Churches of the Day

 04-01  The Epiphany of the Lord, Solemnity

These are  the days Jesus first manifested himself as our Messiah, Redeemer and Saviour of Israel and the world.
It celebrates three early moments when Jesus reveals his role as The Son of the Lord. (1)The wise ones (magi) come to adore him,(2) his prophetic Baptism by John and (3) his ability to use signs/miracles to emphasise his role in life.

FIRST READING        

A reading from the prophet Isaiah          60:1-6
Above you the Glory of the Lord appears

Arise, shine out Jerusalem, for your light has come,
the glory of the Lord is rising on you, though night still covers the earth and darkness the peoples.

Above you the Lord now rises and above you his glory appears.
The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness.
Lift up your eyes and look round: all are assembling and coming towards you,
your sons from far away and your daughters being tenderly carried.
At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart throbbing and full;
since the riches of the sea will flow to you, the wealth of the nations come to you;
Camels in throngs will cover you, and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord.            Thanks be to God.


Responsorial Psalm          Ps 71: 1-2, 7-8, 10-13  R/v. v11
Response                               All nations shall fall prostrate before you, O Lord.

1. O God, give your judgement to the king, to a king's son your justice,
that he may judge your people in justice and your poor in right judgement.
Response

2. In his days justice shall flourish and peace till the moon fails.
He shall rule from sea to sea, from the Great River to earth's bounds.                 Response

3. The kings of Tarshish and the sea coasts shall pay him tribute.
The kings of Sheba and Seba shall bring him gifts.
Before him all kings shall fall prostrate, all nations shall serve him.                    Response

4. For he shall save the poor when they cry and the needy who are helpless.
He will have pity on the weak and save the lives of the poor.
Response

SECOND READING   

A reading from the letter of St Paul to the Ephesians    3:2-3. 5-6
It has now been revealed that pagans share the same inheritance.

You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery. This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men 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 Jesus Christ, through the gospel.

The Word of the Lord.                        Thanks be to God


Gospel  Acclamation
Alleluia, alleluia!
We saw his star as it rose and have come to do the Lord homage.
Alleluia!

GOSPEL                 

The Lord be with you                             And with your spirit.
A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew      2:1-12
We saw his star and have come to do the king homage.

After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east.
'Where is the infant king of the Jews?' they asked.
'We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.'

When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
'At Bethlehem in Judaea,' they told him 'for this is what the prophet wrote:

'And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader who will shepherd my people Israel'.

Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. 'Go and find out all about the child,' he said 'and when you have found him, let me know,
so that I too may go and do him homage.' Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was.

The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh.

But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.

The Gospel of the Lord.        Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.
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Scripture Reflection         4th January,   The Epiphany of the Lord          Matthew 2:1-12

There is a tradition in certain parts of Latin America that on the feast of the Epiphany a small plastic baby Jesus is hidden in a cake baked specially for the feast day. The hiding of the plastic figure signifies the efforts to hide the child Jesus from the evil intentions of King Herod. As the cake is cut, the slicing knife represents the danger posed to the infant Jesus by the cruel king. In some places the tradition is that whoever gets the piece of cake with the small figure of Jesus is obliged to host the next family gathering on 2nd February, (the feast of the Presentation of the Lord.) In other places, the one who finds the plastic figure as his or her portion receives gifts from those present.

These traditions make tangible both the dangers that threatened the child Jesus as soon as he was born and the excitement of discovering the child Jesus, the son of Mary and Joseph, to be 'Emmanuel', 'God-with-us'. If the danger posed to the child Jesus is represented by King Herod the excitement of discovering the child Jesus is expressed by the magi from the East who, on arriving to Bethlehem, fell to their knees to worship the infant king of the Jews and then offered him their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

The word ‘Epiphany’ means a 'showing forth', a 'setting in the light'. Today we celebrate the good news that God showed forth his Son to all the nations as their saviour and guide, Jews and pagans alike. It is the pagan visitors from the unnamed city of the East who reveal to us how to respond to God’s showing forth of his Son, God’s gift of his Son. Jesus was born into a Jewish world and these visitors from the East were strangers in that world; they were outsiders. It often takes strangers, outsiders, to show us how to respond to God’s gift of his Son, how to appreciate the great riches of our faith, the presence of Christ in the Eucharist and in the other sacraments, the life-giving message of the Scriptures, in particular, the gospels.

In recent years there has been a huge increase in the number of people coming to live among us from abroad, many of them from the East, from Eastern Europe and from much further East, the Far East, others from the South, from Africa. They often bring an enthusiasm and appreciation for the treasures of the faith and freedom, that, perhaps, we have lost somewhat. They have enriched the church by their readiness to share their gifts and energies with the church here in their adopted homeland.

Although in the emerging tradition of the church the visitors from the East have become kings and are portrayed as kings in our traditional cribs, they are not called kings in the gospel reading. They are called ‘magi’, translated as ‘wise men’. The term ‘magi’ referred to people who had special knowledge, experts in some field or other, and in the case of our magi, it would appear, experts in astronomy or astrology. The rising of a new star suggested to these ‘magi’ the birth of a new Jewish king, to whom they wished to do homage. They saw a new light and they chose to follow the light, wherever it led them. They represent all those, of whatever creed or persuasion, who seek to follow the light, the light of truth. The magi are the ancestors of all of us who seek the truth. It was their own natural skills of searching and interpreting the skies - their own natural knowledge and wisdom - that launched them on their search. Those natural gifts brought them to Jerusalem, but the gospel reading suggests that they needed the guidance of the Jewish Scriptures to direct them to Bethlehem where the infant king of the Jews would be found. Reason and the revelation of Scripture worked together to bring them to the Lord. Their profile in the gospels reminds us that our natural gifts of mind and reason need never be an obstacle to faith. The magi came to recognize that the brightest star of all was Christ the Lord; he was ‘light from light’, in the words of the Creed.

Jesus is God’s gift to all who seek the truth; he is not a gift for a select few. The figure of Herod in the gospel reading can symbolize the forces that work to prevent us finding the one for whom we long. We can encounter many obstacles on our journey towards the Lord of light and truth. Yet, the gospel reading also suggests that the obstacles will not ultimately prevail if we are faithful to our search for the true light. At our baptism, the light of Christ shone upon us and remains with us to enlighten every darkness and to lead us to our eternal home.

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The Scripture Readings are taken from The Jerusalem Bible, published 1966 by Darton, Longman & Todd Ltd. and used with the permission of the publishers.  http://dltbooks.com/
The Scripture Reflection is made available with our thanks from his book Reflections on the Weekday Readings : The Word is near to you, on your lips and in your heart by Martin Hogan and published by Messenger Publications  c/f www.messenger.ie/bookshop/

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Feast of the Day Jan 4 The Epiphany of the Lord
The feast of the Epiphany is so often associated with the three wise men from the East coming to bring gifts to the infant king. But there are other themes - baptism and Cana - originating in Egypt associated with this feast. 

Patrick Duffy comments of this  feast.

Traditionally in the West we associate the feast of the Epiphany with the three wise men from the East coming to bring gifts to the infant king. But there are other themes - baptism and Cana - originating in Egypt associated with this feast.

Epiphany
The word epiphany, means "appearance" or "manifestation" was used in traditional Greek religion to indicate the appearance or manifestation of a god or goddess in human form, along with the suggestion that the person or persons who had experienced the epiphany would be delivered from danger and/or their enemies defeated.

A Christian Feast
The Christian feast of Epiphany first appears in Egypt commemorating the Baptism of Jesus, but besides this it later gathers round it other themes, such as Jesus’s birth, the miracle of Cana and the coming of the Wise Men. In the West it is the coming of the Wise Men that became the dominant theme of this day, while in the East it is Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan which remains to the fore of the celebration.

Plurality of themes
The Catechism of the Catholic Church, drawing on the Evening Prayer Magnificat Antiphon, recognises this plurality of themes of the Epiphany feast, while keeping that of the Magi central.
'The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Saviour of the world. The great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the wise men (magi) from the East, together with his baptism in the Jordan and the wedding feast of Cana in Galilee.'
It goes on to point out:
'In the magi, representatives of the neighbouring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation.'
Seen in this way Epiphany is a kind of missionary feast, introducing the motif of bringing the good news to all nations.

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Memorable Quote about this Feast

'By gold the power of a king is signified, by frankincense the honour of God, by myrrh the burial of the body;
and accordingly the Wise ones offer Him gold as King, frankincense as God, and myrrh as Man.'

~ St John Chrysostom ~

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The Baptism of the Lord  

The Baptism of the Lord. Jesus is anointed with the Spirit and proclaimed Messiah.
He now goes about doing good, working the signs that make him known as the Servant of God.
Jesus is the one who brings the Good News to the poor and tells of salvation.
His public life  and ministry begins

FIRST READING

A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah        42:1-4, 6-7
Here is my servant in whom my soul delights

Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights.
I have endowed him with my spirit that he may bring true justice to the nations.

He does not cry out or shout aloud, or make his voice heard in the streets.
He does not break the crushed reed, nor quench the wavering flame.

Faithfully he brings true justice; he will neither waver, nor be crushed
until true justice is established on earth, for the islands are awaiting his law.

I, the Lord,  have called you to serve the cause of right;
I have taken you by the hand and formed you;
I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations,
- to open the eyes of the blind,
- to free captives from prison,
- and those who live in darkness from the dungeon

The Word of the Lord              Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm          Ps 28, 1-2, 3-4, 9-10
Response                                The Lord will bless his people with peace.

1. O give the Lord you sons of God, give the Lord glory and power;
give the Lord the glory of his name. Adore the Lord in his holy court.             Response

2. The Lord's voice resounding on the waters, the Lord on the immensity of waters;
the voice of the Lord, full of power, the voice of the Lord, full of splendour.  Response

3. The God of glory thunders. In his temple they all cry: 'Glory!'
The Lord sat enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits as king for ever.            Response

SECOND READING

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles       10:34-38
God anointed him with the Holy Spirit

Then Peter addressed Cornelius and his household:
'The truth I have now come to realise' he said 'is that God does not have favourites,
but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.

'It is true, God sent his word to the people of Israel, and it was to them that the good news of peace was brought by Jesus Christ - but Jesus Christ is Lord of all men. You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil.'

The Word of the Lord              Thanks be to God.

Gospel  Acclamation          Mk:9:8
Alleluia, alleluia!
The heavens opened and the Father's voice resounded:
'This is my Son, the beloved. Listen to him.'
Alleluia!

GOSPEL  Year A

The Lord be with you                    And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Matthew  3:13-17    Glory to you, O Lord
As soon as Jesus was baptised he  saw the Spirit of God descending on him.

Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. John tried to dissuade him.
'It is I who need baptism from you' he said 'and yet you come to me!'
But Jesus replied,
'Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that righteousness demands'.
At this, John gave in to him.

As soon as Jesus was baptised he came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And a voice spoke from heaven,
'This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him'.

The Gospel of the Lord        Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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Alternatives Readings for other years
for Year C

The Lord be with you                            And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke       3:15-16.21-22        Glory to you, O Lord
While Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened.
 A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all,

'I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am and I am not fit to undo the strap of  his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire'

Now when all the people had been baptised and while Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily shape, like a dove and a voice came from heaven,
You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.

The Gospel of the Lord    Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here:  https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/



Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.

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For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here:  https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/



Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.

alternate FIRST READING

A reading from the Prophet Isaiah 40:1-5. 9-11

'Console my people, console them' says your God.
'Speak to the heart of Jerusalem and call to her that her time of service is ended,
that her sin is atoned for, that she has received from the hand of the Lord
double punishment for all her crimes.'

A voice cries, 'Prepare in the wilderness a way for the Lord.
Make a straight highway for our God across the desert.
Let every valley be filled in, every mountain and hill be laid low,
let every cliff become a plain, and the ridges a valley;
then the glory of the Lord shall be revealed and all mankind shall see it;
for the mouth of the Lord God has spoken'

Go up on a high mountain, joyful messenger to Zion.
Shout with a loud voice, joyful messenger to Jerusalem.
Shout without fear, say to the towns of Judah, 'Here is your God'.

Here is the Lord the coming with power, his arm subduing all things to him.
The prize of his victory is with him, his trophies all go before him.
He is like a shepherd feeding his flock, gathering lambs in his arms,
holding them against his breast and leading to their rest the mother ewes.

The Word of the Lord.             Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm          Ps 103:1-2. 3-4.24-25. 27-30 R/v 1
Response                                Bless the Lord my soul! Lord God how great you are.

1. Lord God how great you are, clothed in majesty and glory
wrapped in light as in a robe! you stretch out the heavens like a tent.             Response

2. Above the rains you build your dwelling. you make the clouds your chariot,
you walk on the wings of the wind, you make the winds your messengers
and flashing fire your servants.                                                                                Response

3. The God of glory thunders. In his temple they all cry: 'Glory!'
The Lord sat enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits as king for ever.            Response

SECOND READING

A reading from the letter of Paul to Titus    2:11-14. 3:4-7
He saved us by the cleansing water of rebirth and by renewing us with he Holy Spirit

God's grace has been revealed, and it has made salvation possible for the whole human race and taught us that what we have to do is to give up everything that does not lead to God, and all our worldly ambitions: we must be self-restrained and live good  and religious lives here in this present world, while we are waiting in hope for the blessings which will come with the appearance of the glory of our great God and saviour Christ Jesus. He sacrificed himself for us in order to ser us free from all wickedness and to purify a people so that it  very own and would have no ambition except to do good.

When the kindness and the love of God our saviour for mankind were revealed, it was not because he was concerned with any righteous actions we might have done ourselves; it was for no reason except his own compassion that he saved us, by means of cleansing water of rebirth by renewing us with the Holy Spirit which he has generously poured over us through Jesus Christ , our saviour. He did this so that we should be justified by his grace to become heirs looking forward to inheriting eternal life.

The Word of the Lord.          Thanks be to God.

Gospel  Acclamation          Lk 3:16
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Someone is coming, said John, someone greater than I.
h will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you              And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke       3:15-16.21-22
While Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened.
A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all,
'I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am and I am not fit to undo the strap of  his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire'

Now when all the people had been baptised and while Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily shape, like a dove and a voice came from heaven,
You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.

The Gospel of the Lord    Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here:  https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/



Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.

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Alleluia!

________________________

Responsorial Psalm          Ps 28, 1-4
Response                                The Lord will bless his people with peace.

1.  O give the Lord you sons of God, give the Lord glory and power;
give the Lord the glory of his name. Adore the Lord in his holy court.             Response

2. The Lord's voice resounding on the waters, the Lord on the immensity of waters;
the voice of the Lord, full of power, the voice of the Lord, full of splendour.                   Response

3. How many are your works , O Lord! In wisdom you have made them all'
The earth is full of your riches.  There is the sea vast and wide,
with its moving swarms past counting, living things great and small.                               Response

4. All of these look to you to give them their food in due season.
You give it, they gather it up. You open your hand, they have their fill.                            Response

5. You take back their spirit, they die, returning to the dust from which they came.
You send forth your spirit, they are created; and you renew the face of the earth.        Response

SECOND READING

 

A reading from the letter of Paul to Titus    2:11_14. 3:4-7

 

Alternative First and Second  Readings and Responses

FIRST READING

A reading from the book of the Prophet Isaiah        42:1-4, 6-7
Here is my servant in whom my soul delights

Here is my servant whom I uphold, my chosen one in whom my soul delights.
I have endowed him with my spirit that he may bring true justice to the nations.

He does not cry out or shout aloud, or make his voice heard in the streets.
He does not break the crushed reed, nor quench the wavering flame.

Faithfully he brings true justice; he will neither waver, nor be crushed
until true justice is established on earth, for the islands are awaiting his law.

I, the Lord,  have called you to serve the cause of right;
I have taken you by the hand and formed you;
I have appointed you as covenant of the people and light of the nations,
- to open the eyes of the blind,
- to free captives from prison,
- and those who live in darkness from the dungeon

The Word of the Lord              Thanks be to God.

Responsorial Psalm          Ps 28, 1-4
Response                                The Lord will bless his people with peace.

1. O give the Lord you sons of God, give the Lord glory and power;
give the Lord the glory of his name. Adore the Lord in his holy court.             Response

2. The Lord's voice resounding on the waters, the Lord on the immensity of waters;
the voice of the Lord, full of power, the voice of the Lord, full of splendour.  Response

3. The God of glory thunders. In his temple they all cry: 'Glory!'
The Lord sat enthroned over the flood; the Lord sits as king for ever.            Response

SECOND READING

A reading from the Acts of the Apostles       10:34-38
Theme: God anointed him with the Holy Spirit

Then Peter addressed Cornelius and his household:
'The truth I have now come to realise' he said 'is that God does not have favourites,
but that anybody of any nationality who fears God and does what is right is acceptable to him.

'It is true, God sent his word to the people of Israel, and it was to them that the good news of peace was brought by Jesus Christ - but Jesus Christ is Lord of all men. You must have heard about the recent happenings in Judaea; about Jesus of Nazareth and how he began in Galilee, after John had been preaching baptism. God had anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power, and because God was with him, Jesus went about doing good and curing all who had fallen into the power of the devil.'

The Word of the Lord              Thanks be to God.

Gospel  Acclamation          Mk:9:8
Alleluia, Alleluia!
The heavens opened and the Father's voice resounded:
'This is my Son, the beloved. Listen to him.'
Alleluia!

GOSPEL

The Lord be with you              And with your spirit.
A reading from the Gospel according to Luke       3:15-16.21-22
While Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened.
 A feeling of expectancy had grown among the people, who were beginning to think that John might be the Christ, so John declared before them all,

'I baptise you with water, but someone is coming, someone who is more powerful than I am and I am not fit to undo the strap of  his sandals; he will baptise you with the Holy Spirit and fire'

Now when all the people had been baptised and while Jesus after his own baptism was at prayer, heaven opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily shape, like a dove and a voice came from heaven,
You are my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on you.

The Gospel of the Lord    Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

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For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here:  https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/



Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.

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Alternate Gospel  for Year A : Matthew  3:13-17

Jesus came from Galilee to the Jordan to be baptised by John. John tried to dissuade him.
'It is I who need baptism from you' he said 'and yet you come to me!'
But Jesus replied,
'Leave it like this for the time being; it is fitting that we should, in this way, do all that righteousness demands'.
At this, John gave in to him.

As soon as Jesus was baptised he came up from the water, and suddenly the heavens opened and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and coming down on him. And a voice spoke from heaven,
'This is my Son, the Beloved; my favour rests on him'.

The Gospel of the Lord        Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

************************

For homily resources for this Sunday's Gospel click here:  https://www.catholicireland.net/sunday-homily/



Taken from THE JERUSALEM BIBLE, published and copyright 1966, by Darton, Longman and Todd Ltd and Doubleday, a division of Random House Inc, and used by permission of the publishers.