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.
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Responsorial PsalmR. (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.
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 copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
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 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.
Meditation: Isaiah 60:1-6
Epiphany
Your sons come from afar. (Isaiah 60:4)
With today’s feast, the Christmas season comes to a close with a burst of light—something like a spectacular fireworks display at the end of a big celebration. Epiphany is the shining revelation of Jesus as the Light and Savior of the world. The magi, glimpsing his light, are the first of the multitudes who will come to him “from the east and the west” to form a new people of God (Matthew 8:11).
Long before the magi, a prophet speaking in the name of Isaiah also saw multitudes united in praise of God. His vision was a confident assurance that God would make his people into a light to the nations. But how impossible this glorious destiny must have seemed to the prophet’s first audience! They were the exiles who had returned to Jerusalem to rebuild their ruined city and its Temple. And they were anything but joyful and radiant because the venture wasn’t going so well.
There was drought, and their crops failed. The rebuilt Temple was a disappointment—a poor relative of Solomon’s glorious construction. The neighboring nations were hostile. And perhaps most bitter of all, God’s people themselves were divided. Relatively few had returned to rebuild, and those who trickled in were quarreling and forming factions. What a contrast with the prophet’s picture of all the exiles streaming into Jerusalem, along with caravans from every nation—one people praising God together!
Maybe this picture seems out of reach to us as well. After all, we too are divided. We are hardly the unified family Jesus calls us to be. But the prophet tells us: Shake off gloom and “raise your eyes” to the higher vision of what God is doing (Isaiah 60:4)! His Spirit is at work to heal and unify —in official dialogues with theologians, in on-the-ground encounters involving Christians of all traditions, and in more ways than we can know. Let’s support these works and pray for them. Without denying our differences, let’s honor what we have in common with all our brothers and sisters in Christ. And let’s earnestly pray: Lord, make us one!
“Father, I look forward to the day when all your children will ‘come from afar’ to worship you as one. Increase my longing for that day, and show me what I can do to hasten its coming.”
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Questions for Reflection or Group Discussion
(Isaiah 60:1-6; Psalm 72:1-2,7-8,10-13; Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6; Matthew 2:1-12)
1. The first reading should fill us with hope as we contemplate what God has accomplished in the coming of Jesus. Through his coming: “the glory of the Lord shines upon you,” “your sons (and daughters) come from afar,” and “you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and overflow” (Isaiah 60:1,4,5). In what ways does your faith in Jesus fill you with hope? What are some ways that you can increase your faith in him during 2011?
2. The Responsorial Psalm speaks of a king endowed by God to “govern your people with justice,” “rescue the poor when he cries out,” “have pity for the lowly and the poor,” and “the lives of the poor he shall save” (Psalm 72: 2,12,13). In what ways has Jesus fulfilled these words? In 2011, what are some new steps you can take to share in this work of Jesus?
3. In the second reading, we hear the wonderful revelation that the Gentiles are now coheirs with the Jewish people in all the promises fulfilled in Jesus Christ. How can we as Christian be a better witness of Christ’s love to our Jewish brothers and sisters? Why not spend a few minutes now to pray for Jewish people whom you know, and for all the Jewish people, that they may one day come to know Jesus as their Messiah.
4. In the Gospel, we are told that when the magi inquired of the whereabouts of the “newborn king of the Jews,” King Herod was “greatly troubled and all Jerusalem with him” (Matthew 2: 2,3). Why do you think King Herod was so troubled by this news? The magi, on the other hand, were overjoyed when they found Jesus, and “did him homage” (2:11). Why do you think the magi’s reaction was so different than Herod’s? What is your reaction when you reflect on these events?
5. In describing the efforts towards bringing unity among Christians, the meditation calls on us to “support these works and pray for them. Without denying our differences, let’s honor what we have in common with all our brothers and sisters in Christ. And let’s earnestly pray: Lord, make us one!” In what ways have you encouraged or supported unity with Christians from other denominations? What additional steps can you take?
6. Take some time to pray for Christian unity, using the prayer at the end of the meditation as the starting point. Also, take some time to offer prayers of thanksgiving to the Lord for his great love and mercy toward you, and ask the Lord for his blessings upon you and your family in 2011.
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