Texts taken from the “On Your Word” Missal January-February 2022

Epiphany of the Lord (solemnity)
proper

FIRST READING

From the book of the prophet Isaiah (Is 60:1-6)
Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord shines upon you. For behold, darkness covers the earth, and thick darkness envelops the peoples; but the Lord shines upon you, and his glory appears over you. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by the brightness of your rising. Lift up your eyes all around and see: all these have gathered and come to you. Your sons come from afar, your daughters are carried in the arms. Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall throb and overflow, because the abundance of the sea shall be poured out upon you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. A multitude of camels shall cover you, the dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come, bearing gold and frankincense and proclaiming the praises of the Lord. - The word of God.

Commentary on the first reading

Isaiah has a broad outlook on the world, so wide and universal that in this respect he surpasses all the other prophets of the Old Testament. Everyone believed that Israel was great because it had been chosen by God as the place where the Messiah and King, the ruler of the world, would be born. They stopped there, sometimes even falling into a sense of narcissistic self-exaltation: if the Messiah will be born from the people of Israel, that undoubtedly means that we are better than the other peoples. That is not so. The peoples do indeed go toward Jerusalem, where the one true God is worshiped, but this splendor is only a summons, an announcement, a reference to the true light, which is not a city but the one who will come: Jesus Christ, true God and true man. Indeed, the brick city will be destroyed by the Roman armies, but the body of Christ, which is the Church, will never be destroyed. This passage is chosen for Epiphany because the great ones who come from afar bring gold and frankincense as gifts. One day it will truly happen that such gifts will be brought, not to be placed in the splendor of a palace, but at the feet of a child.

SECOND READING

From the letter of Saint Paul the Apostle to the Ephesians (Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6)
Brothers and sisters, I think that you have heard of the stewardship of God's grace that was given to me for your benefit: by revelation the mystery was made known to me. It was not made known to people in previous generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets through the Spirit: that the Gentiles are called, in Christ Jesus, to share the same inheritance, to form the same body, and to be partakers of the same promise through the Gospel. - The word of God.

Commentary on the second reading

Saint Paul is the apostle whom Jesus sends to the pagans to say that in the kingdom of God there are no privileges of race or culture, as though one tradition were better than another: everyone is equal and all are called to belong to the one people of God in the Church (which is one, and one alone), whether they come from paganism or Judaism, whether they have grandparents devoted to tribal cults or are the children of rabbis. Let this not seem like an easy or obvious message: in the early Church, the greatest struggle was precisely to tear down the wall separating Israelites from pagans. Thanks to Paul, the pagans responded wonderfully and became Christians by the thousands, enthusiastic to be loved by God and to know the Savior of the world, to the point of giving their lives for him (think of the extraordinary story of the Roman martyrs). We need this same impetus today: to desire that everyone, whatever their race or culture, be baptized and give themselves completely to Jesus, the King of all kings, the Lord and Savior.

GOSPEL OF THE DAY

From the Gospel according to Matthew (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 worship him.” When King Herod heard this, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. Assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They answered him: “In Bethlehem of Judea, for thus it has been written through the prophet: ‘And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah, are by no means the least among the principal cities of Judah: for from you shall come a ruler who will shepherd my people, Israel.’” Then Herod secretly summoned the Magi and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem, saying: “Go and search carefully for the child, and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and worship him.” After hearing the king, they set out. And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising went before them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they rejoiced with exceedingly great joy. Entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother, and they prostrated themselves and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they went back to their country by another way. - The word of the Lord.

Commentary on the Gospel of the day

Three men, rich, powerful, wise, and seekers of truth, studying and observing the signs of nature and the sky, sense that something great is happening on earth. Prophecies and announcements lead them to believe that somewhere a king has arisen, one unlike any other, not like all the rest. They set out from places far from one another, without knowing the way well, following the signs of the sky and the stars. Along the way they meet, realize that they have the same aims, and join together. Let us note the great humility of these wise men: they listen to the voice of their hearts, which tells them of the arrival of one greater than themselves, and they go. Let us note their courage: they do not know what the journey will be like or what the destination will be, but they face every danger for the sake of truth. Let us note their faith: they find a child in his mother's arms, very simple and without any particular sign, and they immediately believe, because the star cannot lie: he is the king. And they kneel down in worship. Let us note their generosity: without asking for anything in return, they give what they have brought, all precious and rare things. Finally, let us note the way back: it is another road. They have encountered Jesus, and everything, absolutely everything, has changed.