The Epiphany of the Lord
First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
R. (cf. 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king's son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Second Reading: Ephesians 3:2-3A, 5-6
Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God's grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage."
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel."
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
"Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage."
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.
NAB
On this beautiful feast of the Epiphany, I am intrigued by the journey of the Wise Men. It was an ancient belief and common understanding that a new star appeared at the time of a ruler’s birth. When the Wise Men saw this new star they set off on their laborious journey to find the newborn King.
I admire their perseverance and determination! When they were unsure where to continue on their journey, they sought help to find out where the Messiah was to be born. They continued and saw the star once again as it led them directly to the Christ Child. Upon finding Him, they immediately fell to their knees, did Him homage, and offered Him the finest gifts they had. Later, when it was revealed to them that they should not return to Herod, they were obedient and took another route home.
These Wise Men were on a mission, literally. They had one goal in sight—to find the newborn King. Nothing stopped them. Setbacks were dealt with and the mission moved forward. They acted with perseverance, humility, generosity, and obedience.
I can’t help but wonder if I have that same kind of determination to seek out my Savior each and every day. It was easier for me during Advent and the Christmas season, but when I am back to “normal life” will I still seek out Our Lord as fervently? Knowing that He is waiting to spend time with me in prayer, will I do everything in my power to make sure we have our quiet time together? Knowing that Jesus is waiting in the Eucharist for me, do I arrange my schedule to attend Mass on a day other than Sunday or stop by the Adoration chapel to make a spiritual communion? Knowing that He is present in the people I see every day, will I treat them with charity and live out my vocation with sacrificial love?
I pray that each of us never tires of traveling on this journey. Like the star in the sky, the Church shines in the darkness and guides us with her wisdom and the Sacraments. Each day, we have the opportunity to kneel down before our King and offer Him the greatest gifts we have—our hearts, our love, our lives.
Like the star in the sky, the Church shines in the darkness. // @bobbi_rolClick to tweet
Take a few moments to imagine yourself kneeling with the wise men before the Christ Child. What gift of yourself can you give to Jesus today?
Bobbi Rol is a wife, a mama of four and a blogger learning to love God in the midst of dishes, laundry and swinging light sabers. You can find out more about her here.
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