighty God, who didst endow thy abbot Aelred with the gift of Christian friendship and the wisdom to lead others in the way of holiness: Grant to thy people that same spirit of mutual affection, that, in loving one another, we may know the love of Christ and rejoice in the gift of thy eternal goodness; through the same Jesus Christ our Savior, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.

O God, who endowed Saint Aelred, Abbot of Rievaulx,
with the gift of fostering Christian friendship
and the wisdom to lead others in the way of holiness,
grant to your people, we pray,
that same spirit of fraternal affection,
so that in loving one another
we may know the love of… pic.twitter.com/8TTT9c47fW

— Catholic Church (@catholicEW) January 12, 2026

Eternal Father,
who at the baptism of Jesus
revealed him to be your Son,
anointing him with the Holy Spirit:
grant to us, who are born again by water and the Spirit,
that we may be faithful to our calling as your adopted children;
through Jesus Christ your Son our Lord,
who is alive and reigns with you,
in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
one God, now and for ever.
Amen.

✨☀️ A bit of inspiration for the dark days: sunrise at York Minster. pic.twitter.com/3TXVAaGwDR

— Andy Marshall 📸 (@fotofacade) January 12, 2026

Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.

–Psalm 1:1-3

The Duke of Portland Boathouse that sits on Ullswater, illuminated by the hues of sunrise.

Some mornings surprise you. The colour came out of nowhere, with just enough time for me to screech into a parking spot and dash to the shoreline. A clichéd shot, but for good reason 🫡 pic.twitter.com/vS5ty4t9IP

— Verity Milligan (@VerityMilligan) January 12, 2026

Almighty God, who at the baptism of thy blessed Son Jesus Christ in the river Jordan didst manifest his glorious Godhead: Grant, we beseech thee, that the brightness of his presence may shine in our hearts, and his glory be set forth in our lives; through the same Jesus Christ our Lord.

Baptism of Christ in the River Jordan by John the Baptist, surrounded by angels and with a golden dove of the Holy Spirit descending

BL Add 49598; Benedictional of Æthelwold; 963-984 CE; England S; f.25r @BLMedieval pic.twitter.com/q9OAZulAH7

— Ennius (@red_loeb) January 11, 2026

The next day he saw Jesus coming toward him, and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! This is he of whom I said, ”˜After me comes a man who ranks before me, for he was before me.’ I myself did not know him; but for this I came baptizing with water, that he might be revealed to Israel.” And John bore witness, “I saw the Spirit descend as a dove from heaven, and it remained on him. I myself did not know him; but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ”˜He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain, this is he who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’ And I have seen and have borne witness that this is the Son of God.”

–John 1:29-34

Baptism of Christ – today is the Feast.
c. 1480–1490
Workshop of Veit Stoss
John the Baptist baptizes Christ in the presence of an angel. The composition follows a popular engraving by Martin Schongauer of about 1480.

(Met Museum) pic.twitter.com/6bYUHCkNXw

— John McCafferty (@jdmccafferty) January 11, 2026

O God, who by a star didst guide the wise men to the worship of thy Son: Lead, we pray thee, to thyself the wise and the great in every land, that unto thee every knee may bow, and every thought be brought into captivity; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

6 Jan, Epiphany: The Magi Follow the Star, from a Mirror of Holiness (Mir’at al-quds) of Father Jerome Xavier, 1602–4. Attributed to Payag. Allahabad, made for Prince Salim. They are dressed like Portuguese merchants, but they ride camels.
Cleveland Museum of Art pic.twitter.com/xbw31YwjSx

— John McCafferty (@jdmccafferty) January 6, 2025

“Woe to the shepherds who destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture!” says the Lord. Therefore thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, concerning the shepherds who care for my people: “You have scattered my flock, and have driven them away, and you have not attended to them. Behold, I will attend to you for your evil doings, says the Lord. Then I will gather the remnant of my flock out of all the countries where I have driven them, and I will bring them back to their fold, and they shall be fruitful and multiply. I will set shepherds over them who will care for them, and they shall fear no more, nor be dismayed, neither shall any be missing, says the Lord.

“Behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when I will raise up for David a righteous Branch, and he shall reign as king and deal wisely, and shall execute justice and righteousness in the land. In his days Judah will be saved, and Israel will dwell securely. And this is the name by which he will be called: ‘The Lord is our righteousness.’

“Therefore, behold, the days are coming, says the Lord, when men shall no longer say, ‘As the Lord lives who brought up the people of Israel out of the land of Egypt,’ but ‘As the Lord lives who brought up and led the descendants of the house of Israel out of the north country and out of all the countries where he had driven them.’ Then they shall dwell in their own land.”

–Jeremiah 23:1-8

A bit of pre-sunrise colour in the Phoenix Park this morning. pic.twitter.com/IMLBIKmF0o

— Sryan Bruen Photography (@sryanbruenphoto) January 10, 2026

When we do come near to Jesus, let us ask ourselves this question, “Do we see more in Jesus than other people do?” for if we do, we are God’s elect taught of God, illuminated by his Spirit. We read in the Scriptures that when these wise men saw the young child they fell down and worshipped him. Other people might have come in and seen the child, and said, “Many children are as interesting as this poor woman’s babe.” Ay, but as these men looked, they saw: all eyes are not so blessed. Eyes that see are gifts from the All-seeing One. Carnal eyes are blind; but these men saw the Infinite in the infant; the Godhead gleaming through the manhood; the glory hiding beneath the swaddling bands. Undoubtedly there was a spiritual splendor about this matchless child! We read that Moses’ father and mother saw that he was a “goodly child”; they saw he was “fair unto God,” says the original. But when these elect men saw that holy thing which is called the Son of the Highest, they discovered in him a glory all unknown before. Then was his star in the ascendant to them: he became their all in all, and they worshipped with all their hearts. Have you discovered such glory in Christ? “Oh!” says one, “you are always harping upon Christ and his glory. You are a man of one idea!” Precisely so. My one idea is that he is “altogether lovely,” and that there is nothing out of heaven nor in heaven that can be compared with him even in his lowest and weakest estate. Have you ever seen as much as that in Jesus? If so, you are the Lord’s; go you, and rejoice in him. If not, pray God to open your eyes until, like the wise men, you see and worship.

Lastly, learn from these wise men that when they worshipped they did not permit it to be a mere empty-handed adoration. Ask yourself, “What shall I render unto the Lord?” Bowing before the young child, they offered “gold, frankincense and myrrh,” the best of metals and the best of spices; an offering to the King of gold; an offering to the priest of frankincense; an offering to the child of myrrh. Wise men are liberal men. Consecration is the best education. To-day it is thought to be wise to be always receiving; but the Savior said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” God judges our hearts by that which spontaneously comes from them: hence the sweet cane bought with money is acceptable to him when given freely. He doth not tax his saints or weary them with incense; but he delights to see in them that true love which cannot express itself in mere words, but must use gold and myrrh, works of love and deeds of self-denial, to be the emblems of its gratitude. Brothers, you will never get into the heart of happiness till you become unselfish and generous; you have but chewed the husks of religion which are often bitter, you have never eaten of the sweet kernel until you have felt the love of God constraining you to make sacrifice. There is nothing in the true believer’s power which he would not do for his Lord: nothing in our substance which we would not give to him, nothing in ourselves which we would not devote to his service.

Read it all.

Epiphany scene below from the Lower Rhine which dates to the mid-12th century. The relief is now part of the collections @V_and_A #Epithany 📷 My own. pic.twitter.com/PsqN4ibFpk

— Kevin Wilbraham (@KPW1453) January 6, 2024

Lyrics: I will sing with the spirit, alleluia. And I will sing with the understanding also, alleluia. (1 Corinthians 14, v.15)

“Recently we celebrated the day on which the Lord was born of the Jews; today we are celebrating the one on which he was worshiped by the Gentiles; because salvation is from the Jews (Jn 4:22); but this salvation reaches to the ends of the earth (Is 49:6). On that day the shepherds worship him, on this one the Magi. To those the message was brought by angels, to these by a star. Both learned about him from heaven, when they saw the king of heaven on earth, so that there might be glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to people of good will (Lk 2:14).”

For he is our peace, who made both into one (Eph 2:14). Already from this moment, by the way he was born and proclaimed, the infant is shown to be that cornerstone; already from the first moments of his birth he appeared as such. He began at once to tie together in himself two walls coming from different directions, bringing the shepherds from Judea, the Magi from the East; so that he might establish the two in himself as one new man, making peace; peace for
those who were far off, and peace for those who were near (Eph 2: 15. 17). Thus it is that those hurrying up from nearby on the very day, and these arriving today from far away, marked two days to be celebrated by posterity, and yet both saw the one light of the world.

–Sermon 199, On The Lords Epiphany

Bartolomé Bermejo (c. 1440 – c.1501) was a Spanish painter- Epiphany, 1480, a depiction of the Adoration of the Magi, Royal Chapel of Granada pic.twitter.com/bJnQyWIKJh

— Yiannis Einstein-Ιωάννης Αρβανιτάκης (@yianniseinstein) April 24, 2025

Listen to and ponder it all–more than once.

You may find the full text there (note that the audio is TS Eliot himself reading the poem).

God of all creation, who dost call us to make disciples of all nations and to proclaim thy mercy and love: Grant that we, after the example of thy servant Julia Chester Emery, might have vision and courage in proclaiming the Gospel to the ends of the earth; through Jesus Christ, our light and our salvation, who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Ghost, ever one God, world without end. Amen.

Today the Episcopal Church commemorates Julia Chester Emery, Lay Leader and Missionary, 1922 pic.twitter.com/hDSpwf8pJY

— The Anglican Church in St Petersburg (@anglicanspb) January 9, 2024

Lord Jesus Christ, who in the offerings of the wise men didst receive an earnest of the worship of the nations: Grant that thy Church may never cease to proclaim the good news of thy love, that all men may come to worship thee as their Saviour and King, who livest and reignest world without end.

Hoping everyone across the UK is ok this morning, following Storm Goretti. Take care out there and have a lovely Friday 🥰 pic.twitter.com/MBYPA9tBTH

— Andrew Edwards (@AndrewOpera) January 9, 2026

I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.

My help cometh from the Lord, which made heaven and earth.

He will not suffer thy foot to be moved: he that keepeth thee will not slumber.

Behold, he that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep.

The Lord is thy keeper: the Lord is thy shade upon thy right hand.

The sun shall not smite thee by day, nor the moon by night.

The Lord shall preserve thee from all evil: he shall preserve thy soul.

The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in from this time forth, and even for evermore.

–Psalm 121 (KJV)

Very rough night in #Brighton, thanks to #stormgorreti the sea made it across the beach and onto the paved areas. #UsualSeagull checking it out. pic.twitter.com/iFcJD18cmL

— Stephen Royle (@Steveontour1) January 9, 2026

Chinese researchers have developed a form of hybrid rice that can replicate itself through seeds that are clones, preserving high-yield traits generation after generation, according to the development team. The scientists say their breakthrough could transform global agriculture by dismantling the biggest barrier to hybrid rice production: the need for farmers to buy expensive new hybrid seeds every season.

As hundreds of millions of people around the world face acute food insecurity, hybrid rice has promised dramatically higher yields: nearly four times more in parts of Africa compared to traditional varieties. If all rice farmers could plant the new hybrid variant, the world’s rice production could double, according to some industry estimates.

Read it all.

China creates world’s first clone-hybrid rice that could double global output

Team developed 6 apomictic rice varieties tested over multiple generations in Hainan and Zhejiang provinceshttps://t.co/pPPqMIDlYQ

— Shehzad Younis شہزاد یونس (@shehzadyounis) January 7, 2026

Christians are celebrating the feast day of Epiphany, also known as Three Kings Day. It recalls the visit of the three kings, or magi, to the baby Jesus. Orthodox Christians focus on the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist.

In Europe, some worshippers bathe in icy lakes and rivers. Ceremonies this year in Greece highlighted water scarcity concerns. Children in Latin America traditionally unwrap holiday gifts.

Read it all.

This is how children in Europe celebrate the Feast of the Three Kings, also known as Epiphany.

Image: Franz Lackner pic.twitter.com/7lYhlJW8Wm

— Sachin Jose (@Sachinettiyil) January 7, 2025

Words: Bishop Reginald Heber
Tune: ‘Epiphany’ – Joseph Thrupp

Imagine the kings, the caravans’ stilted procession
As they make for the cave, or, rather, three beams closing in
And in on the star, the creaking of loads, the clink of a cowbell;
(No thronging of Heaven as yet, no peal of the bell

That will ring in the end for the infant once he has earned it).
Imagine the Lord, for the first time, from darkness, and stranded
Immensely in distance, recognizing Himself in the Son
Of Man: His homelessness plain to him now in a homeless one.

Read it all.

Blessed be #Christ the Lord, who came to be with us, to give light to those who live in darkness and the shadow of death.

~ Christ, rising Sun, shed your light on all people.#Vespers #EveningPrayer #Prayer Weekday after #Epiphany #ChristmasSeason #ChristIsBorn pic.twitter.com/wccnOIHCC2

— PrayeroftheChurch (@Neddamred) January 7, 2026

Holy God, thou didst choose thy faithful servant Harriet Bedell to exercise the ministry of deaconess and to be a missionary among indigenous peoples: Fill us with compassion and respect for all people, and empower us for the work of ministry throughout the world; through Jesus Christ our Lord who liveth and reigneth with thee and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

A Woman Set Apart: The Remarkable Life of Harriet Bedell – https://t.co/sqCTSCbKat pic.twitter.com/PuOAKXNCbk

— Missio Nexus (@MissioNexus) October 28, 2025

Almighty and everlasting God, the brightness of faithful souls, who didst bring the Gentiles to thy light and made known unto them him who is the true light, and the bright and morning star: Fill the world, we beseech thee, with thy glory, and show thyself by the radiance of thy light unto all nations; through Jesus Christ our Lord.

I become like an over-excited kid again when it snows, wanting to stay out and play long after my fingers and toes have turned blue. But oh, the hills shine with the brightest white, every bump and bruise softened, and the trees sparkle as if they've been decorated with millions… pic.twitter.com/UgHj5k4qsB

— peaklass (@peaklass1) January 8, 2026

Praise the Lord, all you nations;
laud him, all you peoples.

For his loving-kindness toward us is great, *
and the faithfulness of the Lord endures for ever.
Hallelujah!

–Psalm 117

Vandaag in rustiger vaarwater. Fijne donderdag😀 #zonsondergang pic.twitter.com/xUMf6nkAMA

— Tjark Dieterman (@DietermanTjark) January 8, 2026

The Christmas season ends on a high note, with the Feast of the Epiphany—also known as Three Kings’ Day, the day on which Christians traditionally commemorate the visit of the Three Wise Men to the infant Christ.

As a kid, I always had some trouble understanding the business about the Three Wise Men and the gifts. There was that weird but compelling carol that they always sang in church on the Sunday closest to Epiphany. I must have been seven or eight years old by the time I figured out that “Orientare” is not the name of the country where the Three Kings came from.

And then there were the odd gifts they were bringing. Gold always comes in handy, so I could see why you would bring gold to a baby—but what on earth were frankincense and myrrh, and why would anybody give them to a child? I figured myrrh might have something to do with myrtle, like the crepe myrtles that bloom so beautifully in South Carolina. So maybe the myrrh was flowers for the mom?

The frankincense had me completely stumped, and it wasn’t until I visited Oman a few years ago that I really knew what it was or what it looked like: It’s the waxy resin of a tree that grows in the desert, and when burned it gives off a rich smell. It’s a principal ingredient of incense and has found favor among modern purchasers of “essential oils”.

If you are ever lucky enough to visit the astonishingly beautiful and welcoming country of Oman, you will have innumerable opportunities to buy some for yourself at many different qualities and price levels. If your trip is like mine, you will also have the experience of seeing roadkill camel on the highway, and you will visit the tomb of the prophet Job, where you will learn that he was 14 feet tall and a Muslim. You will also learn that habitat degradation and over-harvesting are endangering the world’s frankincense supply. 

In any case, the gold and frankincense may refer to a prophecy of Isaiah. In the sixth verse of the sixtieth chapter, the prophet speaks of foreigners coming to the Holy Land with gifts of frankincense and gold; these foreigners are said to be riding camels, which may be why the Wise Men in manger scenes so frequently have camels in tow. Frankincense was a key ingredient of the incense burned before divine altars in ancient times. It is still sometimes used in Catholic, Orthodox, and high Anglican services today, but there is less need for it in modern religious services than in the distant past. In the ancient world, altars were less a place of community meditation and gathering than a slaughterhouse; animals were killed on the altar and butchered on site. The process was not always clean. It got hot in the summer; without incense to cover the smell, few would have the hardihood to spend much time in the temple.

Read it all.

“They shall see who have never been told of him, and they shall understand who have never heard of him.” Epiphany always seems to me one of the strangest and most mystical of all Christian festivals, and I’m sad to leave it behind for another year pic.twitter.com/yQt5pyME2t

— Dr Francis Young (@DrFrancisYoung) January 6, 2026

Everybody knows that Christmas is a season of joy. For one, it has at its heart a birth story. A new and healthy child came into the world, and his family rejoiced. Every birth is a new beginning, a fresh hope. Christmas joy overlaps with the most common of humanity’s great joys.

We tend not to associate joy with Epi­phany. In Epiphany, Christians re­member the visit that the sages from the East made to Bethlehem to honor the newborn Jesus, an act of gentile recognition of Christ’s divinity and mission (Matt. 2:1–12). In this season we also commemorate the first miracle Jesus performed—at the wedding in Cana of Galilee, when Jesus revealed his glory and his disciples believed in him (John 2:1–11). Each of these seemingly unrelated events highlights a crucial aspect of joy.

Read it all.

Today is Epiphany, when Western Christianity celebrates the three kings' visit to the infant Christ. Peter Bruegel the Elder's 'Adoration of the Kings' [National Gallery] is one of my favourite imaginings of that moment. It's also full of mystery.

Quick Epiphany 🧵 pic.twitter.com/9WMXoav61l

— Dr. Bendor Grosvenor 🇺🇦 (@arthistorynews) January 6, 2026

And we, what excuse shall we have if we come not? If so short and so easy a way we come not, as from our chambers hither, not to be called away indeed? Shall not our non venerunt have an ecce, Behold, it was stepping but over the threshold, and yet they came not?

And these were wise men, and never a whit the less wise for so coming; no never so truly wise in any thing they did, as in so coming. The Holy Spirit records them for wise, in capite libri, even in the beginning of the New Testament. Of Christ, when He came into the world, that is, when He was born, the Psalm saith, In the beginning of the Book it was writ of Him, He said, Ecce venio, Lo I come; of these in the same words, when they came to meet Him so born, it is said here in the beginning of the Gospel, Ecce venerunt, Behold they came.

And we, if we believe this, that this was their wisdom, if they and we be wise by one Spirit, by the same principles, we shall follow the same star, tread the same way, and so come at last whither they are happily gone before us.

Nay, not only that come, but this withal; to think and set down with ourselves, that to come to Christ is one of the wisest parts that ever these wise men did, or we or any else can do in all our lives.

And how shall we that do? I know not any more proper way left us, than to come to that which Himself by express order has left us, as the most special remembrance of Himself to be come to. When He came into the world, saith the Psalm, that is at His birth now, He said, Ecce venio. What then? Sacrifice and burnt-offering Thou wouldst not have, but a body hast Thou ordained Me. Mark, saith the Apostle, He takes away the first to establish the second, that is, to establish His body, and the coming to it. By the offering, breaking, and partaking of which body, we are all sanctified, so many as will come to it. For given it is, for the taking away of our sins. Nothing is more fit than at the time His body was ordained Him, and that is to-day, to come to the body so ordained.

And in the old Ritual of the Church we find that on the cover of the canister, wherein was the Sacrament of His Body, there was a star engraven, to shew us that now the star leads us thither, to His body there.

And what shall I say now, but according as St. John saith, and the star, and the wise men say, Come. And He, Whose the star is, and to Whom the wise men came, saith, Come. And let them who are disposed, Come. And…let whosoever will, take of the Bread of Life, which came down from Heaven this day into Bethlehem, the house of bread. Of which Bread the Church is this day the house, the true Bethlehem, and all the Bethlehem we have now left to come to for the Bread of life,of that His life which we hope for in Heaven. And this our nearest coming that here we can come, till we shall by another venite come, unto Him in His Heavenly Kingdom, to which He grant we may come, That this day came to us in earth that we thereby might come to Him and remain with Him for ever, Jesus Christ the Righteous.

Read it all.

“The Epiphany proclaims Christ as Lord of all peoples.”

St. Leo the Great pic.twitter.com/YMRzRSfWtV

— Catholic Quotes (@CatholicQuote12) January 7, 2026

It might have been just someone else’s story,
Some chosen people get a special king.
We leave them to their own peculiar glory,
We don’t belong, it doesn’t mean a thing.
But when these three arrive they bring us with them….

Read it all.

'Wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, asking, 'Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage''
Matthew 2: 1-3#Epiphany pic.twitter.com/8wd3Dg7lQ6

— Westminster Abbey (@wabbey) January 6, 2026

Lyrics:

All they from Sheba shall come: they shall bring gold and incense;
and they shall show forth the praises of the Lord. Alleluia.
The Kings of Tharsis and of the isles shall give Him presents;
the Kings of Arabia and Sheba shall bring gifts. Alleluia.

O Blessed Jesus, who by the shining of a star didst manifest thyself to them that sought thee: Show thy heavenly light to us, and give us grace to follow until we find thee; finding, to rejoice in thee; and rejoicing, to present to thee ourselves, our souls and bodies, for thy service for evermore: for thine honour and glory.

🌒 Daily Loci: Observations from my camper-van-camino 🚐✨- Contre-Jour https://t.co/2XQvt2LneA pic.twitter.com/A8LJvbK5in

— Andy Marshall 📸 (@fotofacade) January 7, 2026

“All the commandment which I command you this day you shall be careful to do, that you may live and multiply, and go in and possess the land which the Lord swore to give to your fathers. And you shall remember all the way which the Lord your God has led you these forty years in the wilderness, that he might humble you, testing you to know what was in your heart, whether you would keep his commandments, or not. And he humbled you and let you hunger and fed you with manna, which you did not know, nor did your fathers know; that he might make you know that man does not live by bread alone, but that man lives by everything that proceeds out of the mouth of the Lord.

–Deuteronomy 8:1-3

A fiery sky, sun pillar and crepuscular rays over Ireland's Eye from Portmarnock this morning. pic.twitter.com/Gg0L50RZYH

— Sryan Bruen Photography (@sryanbruenphoto) January 7, 2026