👑 During the Octave of the Epiphany, the Holy Church prolongs the exultation for the manifestation of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi, reaffirming the universality of Salvation which is not restricted to a single people but extends to all the nations of the earth. This liturgical period invites the faithful to meditate deeply on the divine kingship of the Child Jesus and the human response to grace: while the chief priests possessed the knowledge of the Scriptures but remained inert, the Magi, moved by faith and guided by a celestial sign, undertook a journey of conversion and adoration. The liturgy daily renews the invitation for us to offer the King of Kings not only material gifts, but the gold of charity, the frankincense of devout prayer, and the myrrh of the mortification of our senses, transforming our lives into a continuous epiphany of God's presence in the world.
🎵 Introit (Ml 3, 1; 1Chr 29, 12 | Ps 71, 1)
Ecce, advénit dominátor Dóminus: et regnum in manu ejus et potéstas et impérium. Ps. Deus, judícium tuum Regi da: et justítiam tuam Fílio Regis.
Behold the sovereign Lord is coming; and the Kingdom, and the power, and the empire are in His hand. Ps. Give to the King, O God, Thy judgment: and to the King's Son Thy justice.
📜 Epistle (Is 60, 1-6)
Arise, be enlightened, O Jerusalem: for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. For behold darkness shall cover the earth, and a mist the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light, and kings in the brightness of thy rising. Lift up thy eyes round about, and see: all these are gathered together, they are come to thee: thy sons shall come from afar, and thy daughters shall rise up at thy side. Then shalt thou see, and abound, and thy heart shall wonder and be enlarged, when the multitude of the sea shall be converted to thee, the strength of the Gentiles shall come to thee. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Madian and Epha: all they from Saba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense: and shewing forth praise to the Lord.
📖 Gospel (Mt 2, 1-12)
When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying: Where is He that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to adore Him. And king Herod hearing this, was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And assembling together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ should be born. But they said to him: In Bethlehem of Juda. For so it is written by the prophet: And thou Bethlehem the land of Juda art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come the captain that shall rule my people Israel. Then Herod, privately calling the wise men learned diligently of them the time of the star which appeared to them; and sending them into Bethlehem, said: Go and diligently inquire after the child, and when you have found Him, bring me word again, that I also may come and adore Him. Who having heard the king, went their way; and behold the star which they had seen in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was. And seeing the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And entering into the house, they found the child with Mary His mother (here all kneel down), and falling down they adored Him: and opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having received an answer in sleep that they should not return to Herod, they went back another way into their country.
🕯️ The Star of Grace and the Path of Conversion
The narrative of the Magi, which we read today, is not merely a historical event, but a profound allegory of the soul in search of Truth. Saint Augustine, in his sermons on the Epiphany, sharply observes the tragic irony of the scribes and priests of Jerusalem: they possessed the Scriptures that indicated the place of the Messiah's birth, acting like milestones along the road that point the way to others but remain motionless and lifeless themselves. In contrast, the Magi, Gentiles without the written Law, followed the natural law and the inspiration of divine grace—symbolized by the star—and found the Savior. Saint Thomas Aquinas teaches us that this star was not a common celestial body, but a visible sign of the invisible grace that illuminates the intellect and inflames the will. Upon finding the Child, the adoration of the Magi culminates in the offering of their gifts, which represent the totality of the Christian life: the gold of wisdom and the recognition of Christ's kingship; the frankincense of prayer, acknowledging His divinity; and the myrrh, accepting His humanity susceptible to suffering and redemptive death. The final detail of the Gospel is crucial for our spiritual life: "they went back another way." As the Venerable Fulton Sheen observes, no one can meet Christ and return by the same old way of life. The true encounter with the Incarnate Word demands a metanoia, a change of route. We cannot return to the ways of Herod—the way of the world, of power, and of selfishness—but we must tread the new path of virtue, fortified by the Eucharistic food, where the same Christ of Bethlehem makes Himself present, no longer wrapped in swaddling clothes, but under the species of bread and wine, to reign in our hearts.
🗓️ See English version of the critical articles here.
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