January 3
The Epiphany of the Lord
First Reading
Isaiah 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
Psalms 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
R.(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
Ephesians 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.
Alleluia
**Matthew 2:2&&
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
Gospel
Matthew 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 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.
Give a Mass Offering
Prayer for Spiritual Communion
My Jesus, I believe that you are present in the most Blessed Sacrament. I love You above all things and I desire to receive You into my soul. Since I cannot now receive You sacramentally, come at least spiritually into my heart. I embrace You as if You were already there, and unite myself wholly to You. Never permit me to be separated from You. Amen.
“ Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.”
Readings & Reflection
Today in the Gospel, we celebrate the manifestation of Christ to the Magi. Their arrival is the fulfillment of today’s first reading. The prophet Isaiah says, “Rise up in splendor Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” Last week we celebrated the coming of the light into the world, and now that light is brought to all people. It is up to us to bring that light to all people. It’s quite simple. If you light a candle in a darkened room, you will see the light from a few feet away, but if multiple people light a candle then the light is much brighter. The same goes for our faith in the sense that if we are all strong in our faith and let the light of Christ shine in our hearts, then we will radiate the light in the same way.
We are called to be the light of the world meaning that even in the midst of darkness we allow ourselves to be filled with the light of God’s goodness. How can you be a light for those in darkness today? I invite you to take some time and pray in a special way for those you know are struggling right now. I also invite you to pray for the Church, not just the church of Holy Cross, but also the Church universal. Often, we forget that our Church is much bigger than the church of Holy Cross or the church of the Diocese of Syracuse. That is the beauty of our faith, that at any given moment, we are united with Catholics all over the world who are praying for various things whether it is for the betterment of souls or for the Church universal. We ask the Lord for His intercession this week and to teach us how to love each other, fill the world with our light through prayer, and be that light for those in darkness.
Fr Matt Rawson
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