January 3, 2021 The Epiphany of the Lord (Lectionary: 20)
Reading I 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.
Responsorial Psalm Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
R.(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 II 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.
Alleluia Mt 2:2
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
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.
By Kelsey Dassance
I walked through my poorly lit college campus on a cold, dark Monday night carrying a few books and a heavy heart. As I made my way to the chapel, I was already listing off a litany of dreams I had for this time in my life that were far from coming to fruition.
Dreams that seemed more out of reach than ever.
My frustration weighed almost as much as the large chapel door that I reluctantly opened, only to find the weight lifted by the time I walked out.
When I met Jesus in Eucharistic Adoration that night, I was consoled by the words in today’s reading: 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. (Isaiah 60:1-2)
Just as the Lord lit up that small chapel, His light illuminates my path.
No matter what weighed on my heart - loneliness, despair, disappointment - the truth remained that the Lord has come, and His light always breaks through the darkness. Like Isaiah in today’s reading, I want to say confidently that regardless of the darkness, the Light still shines for His glory.
Regardless of everything that weighed on my heart then or threatens to rob me of my peace now, I am reminded that the same Light that illuminates a small campus chapel lights the way in my life. With every small act of surrender - every opportunity to increase my reliance on Him - my life is a testament to His glory.
May this be the year of greater trust, stronger faith, and brighter Light.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelsey Dassance is a Midwest gal at heart but currently living it up in the Arizona desert as the Social Media + Event Manager for Blessed is She. She has a heart for adventure, a devotion to Divine Mercy, and a strong love for real friendship. You can most likely find her somewhere between the nearest coffee shop and hiking trail; never without an iced coffee. You can find more about her here.