The Epiphany of the Lord

Lectionary: 20

Reading I

Is 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

Ps 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.

Reading II

Eph 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.

Alleluia

Mt 2:2

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Mt 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.

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

Today we continue our celebration of The Birth of Our Lord Savior Jesus Christ. The Second Sunday of The Christmas Season brings us to The Solemnity of The Epiphany. It is here where 3 great mysteries of our faith are revealed and meditated on. The first is marked by the Visit of the Magi and is most associated with this day. The second is the Baptism of The Lord. Lastly comes the Wedding Feast of Cana, where Jesus turned water into wine. All three of these revelations are important moments in the life of Jesus and should be very important to us. They can lead us to a deeper understanding of Jesus and who He is in relation to us. There is a reason why these events are brought up during The Christmas Season. The Magi did not arrive immediately after Jesus was born and His Baptism, along with the Miracle at Cana, did not occur until Jesus was an adult. All of these events are intricately linked and provide us with Divine Revelation which are central to our faith.

 

The Magi were Medes, a priestly class from Northern Persia who were known to practice astrology. They were Pagans and had different religious practices than The Jews. Even though this was the case, they recognized the importance of the birth of Jesus and The Word becoming flesh. With that, they came bearing gifts to give Jesus homage: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold represents Jesus as a king, frankincense as a prophet, and myrrh to foreshadow His death for our salvation. The first to witness Jesus and to come forward to give Him homage were shepherds in the field. Shepherds were low stature in Jewish Society. The Magi, being foreigners and gentiles, were the same. Yet these two groups of men were called to come glorify Jesus. We are the shepherds, and we are the Magi. Jesus Christ came into this world for the salvation of everyone. It is from our brokenness and wounds that He calls us to love Him. It is then through Him that we are healed and are eventually led to perfection. Some are wounded more, while others are wounded less. That doesn’t mean Jesus loves others more or less. We are all the same in the eyes of God: we all are His children. Every person within God’s creation is on their own personal journey towards Christ and will find Him in their own time. It is then that they will ultimately accept Him or reject Him. The shepherds were called, and they answered. The Magi were called, and they answered. We have been called. Will we answer?

 

The Baptism of the Lord reveals The Holy Trinity in its totality to the world. Jesus, being baptized by John, rose from the water. At that moment, The Holy Spirit descended like a dove upon Him, and God the Father spoke: “This is my beloved son, in whom I am well pleased.” Through this event, no doubt can be left as to who Jesus is and His divinity. It also presents the relationship of The Holy Trinity. Jesus has authority to speak on behalf of the Father and The Love of God flows through Him. As The Apostle John proclaimed: “ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God. He was in the beginning with God. All things came to be through him, and without him nothing came to be.” These words as well as the events at Jesus’ baptism presents us with a clear picture of The Trinity and the relationship that we are invited to participate in. We are part of this relationship because we are God’s children and have been invited to love Him. To love Him is to know Him and to know Him is to enter into relationship with Him. At Cana, Jesus turned water into wine. This marked the beginning of His public ministry. It was also the first miracle He publicly performed. The water and wine gain deeper meaning especially during The Last Supper and when water and blood flowed from Jesus’ side when He was pierced by a lance: The Blood of the New Covenant, first represented at Cana then the Last Supper, is then brought to full revelation through The Crucifixion.

 

These three events have been absorbed into our faith and our practices. We as Christians are defined by having received the invitation to love God and responding to it. Our baptism makes us members of The Church and receivers of Sanctifying Grace. We then receive The Body and Blood of Jesus Christ and are sealed with The Gift of the Holy Spirit through Confirmation. Spiritually we live the mysteries of The Epiphany daily through the practice of our faith. When we worship, the Epiphany comes alive as we come forward broken to recognize our sins, beg for forgiveness, and recognize that we have been forgiven. We are then fed through The Living Word and then through The Body and Blood of Our Lord Jesus Christ, all the while joyfully praying and giving praise to our God. Today we are invited to live The Epiphany always. Receive these mysteries as gifts and cherish them as much as gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Use these gifts and live these gifts as we are encouraged to do. When we do this then we can more fully realize just how awesome the event of the child Jesus coming into the world is.

 

Deacon Tom

 

Reading I

Nm 6:22-27

The LORD said to Moses:  
“Speak to Aaron and his sons and tell them:  
This is how you shall bless the Israelites.
Say to them:  
The LORD bless you and keep you!  
The LORD let his face shine upon      
you, and be gracious to you!  
The LORD look upon you kindly and      
give you peace!
So shall they invoke my name upon the Israelites,  
and I will bless them.”

Responsorial Psalm

Ps 67:2-3, 5, 6, 8

R. (2a) May God bless us in his mercy.
May God have pity on us and bless us;
may he let his face shine upon us.
So may your way be known upon earth;
among all nations, your salvation.
R. May God bless us in his mercy.
May the nations be glad and exult
because you rule the peoples in equity;
the nations on the earth you guide.
R. May God bless us in his mercy.
May the peoples praise you, O God;
may all the peoples praise you!
May God bless us,
and may all the ends of the earth fear him!
R. May God bless us in his mercy.

Reading II

Gal 4:4-7

Brothers and sisters:
When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son,  
born of a woman, born under the law,  
to ransom those under the law,  
so that we might receive adoption as sons.
As proof that you are sons,  
God sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,  
crying out, “Abba, Father!”
So you are no longer a slave but a son,  
and if a son then also an heir, through God.

Alleluia

Heb 1:1-2

R. Alleluia, alleluia.
In the past God spoke to our ancestors through the prophets;
in these last days, he has spoken to us through the Son.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Lk 2:16-21

The shepherds went in haste to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph,  
and the infant lying in the manger.
When they saw this,  
they made known the message  
that had been told them about this child.
All who heard it were amazed  
by what had been told them by the shepherds.
And Mary kept all these things,  
reflecting on them in her heart.
Then the shepherds returned,  
glorifying and praising God  
for all they had heard and seen,  
just as it had been told to them.  

When eight days were completed for his circumcision,  
he was named Jesus, the name given him by the angel  
before he was conceived in the womb.

 

 

MY BROTHERS AND SISTERS,

 

We have been blessed this year with celebrating the Solemnity of Mary the Mother of God on this Sunday in the Octave of Christmas. This does not happen often. The last time we did this was back in 2016. Today we would usually be celebrating the Feast of the Holy Family, but instead that was switched to January 30^th with Mary the Mother of God taking precedence. Even though this is the case, nothing prevents us from reflecting on the message that both these celebrations bring into our lives. The Holy Family invites us to contemplate the various roles we take on in our lives as Christians. As fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters we can face unique challenges fulfilling our obligations all the while trying to live a virtuous life in the face of a society that is growing more hostile to those of us who follow a higher truth grounded in the teachings of Jesus Christ. The Family Social Unit, arguably the most influential and important social unit, is under assault from institutions and people who want to redefine the roles of the mother and the father. Traditional values, grounded in the teachings of God, are criticized, and deemed as outdated by those who wish to influence the thoughts and behaviors of our children in order for them to think and act in away that is counter to the expectations of what is understood as the proper way of doing things. As a result, there is conflict and opposition to a life that is grounded in the teachings of the Church.

 

Over the past several years, this has intensified. At the same time, we as a community were prevented from gathering to worship. There was a perception that this was done intentionally to further weaken the influence of God in society. Weddings, funerals, baptisms, other Sacraments and rituals were denied, which provided necessary comfort and spirituality in times of joy and in times of mourning. We were forced to change our habits and behaviors to comply with earthly powers that arguably did not have our best interests in mind. The question was asked several times: “Why could we go shopping at Walmart, Home Depot, and the supermarket but we could not gather for worship? The answer was always the same: there wasn’t one. Meanwhile, major social upheaval was occurring as the defining roles of the basic principles and understanding of the family, the mother, the father, and the expectations of children were being fundamentally altered. Social Engineering was at the root of all these things. A dramatic and intentional push to alter the consciousness of society.

 

What I just described might be a very dark and bleak picture, but there is always light which opposes the darkness. That light is Jesus Christ. The presence of Jesus Christ is more evident when it is present in contrast to the things that are against Him. The image of the Holy Family, in its beatific simplicity, is a powerful force that reveals a higher truth which cannot be denied. All the darkness, all the evil, cannot prevail against that which is so innocent and undefiled. The Word became flesh and entered this world. Joseph, the stepfather of Jesus, led his family through trial and tribulation. A role which he accepted and embraced. He was faced with scandal, the loss of stature and livelihood, and faced impending death. Yet he persevered. Mary, barely 15 years of age, carried the Christ-child and raised Him as her own. All other social obligations were set aside for this higher obligation to ensure that this most unique family would be intact and would persevere against all odds.

 

All of us have the same obligations and expectations as the Christian Faithful. We all are fathers, mothers, sons, and daughters. With that comes certain duties and expectations that cannot be ignored. When we commit to our roles, then things become all the clearer in a world filled with fear and anxiety. We honor our mother and father. We love our children. We struggle and fight for the safety and security of all those we love. We right the wrongs. We admit our faults while committing to doing better in the future. We make the adjustments necessary to bring our will in communion with that of God’s. In fact, we surrender our will over to God. This brings about truth and true joy.

 

When the angel Gabriel appeared to Mary to proclaim that she was chosen to be the Mother of God, she humbly accepted. We, on this wonderful day, are encouraged to accept our role as Children of God. We are encouraged to reject the allures of this world and the temptations to pursue selfish things for selfish gain. We are destined for a higher purpose, guided by our relationship with Jesus Christ. At the same time, we have a great advocate. Mary is our mother. She is with us also, advocating for our best interests, praying constantly to her son on our behalf. When we fulfill our duties and expectations only good things can result. Perseverance, as in the parable of the persistent widow, can only render good things. These good things will become evident when we keep our focus.

 

Deacon Tom