Epiphany of the Lord. Year B - Sunday, January 3, 2021
(EPISODE: 271)
Readings for Epiphany of the Lord. Year B
FIRST READING: Isa 60:1-6
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13. "Lord, every nation on earth will adore you."
SECOND READING: Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
GOSPEL ACCLAMATION (Matt 2:2). Alleluia, alleluia! We have seen his star in the East; and have come to adore the Lord.
GOSPEL: Matt 2:1-12
Image - Shutterstock licensed Image: ID: 121108219. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - OCTOBER 17, 2018: The fresco of Adoration of Magi the in church Kostel Svatého Cyrila Metodeje by Petr Maixner (1872). By Renata Sedmakov
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Please listen to the audio-recordings of the Mass – (Readings, prayers and homily), for Epiphany of the Lord. Year B - Sunday, January 3, 2021, by clicking this link here: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/faith-hope-and-love-the-epiphany-year-b-episode-271/s-CjHDcpPIZ2I (EPISODE: 271)
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* PROLOGUE - This feast of the Epiphany, and the accompanying readings for this weekend, reveal Jesus Christ to be the King of all heaven and earth, and the "light" to all nations and cultures.
"Epiphany is a Greek word meaning "manifestation." In ancient times, the term referred to an official visit by a King or Queen. This is a public presentation or showing to the people of a sovereign.
According to our first reading, the qualities of the Diving King are justice, right-judgement, care for the poor, "a person who establishes peace", a person with great concern for the needy, and who has compassion for the weak. The Divine King is the saver of the lives of the poor.
When we look at the gospel, (Not every King got a "present" in today's story… not every king got what they wanted…. But they all got what they deserved…..). For, there are two kings featured in the gospel this weekend - Christ and Herod.
The wise men met both Kings. To Herod, they gave a respectful ear, but they did not worship him, and rightly so, and did not return to inform him of what they found. They 'listened to what the King had to say, but (through inspiration), they did not give King Herod what he wanted but rather, they returned to their own country by a 'different way'.
We are all called to listen and reflect and ponder and then, with God's inspiration discern what is the right thing to do. Sometimes the right thing to do is to NOT give someone what they ask or demand.
In what ways can we let the light of Christ shine out to all those we meet?
(Fr. Paul Kelly)
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Homily - Fr Peter Dillon:
Christmas, like a diamond, has many facets. It is a bloom which unfolds over the twelve days that we call Christmastide. There is a song about the twelve days of Christmas. The twelfth night is the feast of Epiphany – meaning manifestation. Literally, the super-showing which reveals all the facets of this diamond of Jesus' presence amongst us.
With faith-polarised glasses, you can read the signs of God's love throughout the whole human story. For Christians, Jesus is the sign par excellence. Jesus, in turn, uses signs to point to his part in God's plan. Take John's story of the marriage feast of Cana. Jesus turns the Jewish Water of Purification into the wine of the new banquet God has planned for us. And in case we think this just a good party trick the narrator tells us that "Jesus did this, the first of his signs, in Cana of Galilee, and revealed his glory". Look behind the story and you will see God's glory – shared by Jesus. God is revealing his plan for us. This story dramatizes that plan. Jesus is the medium. A classic example of the medium being the message. It is an epiphany.
The baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist is another facet of epiphany. Mark's gospel tells us that "when Jesus came up out of the water, immediately he saw the heavens being torn open and the Spirit descending on him like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, 'You are my beloved Son; with you, I am well pleased'." Mark makes this an epiphany for Jesus. Matthew and Luke extend that epiphany to us. That is why we used to celebrate Jesus' baptism on the feast of the Epiphany.
Matthew's gospel is the most dramatic presentation of an epiphany. Wise men come from the East searching for the child who is born King of the Jews. By the time Matthew wrote his gospel the Jesus Movement had spread to the four corners. The East was Syria, Iraq (Mesopotamia) where the action was. The whole world was starting to believe and follow. These wise men are astrologers. They study the heavens. Spotting a new star, they conclude that something portentous is at work. They bring gifts: gold for a king, frankincense for God and myrrh to embalm a body. With faith-tinted glasses they have spotted the epiphany that King Herod has missed. They even know that jeopardy is part of the story.
What does the story mean? The storyteller uses the details of the story to get his reader to understand his main point.
Matthew believes that it is fantastic that the whole world is getting the message that God is looking out for them.
Luke has the same objective when he tells his story of the first Pentecost. The point of the story is true –The storyteller's wish is that you might come to see it as clearly as he does.
Two men looked out through the prison bars; one saw mud, the other saw stars. It is how we look on our experience that makes the difference. Herod saw mud. The Eastern Sages saw stars.
No faith - nothing to see. But a questing look reveals facets of this diamond which is life flood-lit by love. You only get to know what was bubbling under the surface when the supernova erupts. That's a real epiphany worth waiting for.
Matthew is the only gospel which gives us the story of the 'Three Wise Men'. He is using it to stress the importance of Christ's good news for non-Jewish people, the gentiles or pagans as Paul refers to them in today's second reading. Matthew's community was strongly Jewish and still loyal to the synagogue. They still regarded Jesus as their possession. They had not understood what St Paul said in his letter to the Ephesians:
'This mystery... was unknown to any men and women in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Christ Jesus, through the gospel.
In the seventh century, Persians invade Holy Land and destroyed all the churches including the Holy Sepulchre. The only one spared was the Basilica of the Nativity at Bethlehem - the Persians found there a representation of the visit of the Magi and they recognised their dress as similar to the Persian mode. At least posthumously the Magi forwarded the cause of Christ.
Our gospel tells us nothing of these wise people except that they return to their own country by a different route to avoid Herod. Scholars who remained silent. It was the humble Apostles who had the startling success in spreading the good news about Jesus. They had to face up to the sophistication of the Greek world and the practical logicality of the Romans. Yet the power of Christ worked through them. We too in faithfully following Christ's values can overcome the indifference of our sophisticated world.
Has our celebration of Christmas made a difference to our way of living? Has it made us keen to manifest Christ as we resume our lifestyle after the Christmas break? Did our Christmas include a good Confession and are our resolutions from that encounter with Christ bearing fruit in our life now? Particularly in our manifesting Christ to others through our part in the community of the Church.
May all of us experience and hear these words as we journey
to find Christ.
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References:
HOMILY – FR PETER DILLON
PROLOGUE - Fr Paul W. Kelly
[ii] Celebrating the Gospels. By Gaynell Cronin, 2.
[iii] Vision – Praying Scripture in a Contemporary Way. Year A. Mark Link S.J., 55
[iv] Abbot Philip: Monastery of Christ in the Desert. http://christdesert.org
Image - Shutterstock licensed Image: ID: 121108219. PRAGUE, CZECH REPUBLIC - OCTOBER 17, 2018: The fresco of Adoration of Magi the in church Kostel Svatého Cyrila Metodeje by Petr Maixner (1872). By Renata Sedmakov
Epiphany of the Lord. Year B (Sunday, January 3, 2021) (EPISODE: 271 )
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Happy New Year! {{Shalom (peace)} to you all….} Welcome as we gather – On this Feast of the Epiphany,…. (The revealing of Christ as the light to the World)…. To offer our praise, worship and intercessions to our loving God.
Our God's love and mercy knows no bounds, and so let us recall our sins so as to worthily celebrate this Holy Sacrifice.
Lord Jesus, the nations of the world are drawn to your light. Lord have mercy.
You are the radiant star of justice. Christ have mercy. You are
the first fruits of the nations. Lord have mercy
May almighty God have mercy on us, forgive us our sins, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.
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Memorial Acclamation
3. Save us, Saviour of the world, for by your Cross and Resurrection you have set us free.
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PREFACE: Epiphany
EP II
Communion side. pwk: RH
(theme variation: 2 )
(pre+post variation: 1)
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{Thanks everyone. I hope you have had a wonderful start to the new year. May god's guidance, peace and compassion be with us along the journey of 2021}.
The Lord Be with you
(let us bow our heads and pray for God's blessing)
May God, who has called you
out of darkness into his wonderful light,
pour out in kindness his blessing upon you
and make your hearts firm
in faith, hope and charity.
Amen.
And since in all confidence you follow Christ,
who today appeared in the world, as a light shining in darkness,
may God make you, too, a light for your brothers and sisters. Amen.
And so when your pilgrimage is ended,
may you come to him
whom the Magi sought as they followed the star
and whom they found with great joy, the Light from Light,
who is Christ the Lord.
Amen.
And may the blessing of almighty God,
the Father, and the Son, + and the Holy Spirit,
come down on you and remain with you for ever.
Amen.
Go and announce the Gospel of the Lord.
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Archive of homilies and reflections: http://homilycatholic.blogspot.com.au
To contact Fr. Paul, please email: paulwkelly68@gmail.com
To listen to my weekly homily audio podcast, please click this link here.
NB - It is often a week or so Ahead: https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
You are welcome to subscribe to Fr Paul's homily mail-out by sending an email to this address: paulkellyreflections+subscribe@googlegroups.com
Further information relating to the audio productions linked to this Blog:
"Faith, Hope and Love - Christian worship and reflection" - Led by Rev Paul Kelly
Prayers and chants — Roman Missal, 3rd edition, © 2010, The International Commission on English in the liturgy. (ICEL)
Scriptures - New Revised Standard Version: © 1989, and 2009 by the NCC-USA. (National Council of Churches of Christ - USA)
"The Psalms" ©1963, 2009, The Grail - Collins publishers.
Prayers of the Faithful - " Together we pray" by Robert Borg'. E.J. Dwyer, Publishers, (1993) . (Sydney Australia).
Sung "Mass In Honour of St. Ralph Sherwin" - By Jeffrey M. Ostrowski. The Gloria, Copyright © 2011 ccwatershed.org.
Christmas Hymn - "Word Made Flesh" by Paul W. Kelly. Based upon: John's Gospel 1:14, 1 John 4:9 , & Isaiah 9:2, 6, 7.
(Written on 8/5/20; 10/9/20). Arranged and sung by Stefan Kelk, with adjusted lyrics. 2020. https://www.airgigs.com/user/stefankelk
Traditional hymn:
"We Three Kings," performed by the Bobby Cole Chamber Choir, licensed via Shockwave-Sound.com
( https://www.shockwave-sound.com )
[ Production - KER - 2021]
May God bless and keep you.
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