The Epiphany of the Lord
Lectionary: 20
Reading I
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
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
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
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
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,
It is befitting that this morning the first snow of the season fell and the landscape is blanketed in a wonderful cleansing white. The words of Isaiah come to mind, “Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow.” It is through Jesus Christ and a loving relationship with God that this is achieved. The Epiphany is a reminder that Jesus came into this world, the Word becoming Flesh, for the salvation of all peoples and all of God’s creation. No one is excluded from this wonderous gift. Each of us, created in God’s image, are invited to come forward and claim our birthright as God’s Children and accept what is being offered. Just as we celebrated Christ’s birth previously, we now continue the celebration by focusing on us becoming part of the story. Just as the magi came to adore Jesus and pay Him homage, we too are invited to come forward to adore Him and pay Him homage. And how do we do this? We do this by focusing our thoughts and actions on the things that are truly important in life: things that will reveal Jesus Christ to the world. It is through us that Jesus Christ can be realized while our own salvation is being achieved. Every interaction that we have then becomes an Epiphany of sorts when Jesus is at the center of it.
There are four great mysteries that are revealed today, and each serve as a window into the mystical workings of the Church. Christ’s Birth and the beginning of our salvation story are followed by the Baptism of the Lord and the Wedding at Cana. It is through Christ’s Baptism that you have the full revelation of the Trinity and it is through Cana that you have the beginning of Jesus’ public ministry. Turning water into wine, Jesus was giving an early indication regarding how it would be through Him and the shedding of His blood that we would be saved, and our sins would be forgiven. It can also be observed that the wedding feast became Jesus’ wedding to His Church and therefore he became the bridegroom through the miracle of the wine. John the Baptist was performing a baptism of repentance, and Jesus received the baptism so as to serve as an example for us to follow: it is through repentance and a transformative experience that Jesus is revealed to us and the Kingdom of God is realized. This kingdom is then experienced through a relationship with Jesus that is built upon the understanding of the Paschal Mystery:
God sent His only begotten Son into this world to suffer, die, and be resurrected so that we may receive eternal life.
Meditating on these mysteries can have an impactful effect on our faith-life. We can be strengthened by the knowledge that we have an opportunity to enter a very intimate relationship with Jesus, emboldened with the understanding that He came into this world for us. To suffer for us. To die for us. It is through Jesus that we come to know the Father, while being encouraged by the Holy Spirit. It is through repentance that we can deepen this relationship and experience the love of God It is through the Holy Mother Church that we receive the precious gifts of the Body and Blood of Jesus Christ that unites ourselves physically, mentally, and spiritually with Him. The more we think about our faith, the more we will act on our faith. Our faith will then become stronger as a result and our relationship with God will deepen. Just as the snow blankets the ground today, so can our hearts be blanketed with the presence of God in our lives will the expected effects as revealed through the mysteries celebrated today in The Epiphany.
Deacon Tom
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