Epiphany of the Lord

Sunday, January 3

 

Epiphany of the Lord

 

1. Light Revealed to the Nations
2. A Savior for All the World
3. The Guiding Star for All Nations
4. 

 

1. Light Revealed to the Nations

Greeting

May the star of Jesus our Lord shine on you
and on all the nations of the earth.
May you live in his light
and may the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you.

 

Introduction

      The celebration of Epiphany, meaning “manifestation,” is like a second Christmas. It is, in fact, the Christmas of the Eastern Churches. It proclaims that the child Jesus belongs to and is given to the whole world as its Savior. With the magi the world brings to him its variety of gifts: its culture, its many facets, its different identities. And we here, like people from other nations, bring him the gift of ourselves: our faith, our fidelity, our love, as we meet him in prayer and in people, especially in the poorest.

 

Penitential Act

One of the offerings we bring to Jesus today
is the sorrow for the sins we have committed.
Let us ask him to forgive us.
                        (pause)
Lord Jesus, you radiate your light
on all the nations of the earth:
All praise to you!
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you offer justice and peace
to all willing to accept you:
All praise to you.
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you will have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor:
All praise to you!
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Lord, may your judgment on us
be a judgment of mercy and love,
for we recognize our poverty.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

 

2. A Savior for All the World 

Greeting (see First Reading)

Arise, people of God,
for your light has come,
the glory of the Lord shines on you.
Other people come to your light.
May the light of the Lord be always with you.
R/ And also with you.

 

Introduction

      We celebrate today the great feast of Epiphany. Originally it was the Christmas feast of the Eastern part of the Christian Church. In the Western part the stress of Christmas was and is on the birth of Christ as a little human child. In the Eastern part the stress is more on Jesus coming as the Lord and Savior of all. This is the reality the liturgy stresses today: Jesus came to save and bring life to all. No one is excluded, no one is a stranger to him. May all come to know Jesus, alive here among us.

 

Penitential Act

We do little to bring Jesus
to those who do not know him.
We ask the Lord to forgive us.
                        (pause)
Lord Jesus, light from God,
dawn on the whole world,
shine in our hearts and lives:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, justice from God,
let your integrity and honesty
become the share of all people:
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, peace from God,
hear the cries of the poor and the needy
and open our ears and hearts to them:
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Forgive us our sins, Lord,
and gather us together as your one people.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

 

3. The Guiding Star for All Nations 

Greeting

May the star of Jesus our Lord shine on you
and on all the nations of the earth.
May you live in his light
and may the Lord Jesus be always with you. R/ And also with you.

 

Introduction

      The celebration of Epiphany, meaning “manifestation,” is like a second Christmas. It is, in fact, the Christmas of the Eastern Churches. It proclaims that the child Jesus belongs to and is given to the whole world as its Savior. He is given to us, but with the magi the world brings to him its variety of gifts: its varied cultures, its many facets, its different identities. And we here, like people from other nations, bring him the gift of ourselves: our faith, our fidelity, our love, as we meet him in prayer and in people, especially in the poorest.

 

Penitential Act

One of the offerings we bring to Jesus today
is our sorrow for the sins we have committed.
Let us ask him to forgive us.
                        (pause)
Lord Jesus, you radiate your light
on all the nations of the earth:
All praise to you!
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

Jesus Christ, you offer justice and peace
to all willing to accept you:
All praise to you.
Christ, have mercy. R/ Christ, have mercy.

Lord Jesus, you have pity on the weak
and save the lives of the poor:
All praise to you!
Lord, have mercy. R/ Lord, have mercy.

May your judgment on us
be a judgment of mercy and love,
for we recognize our poverty.
Lead us to everlasting life. R/ Amen.

 

Opening Prayer

Let us pray to God our Father
that Christ may be the light of all
                        (pause)
God of all nations, peoples and cultures,
this is the day you have made bright
with your light and your love
destined for all.
Guide us in the new ways of your Son.
Let your kindly light shine everywhere,
that all peoples may praise you
in their own language
and enrich your Church with their own gifts.
We ask this in the name of Jesus,
our Lord and Savior for ever. R/ Amen.

 

First Reading: God’s People a Light to All

      In a vision the prophet sees an immense number of peoples flocking from everywhere to God’s light. 

Reading 1:  IS 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.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13.

(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.

 

Second Reading: All Nations Called in Christ

      Jesus Christ came to unite all: all peoples, with-out any discrimination, are called to join God’s people. 

Reading 2: 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 co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

 

Alleluia Mt 2:2

Alleluia, alleluia.
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel: We Followed His Star

      Those who are familiar with God’s promises do not seek him; the powerful fear him. But those who come from afar to seek the Savior, find and recognize him. God accepts all with their own gifts and potentials. 

Gospel: Mt 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 new born 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.

 

Intercessions

On this day when peoples from afar came to worship Jesus the Lord, let our prayer be as wide as the world. Let us say to the Father:

          R/ Let the light of Christ shine on all people.

–         That the light of Christ may shine on all nations far and near and that the Church may welcome them with the diversity of their cultures, let us pray:

           R/ Let the light of Christ shine on all people.

–         That in our day justice may flourish and peace come to all of the world, let us pray:

           R/ Let the light of Christ shine on all people.

–         That God’s people may hear the poor when they cry, have pity on the weak and open their hearts and hands to the needy, let us pray:

           R/ Let the light of Christ shine on all people.

–         That those who persecute the Lord in those who try to follow him may see his light and be converted, let us pray:

           R/ Let the light of Christ shine on all people.

–         That all who look for a star to guide them may discover the goodness of the Lord in people full of faith and love, let us pray.

           R/ Let the light of Christ shine on all people.

–         That in our Christian communities we may learn, like the wise men, to share the treasures of our goods and hearts, let us pray:

           R/ Let the light of Christ shine on all people.

Lord our God, we rejoice that you have become near to us in Jesus your Son. Let him be the light of life now and for ever. R/ Amen.

     

Procession for the Preparation of the Gifts

The procession could stress the theme of the light and the gifts by having not only bread and wine brought forward but also lights and incense, the latter not merely in the usual thimble but in a larger incense burner.

 

Prayer over the Gifts

God our Father,
we have no gold to offer you
but merely the poverty of our hearts
and the incense of our praise and thanks.
Fill us with the presence of Jesus,
and let him be the light
that guides our wavering steps.
And let us be humble lights too,
that show to those who see it
the way to the light of the world,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Introduction to the Eucharistic Prayer

Today Christ shows himself to us as the light and meaning of our lives and as the star of salvation of all peoples. Let us thank the Father with Jesus and pray that one day all may sit at the table of the Lord.

 

Invitation to the Lord’s Prayer

Jesus came to gather all
as children of one Father.
In our Lord’s owns words
we pray now to our Father in heaven. R/ Our Father...

 

Prayer for Peace

Lord Jesus Christ,
let the star of your peace rise today
on the body of the Church
and on all who believe in you.
In its light, may we learn
to love and to serve one another
and to share the joy of your peace
with all willing to accept it,
now and for ever. R/ Amen.

 

Invitation to Communion

This is Jesus, the Son of God
and the guiding star of our lives.
Happy are we to be called
to share his table
and to bring his light to all. R/ Lord, I am not worthy...

 

Prayer after Communion

Lord God, our Father,
you have shown us your Son today
in the words he spoke to us
and in the bread of life
by which he shared himself with us.
Let his light shine in us
and let our hope and joy reflect this light,
that our communities and all of us
may show forth his goodness and peace
for all to see.
We ask this through the light of our lives,
Jesus Christ our Lord. R/ Amen.

 

Blessing

We have celebrated together
that Jesus Christ came not only for Christians,
but to be known by every person,
every country, every culture on earth.
For he is the Savior of all.
May we come to know him better
and then make him known to others,
especially by the way we live.
And may almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. R/ Amen.

Go in peace of Christ
and walk in his light. R/ Thanks be to God.

 

Commentary

 

God reveals himself, if only you could open your eyes

Today the Church celebrates the solemnity of the Epiphany. "Epiphany" means manifestation. It refers to the manifestation of a glory of the Saviour that was hidden to all humanity. Today’s gospel presents some magicians from the East, from distant lands made a long journey guided by a star, came to visit the child. They want to worship the king of the Jews who, they say, has just been born.

Tradition has given names for these magicians: Melchior, Gaspar and Balthasar. It has also made them belong to the three main races of the earth: white, yellow and black. Tradition also transformed them from wizards into kings. In such a clear way the evangelist tells us that the Magi were the representatives of all the peoples and races of the earth. The gifts they brought him: gold, incense and myrrh, are signs of that recognition. They are gifts for a king which were never given to anyone else.

Moreover, there is another important factor, also simultaneously presented in the Gospels: the evils of betrayal. For this new-born king, the betrayal is not something that happens at the end of his life… he had to live with it from the very beginning. Herod fears that the new king will take away his power. Despite being a helpless child, Herod feels threatened. The betrayal that will lead Jesus to the cross is already shown germinating in the minds of people in power. God reveals himself, but if only you could open your eyes to see Him!

We too recognise in Jesus the saviour of our lives. With the Magi we adore Him and confess Him as our Saviour. After paying homage to the new born King, “The Magi went to their own country...". What would they say, what would they do... from what they found in Bethlehem? That is what it means to be a missionary: to announce with words and to show with actions that God is with us and for us in the person of Jesus, opening for us paths of new life. After listening to the Word of God and receiving him in the Sacraments, what would you say and what would you do? To be "missionary disciples", in the style of the Wise Men of the East, is a gift and a task that we are reminded of on the feast of the Epiphany.

For your reflection

Today is a day of joy, of celebrating our faith in Jesus as a family. It would be good if at some point during the day we could gather as a family and make a brief adoration of our King and Lord, the new-born Jesus.