THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - Gospel (Mt 2:1-12) - THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” (Mt 2:2)

FIRST READING - Isaiah 60:1-6

First reading form the Book of Isaiah

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.

SECOND READING from the Letter of St. Paul to the Ephesians - 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.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY - Mt 2:1-12

From the Gospel according to Matthew

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.

THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - Gospel (Mt 2:1-12)

THE WORD OF GOD FOR EVERYONE

  Dear People of God,

In today's Word of God, God reveals to all humanity that Jesus Christ is the son of God who came to earth to become a human being. God is a God of love. He is the Creator of heaven and earth, of all things and creatures. He is the Creator of all mankind and the Master of all things in heaven and on earth.

No one loves humanity as much as God.

It is because of love, that God humbled Himself to give up all glory and honor to come to earth to become a human being, to live with and protect humanity. God prepared for a very long time to announce the birth of the Son of God in Bethlehem.

In today's Word of God, the prophet Isaiah also announces Jerusalem, a city chosen by God for God's glory to shine: "Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem!" This shows that God's salvation for humanity comes from the people of Jesus Christ. God chose these people and called them His own.

But God's love is not limited to a small group. Instead, He wants His love to spread to all humankind. Because all people are His children, and all are under His providential hand. God is the Creator of man, so He knows each person, and He does not exclude any soul from His loving arms.

Today's Word of God shows that God's love shines down on all people. That image is shown through the three magi who tried every way to meet the One who must come to the world, Jesus Christ, the Son of God who came to earth to become a human being. The three magi represented all of humanity to came to pay homage to the Child Jesus. They offered all that they had to thank God, expressed through gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

The miraculous star led the three magi to the cave of Bethlehem, where the Son of God was born as a human being. This image shows that to believe in Jesus, the Son of God who came to earth to become a human being, taking on the poor condition of a human being, one must know how to give up everything that belongs to the world, give up everything that is one's own will and live a humble, self-effacing, small and simple life. It was God's love that transformed the three magi so that they were determined to follow God's teachings.

When they witnessed and believed that it was true as the prophets had announced about the Messiah being born in Bethlehem, they testified to everyone. And since they met the Child Jesus, they did not follow their own will but were determined to follow God's teachings and not return to the old path. That is the determination to abandon the sins and passions of the world and to walk on the path of light and truth that God has taught.

The image of the three magi also leaves a lesson for us today, that is: to meet the Savior, each person must also set out, determined to abandon all material things of the world, abandon the sinful lifestyle of worldly passions to walk towards the light of God's truth. That is to advance on the path of love, to put on the light of God so that that light will lead us to eternal life.

Today's Word of God calls everyone to follow the example of the three magi, to dare to set out, to courageously abandon all material things of the world to seek the Savior, to be freed by Him from the captivity of Satan.

Additionally, God calls all of us to return to our inner life, to open our souls, to open our hearts to welcome the Son of God into our hearts, and to be transformed by Him into a new person belonging to God.

Come and worship the Second Person of God, which is the Son of God, who came to earth to become a human being.

He sacrificed Himself to die to redeem all humanity.

God Himself is present and with humanity in the daily Word of God and in the Holy Eucharist through daily Mass. Run to God and remain in Him, for His love will cover and conceal the countless sins of humanity.

Thanks be to God. Amen.

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