Mass Reading: Sunday - 05th January 2025

First reading

Isaiah 60:1-6

Above you the glory of the Lord appears

Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come,

the glory of the Lord is rising on you,

though night still covers the earth

and darkness the peoples.

Above you the Lord now rises

and above you his glory appears.

The nations come to your light

and kings to your dawning brightness.

Lift up your eyes and look round:

all are assembling and coming towards you,

your sons from far away

and your daughters being tenderly carried.

At this sight you will grow radiant,

your heart throbbing and full;

since the riches of the sea will flow to you,

the wealth of the nations come to you;

camels in throngs will cover you,

and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;

everyone in Sheba will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing the praise of the Lord.

The word of the Lord.

________

Responsorial Psalm

Psalm 71(72):1-2,7-8,10-13

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

O God, give your judgement to the king,

    to a king’s son your justice,

that he may judge your people in justice

    and your poor in right judgement.

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

In his days justice shall flourish

    and peace till the moon fails.

He shall rule from sea to sea,

    from the Great River to earth’s bounds.

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts

    shall pay him tribute.

The kings of Sheba and Seba

    shall bring him gifts.

Before him all kings shall fall prostrate,

    all nations shall serve him.

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

For he shall save the poor when they cry

    and the needy who are helpless.

He will have pity on the weak

    and save the lives of the poor.

All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

________

Second reading

Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6

It has now been revealed that pagans share the same inheritance

You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery. This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.

The word of the Lord.

________

Gospel Acclamation

Mt2:2

Alleluia, alleluia!

We saw his star as it rose

and have come to do the Lord homage.

Alleluia!

________

Gospel

Matthew 2:1-12

The visit of the Magi

After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah,

for out of you will come a leader

who will shepherd my people Israel.’

Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.

The Gospel of the Lord.

Mass Reflection: Sunday - 05th January 2025

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning “to reveal,” and all of the various events celebrated by the Feast of the Epiphany are revelations of Christ to all humankind. Epiphany is traditionally and actually on January 6, but a number of years ago the Bishops in the United States moved it to the Sunday that falls between January 2 and 8.    Of course, our readings on this solemnity all refer to the Epiphany as we know it — the time that the divinity of Jesus was revealed, made manifest, to the entire world, not just Israel and the Jewish people. The world is represented by the three magi — the wise men as most of us know them. They came from the east and were, like most of us, Gentiles.   In the First Reading from Isaiah the prophet speaks of what will happen centuries later after the birth of Christ. There are two strong references to the story of the Magi with which we are so familiar. Isaiah declares, “Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” We often speak of the Light of Christ, and often He is portrayed in art sort of glowing or with a light on His face. In addition, we have the light of the star which led the Magi to Him so they could worship Him. The images we have of them are influenced by Isaiah, when he says, “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.”   Therefore, today we celebrate receiving God’s light. But there is more to it than that. The First Reading opens with “Rise up in splendor…Your light has come.” We are to do more than just receive the light. We are to share it and reflect it. In our terms it is as if the Lord said, “Rise and shine; your light has come.” That is what we mean when we say we are called. We are called to be disciples and to be the Light of Christ for those around us.   In his letter to the Ephesians, our Second Reading, Saint Paul speaks of the revelations which this day represents. Paul points out that it had been revealed to us; a revelation is an epiphany. What is revealed? Exactly what Isaiah speaks of in the fact that Christ and His Divinity are revealed to the whole world. And what is the key to this revelation? The fact that “the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.”   Paul also says in relation to the divinity of the Lord, “the mystery was made known to me by revelation.” We need to appreciate that what we translate as “mystery” is from the Greek word, mysterion, used by Paul. For us a mystery may represent something dark or obscure or incomprehensible. However, that is not the meaning of mysterion. It is more accurately translated as a now-open secret, something originally hidden, but now revealed by God.   There are certain passages in Holy Scripture almost universally known, and certainly well known to even a lukewarm Christian. The story of the Magi, the wise men or the three kings, falls into that category. As Matthew shares it in today’s Gospel, they were “magi from the east.” At no time does Matthew tell us there were three of them nor does he indicate that they are kings. Most likely, according to scholars, they were astronomers or astrologers, thus their knowledge of and fascination with the star which led them. Who they were and how many of them there were is not important. What is important is that they represent all of us, and their actions suggest to us how we need to respond to Jesus Christ and what He is and represents.   Holy Scripture is filled with subtleties we sometimes miss. Matthew tells us that “on entering the house they saw the child with Mary his mother.” Joseph is evidently not present, and there is a reason for that. He was not, as we know, the true father to Jesus. They presented gifts to Jesus, not to His mother or His parents. When we give to Jesus today, we do not do it directly, but to the Lord’s people through the parish and other charities.   Finally, these visitors worshiped the Lord (“They prostrated themselves and did him homage.”). We, too, need to worship the Lord; we, too, need to acknowledge His holiness and His kingship. Worshiping is more important than the gifts, but we are reminded in this Gospel that both are significant.