Jesus makes Himself known to the World during the time of King Herod

January 3, 2016

The Epiphany of the Lord

Saint of the Day: Saint Genevieve, Virgin (c. 422-512)

Reading 1

Isaiah 60:1-6

1Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.[1] 2See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the LORD shines, and over you appears His glory.

3Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance. 4Raise 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.

5Then 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.

6Caravans 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

Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

R. (compare with verse 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

1O God, with your judgment endow the king, and with your justice, the king’s son; 2He shall govern your people with justice and your afflicted ones with judgment.

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

7Justice shall flower in His days, and profound peace, till the moon be no more. 8May 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.

10The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts; the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. 11All kings shall pay Him homage, all nations shall serve Him.

R. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

12For He shall rescue the poor when He cries out, and the afflicted when He has no one to help Him. 13He 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 2

Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6

2Brothers and sisters: You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit,[2] 3anamely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.[3]

5It was not made known to people in other generations as it has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit: 6that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Alleluia Matthew 2:2

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

We saw His star at its rising and have come to do Him homage.

R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel

Matthew 2:1-12

1When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod, behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem,[4] [5] 2saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw His star at its rising and have come to do Him homage.”[6]

3When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.[7] 

5They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: 6And 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.”

7Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. 8He 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.”

9After 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. 10They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 11and 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.[8] 12And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.

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Notes on Readings:

[1] Isaiah 60:1-6 - The Church makes use of these verses for the first reading of the Mass on the feast of Epiphany, for she sees in them symbols of her universality.

[2] Ephesians 3:2 - Stewardship: the Greek is the same term employed at Ephesians 1:10 for the plan that God administers (Colossians 1:25) and in which Paul plays a key role.

[3] Ephesians 3:3-4 - The mystery: God's resolve to deliver Gentiles along with Israel through Christ; compare with the notes on Ephesians 1:9; 3:9.

[4] Matthew 2:1-12 - The future rejection of Jesus by Israel and His acceptance by the Gentiles are retrojected into this scene of the narrative.

[5] Matthew 2:1 - In the days of King Herod: Herod reigned from 37 to 4 B.C. Magi: originally a designation of the Persian priestly caste, the word became used of those who were regarded as having more than human knowledge. Matthew's magi are astrologers.

[6] Matthew 2:2 - We saw His star: it was a common ancient belief that a new star appeared at the time of a ruler's birth. Matthew also draws upon the Old Testament story of Balaam, who had prophesied that "A star shall advance from Jacob" (Number 24:17), though there the star means not an astral phenomenon but the king himself.

[7] Matthew 2:4 - Herod's consultation with the chief priests and scribes has some similarity to a Jewish legend about the child Moses in which the "sacred scribes" warn Pharaoh about the imminent birth of one who will deliver Israel from Egypt and the king makes plans to destroy him. Matthew 2:11: Compare with Psalm 72:10, 15; Isaiah 60:6. These Old Testament texts led to the interpretation of the magi as kings.

[8] Matthew 2:11 - Psalm 72-10 ; Psalm 72:15; Isaiah 60:6; These Old Testament texts led to the interpretation of the magi as Kings.