Deacon Tom Anthony

The Epiphany of the Lord
Lectionary: 20

Reading 1 1 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.

Readings 2 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,

 The Christmas Season continues with the celebration of the Epiphany and the three revelations that are examined during this day. The first is the understanding that salvation through Jesus Christ is offered to all of God’s Creation. Jesus Christ came into the world for the benefit of everyone and everything. There were no preconditions to this event nor were there any pre-qualifier to accomplish before one could be a benefactor to this event. God loves everyone and because of this He sent His only son into this world in this final age so as to offer salvation and forgiveness of sins to all peoples.

The Story of the Magi continues the Infancy Narrative of Jesus Christ. Coupled with the visit from the Shepherds, it offers us the message that through Jesus Christ the least of those in society will be lifted up to the highest of heights. It turns the tables on the expectations and perceptions of society by lifting up the shepherds to a position of honor; being invited to come forward to give homage to Jesus Christ. The lowest of the low, the outcasts and poor, become the highest of the high through Jesus Christ. The Magi represent all of us being invited into the Salvation Story. The Magi were pagans. They were gentiles of the Mede Religious Class but came to honor the Jewish King. Through Jesus Christ all divisions and separations have been destroyed. He is the gate to which everyone reaches the Father and experiences salvation.

The celebration of the Epiphany starts with the celebration of the arrival of the Magi but continues with the Baptism of Jesus and the miracle of the transforming of water into wine at the Wedding Feast of Cana. These three revelations define who Jesus Christ is and how we should approach Him in relation to our own spirituality. Through the Baptism in the Jordan the Trinity is revealed in all of its glory and through the miracle at Cana Jesus’ divinity is further revealed through the beginning of His ministry. All three of these events further our journey through the Christmas Season: the Incarnation followed by revelation and what it all means to us.

This time can mark a period of renewal. Starting with our spiritual selves we can examine these mysteries in relation to us and our own relationships. Putting new importance on these events can invigorate us to allow them to impact our actions and where our spiritual development takes us. A clear path is given to us to recognize that Jesus Christ came into this world for the salvation of the world and all of God’s creation. Through repentance and a commitment to our faith we are invited into a relationship with the Trinity: influenced by the Love of God we are welcomed by the son to go forward to the Father. We in affect are offered to join the Trinity and to receive all the gifts that it has to offer. All of this is then explained through the Gospels and through what is written in Sacred Scripture. Everything before these events and everything afterwards takes on a new meaning and a new understanding.

This day marks a new day in all of us. Through it we continue our celebration of being invited into the Salvation Story with Jesus Christ and we can recommit ourselves to a Life with Jesus Christ by becoming participators in these mysteries. By understanding them we can gain a deeper understanding of ourselves and what being a Christian truly means.

Deacon Tom