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Epiphany
The Epiphany of Our Lord
January 7, 2024
Readings
First Reading: Isaiah 60: 1-6
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 72: 1-2, 7-8, 10-11,12-13
Second Reading: Ephesians 3: 2-3a, 5-6
Gospel: Matthew 2: 1-12
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Epiphany is another celebration of Christ’s manifestation to the world. Although there is great emphasis placed on the story of the magi, this feast centers on God’s self-revelation to humanity in the person of Christ. Today’s liturgy remembers and makes present the very mystery it celebrates: the manifestation of God’s power and God’s salvation of the entire human race.
Think
This is a feast of God’s manifestation to the whole world. This is a missionary feast. The message of all the readings today is not to be missed—salvation is for all people. No one is excluded. Reflect on how you act as a missionary announcing the good news of salvation to all you meet.
Pray
Lord of All Nations,
We long to see your face, to hear your voice.
We keep the faith, and reach out in prayer
But too often, we’ve failed to find you.
And then, one day in time
You thought to place yourself within reach
In the person of a child as vulnerable as any of us
King and peasant beheld you
Man and woman
Slave and free
Jew and gentile
For you had come for all.
“Epiphany,” we called it
A living manifestation of the God we call on.
We have since known other epiphanies.
We have met you in the faces of our brothers
The grace of our sisters.
The hand that reaches out.
The heart that weeps for the other.
In the strength of one who protects
In the gentleness of one who forgives
We have seen your face.
We have heard your voice.
As broken as we are
As scared and hollowed and sinful
May others see something of you in us,
May they hear the sound of your voice.
May you be revealed to all nations
All peoples on earth.
And may epiphanies abound.
Be born in us, O Lord. Amen
Prayer by Edward O'N. Hoyt/CRS. Copyright © 2018, Catholic Relief Services, www.crs.org.
Excerpt from The House of Christmas by G.K. Chesterton
There fared a mother driven forth
Out of an inn to roam;
In the place where she was homeless
All men are at home.
Act
God sent the Magi a message and they rode their camels across half the known world. What would cause you to put forth effort like that? What made the search worth it for them? For you? Notice God’s actions in your life and share that with someone who may need to hear good news this week.
Additional Resources
Epiphany Traditions around the world