Saturday, January 06, 2007
SOLEMNITY, EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD - C
JANUARY 7, 2007
SOLEMNITY, EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD - C
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.
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.
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.
REFLECTION
The Feast of the Epiphany, which we celebrate today, celebrates the
coming of some wise men from the East to honor Jesus. These wise
men, called Magi, were the tutors of Persian kings. They were the
most learned men of their time. Their learning told them that a
great king was about to be born in the world. Their search led them
not to a mountaintop, nor to the middle of a desert. Rather, it led
them to a tiny village of poor, ignorant people. It led them to a
cave in a hillside.
Christmas and Epiphany brings us two lessons. The first is that God
has truly come down from heaven to live among his people. And the
second lesson is that the people among whom God chose to live were
not saints in monasteries, intellectuals in universities, or kings in
palaces. He chose to dwell among the poor, the homeless, and the
hungry.
If we are to find God in our own world today, we must look for him in
the same place that the Magi found him - not among the great and the
powerful, but among the lowly and the powerless.
PRAYER REQUESTS
We pray ...
- for a deep and profound respect for life, especially for the unborn.
- for all the prayer intentions in the MTQ Dailyprayer Diary.
- Birthday: Lourdes L.L.
- Prayer Intention: Alfonso and Ming Chu Roxas Chua
- Prayer Intention: Prime Spots Inc
- Wedding Anniversary: Tyrone & Letty Tang
- In Memoriam (+): Jose L. Te Sr. & Maria V. Te
- for world peace and reconciliation.
Finally, we pray for one another, for those who have asked our
prayers and for those who need our prayers the most.
Have a good day!
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