Tag: wise men

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Gifts of the Magi

Scene of the magi presenting gifts to the newborn Jesus

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The Epiphany of the Lord Mass Readings
First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6
Responsorial: Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-13
Second Reading: Ephesians 3:2-3A, 5-6
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/010520.cfm
https://www.deaconrudysnotes.org/

Thank you for joining me today on Epiphany for another episode of deacon rudy’s notes. Just a reminder, we in the countdown to launch our new installments on Wednesdays called “All Things Catholic,” where together we will explore our faith and try to understand what it means to be Catholic. Don’t forget to send me your suggestions by clicking the comment form on the website www.deaconrudysnotes.org or by sending me an email to rudy@deaconrudysnotes.org.

This weekend we celebrate Epiphany, when the wise men presented their gifts to Jesus. These wise men, who were not Jewish, presented gifts for a king: gold, frankincense and myrrh. So, the first thing we can observe about the arrival of the Magi is that they affirm that Jesus came to save everyone – not just the Chosen.

But what do the gifts of the Magi mean for us today?

Well, I believe the second observation we can make about today’s readings is that Jesus is not king in response to our gifts. He came to humanity first, and in response we present our gifts to Him. That’s a very important point in understanding our faith. Whatever we do or offer is in response to the unmerited gift of God’s mercy and love.

I think the readings today challenge us to offer Jesus Christ our gifts just like the Magi. That’s the third observation today. But how do we do that? By following Jesus’ example. Jesus offered Himself for our salvation. So too, we can offer ourselves as a form of praise and worship. But how?

There are at least two ways that we can offer ourselves as gifts to the Lord.

First, we need to remember that Jesus established His church on earth. That church, whose mission it is to spread the good news of Jesus Christ, needs our talents and our financial contributions. So, we sacrifice time to volunteer to share our talents with the community. But our churches have to keep the lights on; they need to keep the heat running and staff to serve our communities. That means we need to sacrificially give of the financial blessings we’ve received to help the church in its mission.

But wait – there’s more! We can’t just phone-in our discipleship. Jesus left us two great commandments. We are to, “…love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind,” and we need to, “…love our neighbor as yourself,” (Matthew 22:37-39).

And who is our neighbor?

In the Parable of the Good Samaritan, Jesus tells us that everyone – everyone is our neighbor (see Luke 10:29-37). So, the second way that we offer ourselves as gifts is to reach out to those around us, like our family and friends, and every single person we encounter with love and compassion.

That has real implications for our everyday lives. We present our gifts in praise and worship to Jesus when we treat other people with dignity and respect (which are ways that we can show love). This can create opportunities for an encounter with Jesus Christ. We present empty gifts to Jesus when we do the opposite, that can actually lead people away from Jesus.

That means that when we treat other people like they don’t matter, especially people we disagree with like in politics, then we turn our backs on Jesus.

When we discriminate against someone because they don’t look or sound like us or because they are an immigrant (legal or illegal), we turn our back on Jesus.

When we discriminate against someone because of their sexual orientation, we turn our back on Jesus.

When we hoard possessions and fail to share with others who are less fortunate, we turn our back on Jesus.

Jesus teaches us time and again that our call is to reach out and meet people where they are, not to render judgment and scorn people. The gifts of the Magi challenge us to consider the gifts we bring to Jesus. That leads us to our HOMEWORK! Having been nourished by the Eucharist and in the Word of God proclaimed, I encourage you to reflect on the following two questions this week.

  1. The Magi presented their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. How do I share my gifts with those in need?
  2. The Magi asked, “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?” How can I help others encounter Christ?

I think doing our homework this week will help us grow in discipleship of Christ Jesus. Do you got it? Do you get it? Good! Now go make disciples! May Almighty God bless you, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. +Amen!

References:

  1. Lectio Divina Of The Gospels. Washington, D.C.: United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, 2019.
  2. Mitch, Curtis, and Edward Sri. The Gospel Of Matthew. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2014.
  3. Williamson, Peter S. Ephesians. Grand Rapids, Michigan: Baker Academic, 2011.

Catechism Links: Easily search the Catechism at http://www.scborromeo.org/ccc.htm

  1. Epiphany, 528
  2. Holy Spirit manifesting Christ through Mary, 724
  3. The Father reveals the mystery by sending Christ, 50
  4. The Apostolic Tradition, 75-76
  5. A new People of God not based on physical descent, 781-82

Mass Readings http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/010520.cfm
First Reading Isaiah 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 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.

Second Reading
Ephesians 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
Matthew 2:2
R. Alleluia, alleluia.
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.
R. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Matthew 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.

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12 Epiphany

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Mass Readings
Reading 1 – Isaiah 60:1-6
Psalm – Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
Reading 2 – Ephesians 3:2-3A, 5-6
Gospel – Matthew 2:1-12

Peace!

Today we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord. In today’s Gospel according to Matthew, the magi arrive from the east. They’re following a star and they want to pay homage to the newborn king of the Jews. So they go, of course, to the current king of the Jews to ask where they can find the newborn king. Surely he must know. Herod, who the Gospel tells us is greatly troubled, assembles the chief priests and the scribes and asks them where the Christ is to be born. They tell him that according to prophecy, he will be born in Bethlehem of Judea. Later, Herod secretly calls the magi back and he asked them to go find the child and send word to him so that he too might pay him homage.
So, the magi leave Herod and follow the star to a house and on entering the house Scripture says they find the child with Mary his mother. They prostrate themselves and they offered their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Later having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they leave by another way.

We don’t read the Gospel simply to reflect on history or engage in some sort of theatrical reenactment. No, the Gospel has a message for us, that’s clear.

There are three different reactions to the birth of Jesus. First, we have the reaction of the magi who are on a journey to find the Messiah. Second, there are the chief priests and scribes who are indifferent to the birth. Third, there is Herod who is consumed by hatred because of Jesus. Let’s explore each of these briefly.

The magi clearly are not Jewish, or they would have known the prophecy and they never would have approached Herod. But they are drawn to the star and set out on a journey to find the Messiah.

Then there are the scribes and chief priests. They have been praying for the Messiah, and now that there’s a rumor that he’s born, they do nothing. They’re completely indifferent.

Finally, there’s Herod who clearly is bothered at the suggestion that a rival has been born. Scripture will tell us later about his character, but we know that he orders the murder of male children as he tries to hunt down Jesus. He murdered his mother-in-law, wife, two brothers-in-law and three children on suspicion that they plotted against him.

“Ok, but what does all this have to do with me?” you might ask.

Let’s take the chief priests and scribes. Unfortunately, there are people who claim to be Christian, who look like Christians, but who are actually indifferent to their faith. Pope Francis calls these sorts of Christians hypocrites because they might spend a lot of time in church bowing and praying and beating their chests, but their lives don’t manifest any real change. Outside of church when they drop their act of piety, they could be mean, cruel, ugly, people are completely indifferent to the thoughts and feelings of those around them.

Then there are the people we encounter who are hostile to the faith, but this hostility could be subtle. It could be in the form of a government or business policy that says you can’t talk about Christ or you can’t put up Christmas decorations or you can’t wear Christian jewelry. Then there are the people who like magi are on a spiritual journey.

The great challenge of today’s Gospel is who do you want to be? Are you hostile to the faith – do you try to suppress those around you? Are you indifferent to the faith? Are you Christian in name only, simply going through the motions? Or are you a disciple who like the magi are on a spiritual journey?

What’s a disciple? First, a disciple accepts Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Second, a disciple wants to grow in their love for Jesus. When you fall in love with someone, you want to learn everything about that person, right? Well, a disciple wants to grow in their faith and tries to learn more about Jesus. Finally, a disciple is someone who goes out and spreads the Good News. Jesus Christ has come into the world; he suffered and died on the cross, and by His blood we are cleansed us of our sins and He offers us salvation. That’s a message worth sharing!

So this great feast of epiphany should be an epiphany for each of us – a manifestation when we want to recommit to having an encounter with Jesus Christ; an encounter that leads to transformation. Let my prayer be, “Please, Lord, transform me. Help me to be a different person. And give me the courage and the words to share the Good News of Jesus with everyone that I encounter.”

Homework, nourished by the Eucharist and the Word of God proclaimed, ask yourself:

  1. Who do I want to be like: a chief priest; Herod; or a magi?
  2. As this new year begins, what are some things I am willing to do to develop my faith this year? Can I attend mass regularly – perhaps even a daily mass? Could I go to confession once a month? Could I participate in a Bible study or some other faith formation program offered at my parish or through a reputable online source in communion with the Holy See?

I think if we do our homework, we can better develop into magi – into better disciples of Jesus Christ. May each of us come to know the grace and peace of our Lord, Jesus Christ. In the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. +Amen!