sunday 05 JANUARY 2020
THE EPIHANY OF THE LORD
White
Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Gal 4: 4-5
Entrance Antiphon : Cf. Mal 3: 1; 1 Chr 29: 12
Behold, the Lord, the Mighty One, has come; and kingship is in his grasp, and power and dominion.
Collect
O God, who on this day revealed your Only Begotten Son to the nations by the guidance of a star, grant in your mercy, that we, who know you already by faith, may be brought to behold the beauty of your sublime glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
First reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
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 around: 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 Ephab; everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord.
Psalm 71:1-2.7-8.10-13
R/ All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.
- 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.
- In his days justice shall flourish, and peace till the moon fails. He shall rule from sea to sea, from the Great Sea to earth’s bounds.
- 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.
- For he shall save the people when they cry, and the needy who are helpless. He will have pity on the weak, and save the lives of the poor.
Second reading: Ephesians 3:2-3.5-6
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 Christ Jesus, through the Gospel.
Gospel Acclamation : Mt 2:2
Alleluia, alleluia! We saw his star as it rose and have come to do the Lord homage. Alleluia!
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12
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.
Prayer over the Offerings
Look with favour, Lord, we pray, on these gifts of your Church, in which are offered now not gold or frankincense or myrrh, but he who by them is proclaimed, sacrificed and received, Jesus Christ. Who lives and reigns forever and ever.
Communion Antiphon: Cf. Mt 2: 2
We have seen his star in the East, and have come with gifts to adore the Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Go before us with heavenly light, O Lord, always and everywhere, that we may perceive with clear sight and revere with true affection the mystery in which you have willed us to participate. Through Christ our Lord.
Meditation
The word ‘Epiphany’ originates from Greek and means manifestation of the divine. It can also refer to a moment of revelation, the presence of God in human history. According to Western Christianity, the feast of Epiphany celebrates the Three Kings, also known as Magi, following the star of Bethlehem to visit the baby Jesus. The Oxford English Dictionary says Epiphany represents “the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles as represented by the Magi” in the Bible. The gospel of today describes how the kings followed the star and brought Jesus gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. For Eastern Orthodox churches, the Epiphany commemorates the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist in the River Jordan, seen as his manifestation as the Son of God. The Epiphany is an affirmation of universal salvation. The voice of God himself calls the whole world to adore Jesus and hear him.