(Journey of the Magi, James Tissot, 1894)

The Epiphany of the Lord
Lectionary: 20
3 JAN 2016 A.D.



First Reading 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.


(The Magi, Basilica of Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna, Italy, 526 A.D.)

Responsorial Psalm PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

R. 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 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.


(Adoration of the Magi, Alexandre-François Caminade, 1831)

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.

Bible Study--The Epiphany
(courtesy Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics)


"Like the Magi, we have discovered a star—a light and guide in the sky of our soul. “We have seen his star in the east and have come to worship him.” We have had the same experience. We too noticed a new light shining in our soul and growing increasingly brighter. It was a desire to live a fully Christian life, a keenness to take God seriously." St. Josemaria Escriva

EPIPHANY=Christian festival held in January to honor of the coming of the three kings to the infant Jesus Christ. : a moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or very clear way.

Middle English and amp; Old French epiphanie ; from Ecclesiastical Late Latin epiphania ; from Ecclesiastical Greek epiphaneia, appearance ; from epiphainein, to show forth, manifest ; from epi-, upon + phainein, to show

...at Mass each and every Epiphany finds our Pastor's Homily, very resonant and clear, as follows:

"WISE MEN STILL SEEK HIM!"

and he quietly sits back down in the Celebrant's Chair at the Altar.

very thought provoking, humbling, and effective.



BETHLEHEM=Hebrew: Bet (house) Lehem (bread), Modern: Bet Lehem [bet 'lehem], lit. "House of Bread"

Thanks op and God Bless. One of my favorites, and it should be one of everybody's favorites is "Wise Men Still Seek Him". The journey is never ending and always fulfilling. Everyday we are alive and have the opportunity to seek the Lord is a good day.

BINGO, artman54!

You said it all.

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BNA outdid himself! it is quite beautiful! As is the moment captured in the gospel. A baby born in squalor and such humility yet he is treated like a King!



The many miracles that surround the birth of Christ... gave such contradiction to how the world defines KING.



 

Bless you, angelfire!

Ya made my week with your most kind words!

After the American Revolution concluded in success, Congress was quite literally ready to offer a "kingship" to Gen. Geo. Washington, rather than a mere "presidency," it is rumored that the Father of our Country replied for America: "NO KING BUT JESUS!"

BNA

What an important message and one worth repeating for the people of our time.