THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - Gospel (Matthew 2:1-12) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
- NHA CHUA CHA
- 5 days ago
- 6 min read
FIRST READING - Is 60:1-6
"The glory of the Lord has dawned upon you."
A reading from the Book of Isaiah
1 [a]Arise! Shine, for your light has come,
the glory of the Lord has dawned upon you.
2 Though darkness covers the earth,
and thick clouds, the peoples,
Upon you the Lord will dawn,
and over you his glory will be seen.
3 Nations shall walk by your light,
kings by the radiance of your dawning.
4 Raise your eyes and look about;
they all gather and come to you—Your sons from afar,
your daughters in the arms of their nurses.
5 Then you shall see and be radiant,
your heart shall throb and overflow.
For the riches of the sea shall be poured out before you,
the wealth of nations shall come to you.
6 Caravans of camels shall cover you,
dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
All from Sheba shall come
bearing gold and frankincense,
and heralding the praises of the Lord.
SECOND READING - Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
"It has now been revealed that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body."
A reading from the Letter to the Ephesians
2 if, as I suppose, you have heard of the stewardship[a] of God’s grace that was given to me for your benefit, 3 [namely, that] the mystery[b] was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly earlier. 5 which was not made known to human beings in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit, 6 that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body, and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 2:1-12
"We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage."
✠From the Gospel according to Matthew
[a] 1 When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, in the days of King Herod,[b] behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, 2 saying, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star[c] at its rising and have come to do him homage.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was greatly troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born.[d] 5 They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet:
6 ‘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.’”
7 Then Herod called the magi secretly and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance. 8 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.” 9 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. 10 They were overjoyed at seeing the star, 11 [e]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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they departed for their country by another way.
THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - Gospel (Matthew 2:1-12)
THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE
Dear people of God,
Today's Word of God reveals to all of humanity Jesus Christ, the Son of God, who became human.
God is the God of love. He is the Creator of heaven and earth and all things; He is the Creator of all humanity; He is the Lord of everything in heaven and on earth.
No one loves humanity more than God. It is for this reason that God humbled Himself, giving up all glory and honor to come into the world to become man, to dwell with humanity, and to bring God's love to embrace and protect mankind.
God had prepared for a very long time to announce the birth of the Son of God in Bethlehem.
Through today's Word of God, the prophet Isaiah also proclaims of Jerusalem, a city chosen by God for God's glory to shine forth there.
“Rise up in splendor, O Jerusalem!” Rise up in splendor signifies that God's salvation for humanity originates from the very people of Jesus Christ. This nation was chosen and called by God to be His own people. But God's love is not limited and confined to a select few; rather, He desires that His love spread to all humanity through them. For all people are children of God the Father, and all are under His providential hand.
God the Father created mankind, so He knows every single soul intimately, and He excludes no soul from the embrace of His loving arms.
Today's Word of God shows God’s love shining upon all nations.
This image is manifested through the three magi who sought every means to meet the One who was to come into the world, who is Jesus Christ, the Son of God who became man. The three magi representing all of humanity came to pay homage to the Infant Jesus, offering all that they had to give thanks to God, expressed through gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
A mysterious star guided the three Magi to the cave of Bethlehem, where the Son of God was born into the world as a human being.
This image shows that, to believe in Jesus, the Son of God who came into the world as a human, taking on the poor and humble human condition, one must know how to renounce everything that belongs to the world, everything that is one's own will, and live a life of humility, self-abasement, littleness, and simplicity.
It was God’s love that transformed the three Wise Men, leading them to follow God's instruction resolutely.
When they witnessed and believed that it was true, just as the prophets had foretold, the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem, they bore witness to everyone. And after meeting the Infant Jesus, they did not follow their own will but were determined to follow God’s instruction, which was resolve not to return to the old ways; that is the resolve to renounce the old self, the old life with its sins and worldly passions, and to walk on the path of the light of truth that God had instructed.
The image of the three Magi also leaves a lesson for people today: to find the Savior, the Son of God, each person must resolve to renounce all worldly material things, abandon the old way of life filled with sin and worldly passions, and step towards God’s light of truth. That is advancing on the path of love. Resolve not to return to the old ways, the path of sin, but to put on the light of God so that this very light will lead everyone to eternal life.
In today's Word of God, God calls upon everyone to follow the example of the three Magi, courageously set out on a journey, to bravely renounce all worldly material things to seek the Savior, so that He may free us from the captivity of Satan.
God also calls upon everyone to return to our inner life, to open our hearts and souls to welcome the Son of God to dwell within our hearts, so that He may transform us into a new person belonging to Christ.
Let us come reverently and worship the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who became man, and who sacrificed Himself and died to redeem all humanity.
God Himself is present and remains with humanity in the daily Word of God and in the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist through every Mass.
Let us come to God the Father and remain in His love, for His very love and mercy will encompass, cover, and outweigh all the sins of all humanity.
Thanks be to God. Amen.
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