Happy New Year, or perhaps, happy feast of the Motherhood of our Blessed Lady.
On January 1 we are reminded of the role Mary played in the salvation of humankind. The title “Mother of God” is a western derivation from the Greek Theotokos, which means “God-bearer”. Mary being chosen by God, the Father, to bring Jesus Christ into this world, and her willingness to do so is great cause for celebration.
This is followed by the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6 (in our calendar it is on the weekend of January 4-6). The word epiphany comes from another Greek word meaning “manifestation” or “showing”. The feast also commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ child, and thus Jesus’ physical manifestation to the Gentiles/non-Jewish people.
The Baptism of the Lord occurs on the Sunday after the Epiphany and is notable because it marks the beginning of Jesus’ ministry and confirms his identity as the Son of God. This event is documented in all the gospels except John.
In a way it means back to business for Jesus as we begin again to focus on his public ministry as described in the Gospels. And it also means the same for us, the glory and joy of Christmas now begins to give way to the comings and goings of everyday life.
But just as we pass the midpoint of January, we celebrate the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, which is an ecumenical observance in the Christian calendar celebrated internationally. It is kept annually between January 18 and January 25. The theme for the Week, chosen by the community of Bose, an ecumenical monastery of brothers and sisters in northern Italy is, “Do you believe this?”
And finally, from a personal point of view, on January 25 it will be 17 years since I was consecrated the Bishop of Middlesbrough. How time flies. Please pray for me and I will pray for you. 

In blessed hope,

+Terry