The Epiphany of the Lord
Readings for the Feast of the Epiphany[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
(Note: In most places the Epiphany of the Lord is celebrated on this date. In the General Calendar it is celebrated on December 6th. If you are following the General Calendar this date would be celebrated as the Second Sunday after Christmas – no commentary or reflection has been done for this option since it has not been used in the US or UK within the past four years.)
Reading I: Isaiah 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.
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Commentary on Is 60:1-6
The Church sees in the images of Isaiah’s prophecy symbols of her universality. We hear echoes of Isaiah’s prophetic vision of the coming of Christ and what that means.(“See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory”). Verses 5 and 6 give clear reference to the arrival of the Magi as the Prophet envisions the gifts of gold and frankincense being brought from the east in praise of the Lord.
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
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Commentary on Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
This selection focuses us clearly on the revelation of Christ. References are made to the Son of the King who will govern the people with justice. In the third strophe we are given kings bringing gifts and finally, in the fourth strophe we see the Savior’s care for the poor reflected.
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Reading II: Ephesians 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Paul, in his Letter to the Ephesians, makes reference to the revelation by God of his Only Son through various means to all peoples. He mentions specifically the Apostles and prophets have been lead to enlightenment by the Holy Spirit and now the Gentiles. The reference traces the predictive revelation from the prophets who foresaw the coming of the Messiah, to the Apostles who walked with him, to Paul whose mission to the Gentiles fulfills the global mission of Jesus.
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Gospel: Matthew 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:
Readings for the Feast of the Epiphany[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary:[3]
(Note: In most places the Epiphany of the Lord is celebrated on this date. In the General Calendar it is celebrated on December 6th. If you are following the General Calendar this date would be celebrated as the Second Sunday after Christmas – no commentary or reflection has been done for this option since it has not been used in the US or UK within the past four years.)
Reading I: Isaiah 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Is 60:1-6
The Church sees in the images of Isaiah’s prophecy symbols of her universality. We hear echoes of Isaiah’s prophetic vision of the coming of Christ and what that means.(“See, darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and over you appears his glory”). Verses 5 and 6 give clear reference to the arrival of the Magi as the Prophet envisions the gifts of gold and frankincense being brought from the east in praise of the Lord.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
This selection focuses us clearly on the revelation of Christ. References are made to the Son of the King who will govern the people with justice. In the third strophe we are given kings bringing gifts and finally, in the fourth strophe we see the Savior’s care for the poor reflected.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Reading II: Ephesians 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.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Paul, in his Letter to the Ephesians, makes reference to the revelation by God of his Only Son through various means to all peoples. He mentions specifically the Apostles and prophets have been lead to enlightenment by the Holy Spirit and now the Gentiles. The reference traces the predictive revelation from the prophets who foresaw the coming of the Messiah, to the Apostles who walked with him, to Paul whose mission to the Gentiles fulfills the global mission of Jesus.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Gospel: Matthew 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.
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Commentary on
We hear the story of the Magi (whom tradition holds were named Gaspar, Melchior, and Balthasar) coming to pay homage to Jesus. For us, in this time the story holds significance not only as a principle event in the life of Jesus, but also as a symbol of the Lord’s universal revelation. Scripture and tradition hold that the Magi were from Persia and were not Hebrew. Their participation in the revelation of the Messiah provides a global element to the coming of Christ.
Scriptural references would have held importance for the Jewish readers of St. Matthew’s Gospel. They would have recognized the reference to “his star at its rising” as being a reference to Numbers 24:17; his star rising from Jacob – a reference to the coming of the Davidic King – the Messiah. The Gospel supports this idea, citing Micah 5:1-3 which in turn is coupled with 2 Samuel 5:2, confirming the kingship of the coming Messiah.
While this story provides depth and meaning to the coming of Christ as a universal symbol of salvation, it also sets the stage for other events in the life of Jesus. Had not Herod been made aware of the prophecy, he would not later have dispatched his solders to Bethlehem to slaughter the Holy Innocents and Joseph would not have been forced to flee to Egypt with a babe in arms.
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Reflection:
The dictionary lists the definitions of the word “Epiphany” starting with our religions understanding of the word “a Christian festival, observed on January 6, commemorating the manifestation of Christ to the gentiles in the persons of the Magi; Twelfth-day.”[4] Today, using this same source, we reflect upon the celebration of the Magi event using a more generic definition “a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience.”
We have heard the story of the Magi from the time we first were told the story of the Nativity. The Magi are an essential part of the story of Jesus’ birth. They represent the universal nature of the saving event of Christ’s incarnation. The Magi are not just gentile – they come from what many of us today see as the home of the most anti-Christian place in the world – Persia. These “Wise Men” come to worship the new born King. Would Persian scholars come to worship a king of the Hebrews? No, they came to worship their new borne king, the king that brings salvation not to the Hebrews alone but to the world and all the peoples of it.
It is this understanding; this change of perspective that is the Epiphany – the sudden intuitive perception into the reality of the Nativity – the incarnation of Christ. Jesus did not come just for me or for a group who consider themselves good Christians. He came as an open invitation from the God who created all things. He came as the single revelatory event that tells the whole world of God’s intense love for his creation.
In a blinding flash of revelation that should strike awe into every heart, the Magi come “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.” On this day we do the same, thanking God for his offering and sacrifice.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture is “Adoration of the Magi” by Gaspare Diziani, 1755
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana, Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
[4] Epiphany. Dictionary.com. Dictionary.com Unabridged. Random House, Inc. http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/Epiphany (accessed: January 02, 2010).
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