FEAST OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD - 2021

DAILY HOLY MASS READINGS

We saw his star as it rose
and have come to do the Lord homage. MT 2:2

ISAIAH 60:1-6

My Soul's Beloved,

How blessed we are to live in this age when we no longer have to grope for God blindly, He has revealed Himself to us in You. All who know You know the Father as well. All who receive You receive a full portion of Your Holy Spirit and the Kingdom of heaven as well.

You are the Light of the World - the world lay in darkness with the sin of Adam and Eve. Then God called Abraham and through him formed a people for Himself. God's steadfast love slowly but surely embraced the entire world. Today people from every nation, language, and culture are constantly enlarging the Tent of God's presence as many more are being added to the number of those who believe that God now walks among us. You not only walk among us, Beloved, but You live in us, feed us with Yourself, and receive abundant life through Your Holy Spirit. 

All genuine seekers of truth no matter where, when, or how they begin their journey, are led ultimately to You - the Way, the Truth, and the Life. There is no salvation apart from You for God did not give You up to the world only to have the world reject You. 

Having accomplished all that the Father willed You are seated at the right hand of the Father. We long for Your coming again in glory and majesty to restore all things as God intended when He created the world. Humanity is redeemed by You and for You and all who believe in You glorify God. 

PSALM 72: 1-2, 7-8, 10-13

My Soul's Beloved,

Today, there is no nation on earth where You remain unknown. Many reject You but it is not because they have not heard of You. People reject You for different reasons, either they lack the courage to face rejection, persecution, and ostracization, or are not prepared to give up the world in order to receive a Kingdom. But all who do receive You are children of God and destined for heaven.

God is always at work in the world - it may not seem like it to human eyes for there is so much cruelty, injustice, division, hatred, and selfishness. Considering the magnitude of evil around us one almost despairs but You have triumphed. You are victorious. You are the King of Kings and Lord of Lords and grace is constantly at work in the world. 

You are the Father's Covenant with us and a day will dawn when we will see every promise of peace, unity, love, truth, and justice fulfilled. The Kingdom of God is slowly but certainly being established on earth. Hasten that day, Lord, when we will see the triumph of Your little ones. 

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.

EPHESIANS 3:2-3,5-6 

My Soul's Beloved,

How good God is in creating us whom He does not need at all. He is the fullness of love, life, goodness, beauty, wisdom, and truth and is complete in Himself. Nothing can be added to His glory and yet He created us and destined us to be His children. He desires us to share in His glory as heirs to His Kingdom.

Adam and Eve rejected God but He did not reject us nor did He turn away from us. Instead, He conceived the most unbelievable plan to rescue and save us. Beginning with Abraham, He slowly but surely, step by step, led His people to that moment in time when the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin and revealed to her what He intended to do and how she, a young girl, was instrumental in making that plan come to fruition. 

On Mary's 'yes' hinged the salvation of the world if God's plan was to be set in motion. Heaven and earth waited with bated breath and their collective sigh of relief still reverberates in heaven and on earth. Mary's 'yes' had consequences not just for God's chosen people, but for the whole world. This is why we rejoice, that grace upon grace has been poured upon all flesh, and all who believe in You, now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in You, our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, through the gospel.

MATTHEW 2:1-12

My Soul's Beloved,

Today the Church celebrates the feast of the Magi. These wise men came from far away lands led by a star to pay homage to the infant king. Here is the first indication that God's Son was sent, not just to and for the people of Israel, but for the whole world. As the prophet Isaiah foretold, 

The nations come to your light

and kings to your dawning brightness.

The Light of the World was born in a stable in Bethlehem. Those who are of the world, like Herod, continue to be perturbed at the Good News that saves. They prefer the status quo. They prefer to live in the flesh. They prefer the things of the world that lead to decay and death rather than the things of the spirit which give life, grace, and hope.

To this day the worldly-wise who have grown insensate spiritually, and are fattened with vice and avarice, congregate feverishly and plot unceasingly to seek You and to put You to death. They fear a small, helpless, defenseless Baby. They fear innocence, they fear purity and humility, obedience and charity, mercy and truth, justice, and goodness. They are prepared to let the streets flow with the blood of innocents rather than give up their evil desires.  

The Herods of the world are shrewd, conniving, cunning, ruthless, full of guile, and above all liars, for they are the children of the father of lies, the devil. 

The wise men lost sight of the star when they sought the King in Herod's palace but once they left it, 'there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was.'

You, Beloved, are our true North Star, and faith is the starlight that guides us home to You. The Gospel says, 'going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage.'  All who come to You will find Your Mother with You as well and all who reject her, reject You too. Where the Son is, there is His Mother, Mary. 

The treasures they offered You were gifts of gold signifying Your Kingship, frankincense signifying Your Priesthood, and myrrh for the anointing of Your Sacred Body given up in death so we may receive a share of Your life in Your glorious resurrection.

The wise men came by one route but warned in a dream not to return to Herod, returned to their respective countries by a different way. This is a reminder to us all that once we encounter You, Beloved, we have to give up the things that bind and enslave us and to be transformed in the New Life that You came to give.