Happy New Year 2025 to you, listeners of Radio Veritas. Thank you for your fidelity to your Christian radio, the Radio of the Truth, Radio Veritas, throughout the past year, 2024. We are entering the new year, 2025, the Jubilee Year, together as “Pilgrims of Hope,” the theme the Holy Father Pope Francis has chosen for this special Holy Year that began on Christmas Eve, 2024, and will end on January 6, 2026. This period is dedicated to enriching the prayer life of individuals and the Church as a whole.
This first Sunday of January 5, 2024, is the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord, marking the manifestation of Jesus as the Messiah of Israel, the Son of God, and the Savior of the world. On Christmas Day, when our Lord is born, God’s angel announces His birth to the Jewish world through the shepherds. The evangelist Luke tells us that, at the announcement of our Lord’s birth, a multitude of angels appeared to the shepherds, singing and praising God (Lk 2:8–20). Today, the Feast of the Epiphany provides the non-Jewish world, represented by the Wise Men (the Magi) from the East, an opportunity to also celebrate the birth of the Savior.
In the entrance antiphon of this Mass, we pray: “The Lord and ruler is coming; kingship is His, and government and power. Amen.” Today’s readings reflect the grandeur of this feast. In the first reading, the prophet Isaiah proclaims: “Arise, Jerusalem, shine out, for your light has come; the glory of the Lord is rising on you.” In the second reading from his letter to the Ephesians, Saint Paul praises the majesty of God’s plan, which reveals that pagans now share the same inheritance as the Jews. Finally, in the Gospel, Matthew recounts the well-known story of the Magi, the three Wise Men who came from the East bearing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh for the newborn King, Christ the Lord. It is worth noting that Matthew is the only evangelist who mentions the story of the Magi and their visit to adore the child Jesus.
In the course of this Eucharist, let us pray for the grace to also bring our own gift, in the form of a clean heart in which the new born King of Israel, our Lord Jesus Christ, can take shelter from the likes of Herod, the hostile forces, bent on eliminating him at birth
First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6.
Arise, shine out Jerusalem, for your light has come, the glory of the Lord is rising on you, though the night still covers the earth and darkness the people. Above you, the Lord now rises and above you, his glory appears. The nations come to your light and kings to your dawning brightness. Lift up your eyes and look round: all are assembling and coming towards you, your sons from far away and daughters being tenderly carried. At this sight you will grow radiant, your heart throbbing and full; since the riches of the sea will flow to you; the wealth of the nations come to you; camels in throngs will cover you, and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; everyone in Sheba will come, bringing gold and incense and singing the praise of the Lord.
Comment
Chapter 60 of Isaiah is an exceptionally beautiful expression of the glory and splendor that Zion will enjoy after her restoration. God will once again dwell with His people in the holy city of Jerusalem, which will be illuminated by the light of His glory. Foreigners, along with Jews from the diaspora, will come bearing expensive gifts to pay their homage. Peace will reign in the city and countryside, and Jerusalem will become the center to which all nations gather around Israel’s God in a universal brotherhood.
The light shining out of Jerusalem reminds the people of Israel of how God led them in their desert wandering with a pillar of fire. Now, in this new exodus, God not only draws His chosen people with His brightness but also pierces the darkness of the earth, enabling nations and kings from every corner to come to Jerusalem and seek guidance. Their royal gifts are offered in recognition of her God and King.
What does this passage teach me? It teaches me that the city of light represents the Church, shining with the light of the Messiah, Jesus Christ. All peoples are moving toward it, bringing with them the richness of their diverse cultures. We, the people of Africa, are also among those journeying toward the light of God’s salvation as embodied by the Church, with Christ as its head. Through what the Holy Father, Saint John Paul II, calls, in his Post-Synodal Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Africa, inculturation—that is, “catechesis taking flesh in the various cultures”—we contribute our own gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh to the universal culture of the Church.
Let us say the prayer that Saint John Paul II left to the Church in Africa:
“May the outpouring of the Holy Spirit make of the cultures of Africa places of communion in diversity, fashioning the peoples of this great continent into generous sons and daughters of the Church, which is the family of the Father, the Brotherhood of the Son, the Image of the Trinity, the seed and the beginning on earth of the eternal kingdom, which will come to its perfection in the City that has God as Builder: the City of justice, love, and peace. We make our prayer through Christ our Lord. Amen.”
Second Reading: Ephesians 3:2-3. 5-6.
You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery. This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Christ Jesus, through the gospel.
Comment
Someone once remarked that the Letter to the Ephesians is more a sermon than a letter, as it exhorts us to celebrate the life of the Church in Christ and to live that life in a manner worthy of Him. This letter focuses more on Christ in His Church than on Christ as a person. It emphasizes the sublime mission of the Church: to bring salvation to the whole of creation, a task particularly relevant to our times. The Church is equipped for its mission because it is built on “the foundation of the apostles and prophets” and has Christ as its head and the source of its life and work.
In today’s passage for meditation, Paul praises the majesty of God’s plan for us. God’s purpose had remained a secret until Christ revealed it to those who believe in Him. In other words, it is God’s intention that, through Christ, the Gentiles are called to share equally with the Jews in His new people—the body of Christ.
From Paul’s call on the road to Damascus, God’s plan was specially revealed to him: he was to be the apostle to the nations, that is, the pagan world. Not even Isaiah knew of old that God intended to break down the dividing wall between Jew and Gentile. Now, all men and women have become co-heirs, co-members, and co-sharers in one body—the Church—with Christ as its head.
Let us pray to God this day that He may reveal His plans for us and whatever He may be calling us to do in His name. For this, we call on the Holy Spirit to enlighten us and strengthen our resolve, that we may, like Paul, be determined to carry out our individual missions on earth, no matter the obstacles we may encounter. Amen.
Gospel acclamation: “Alleluia, alleluia. We saw his star as it rose and have come to do the Lord homage. Alleluia!”
Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12.
After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him, ‘for this is what the prophet wrote: ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah, for out of you will come a leader, who will shepherd my people Israel.’ Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said, ‘and when you have found him, let me know so that I, too, may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight and going into the house, they saw the child with his mother, Mary, and falling to their knees, they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.
Comment
Today, the Church celebrates Jesus being made known to the whole world. Epiphany means "manifestation," and the three Kings—the Magi—who come following the Star of Bethlehem represent all peoples of every language, culture, and nation. They symbolize the non-Jewish world, called by God to adore Christ.
In the Magi, the Gospel sees the first fruits of the nations, welcoming the good news of salvation through the Incarnation. The Magi’s journey to Jerusalem to pay homage to the King of the Jews signifies their search for the Messiah in the messianic light of the Star of David, the one destined to be king of all nations. Their journey underscores that pagans can discover Jesus and worship Him as the Son of God and Savior of the world only by turning to the Jews and receiving from them the messianic promise contained in the Old Testament.
As Isaiah describes in today’s first reading, the Messiah, Jesus, is the light of the world, shining like the sun on everyone—good or bad, rich or poor, black or white. Since Christ is the light of the world, He illuminates the way for all people to come to God.
In the second reading from Ephesians, we see a similar message: Jesus, the good news of God, did not come for a select group but for everyone—Jew and Gentile alike.
The Gospel depicts the Gentile kings coming to adore the newborn King. Their faith grants them the unique privilege of being the first among the Gentiles to worship Christ, the Son of God, while the rest of the world remains unaware. They are able to contemplate the Messiah shortly after His arrival in the world.
The kings come from the East with precious gifts, offering only the best to the Lord. They present Him with gold, a symbol of royalty; incense, a perfume burned on the altar as a sign of hope in the Messiah; and myrrh, which foretells Christ’s suffering and death. Myrrh reminds us of the passion of our Lord. On the cross, Jesus is offered wine mixed with myrrh (Mark 15:23), and it is with myrrh that His body is anointed for burial (John 19:39).
In these remarkable travelers from the East, we see countless souls from all over the world setting out to adore our Lord. Over twenty centuries have passed since that first adoration, yet this long procession of the Gentile world continues its journey toward Christ.
Through the Feast of the Epiphany, the Church proclaims the manifestation of Jesus to all humankind, across all times, with no distinction of race or nation. As the Fathers of the Second Vatican Council declared: “The Feast of the Epiphany moves all the faithful to share the concerns and labors of the Church, which prays and works so that the entire world may be incorporated into the People of God, the Body of the Lord, and the Temple of the Holy Spirit.”
What am I taking away from this Gospel message? Each of us has a star to follow, an individual call in life, a path that only we can walk. The Magi crossed mountains and deserts to follow their star—their destiny. Even amid our daily routines, we carry within us the star of our calling, an inner light that blossoms and comes alive whenever we speak with Jesus in prayer.
As Saint John Paul II said in his homily on January 6, 1979: “The Church, more aware each year of the vastness of her mission, participates in the Feast of the Epiphany. How many people still need to be brought to the faith? How many must return to the faith they have lost? This is sometimes even harder than the first conversion to the faith. Yet the Church, aware of the great gift of the Incarnation of God, cannot pause or stop. She must continually seek the way to Bethlehem for all people and for all times. The Epiphany is the feast of God’s challenge.”
Let me conclude this meditation with the prayer that Pope Francis has composed for the Jubilee Year 2025, themed "Pilgrims of Hope." This prayer invites the faithful to deepen their faith and hope in Christ during this significant time. This prayer reflects the Jubilee's focus on hope and encourages believers to become active messengers of the Gospel, anticipating the fulfillment of God's Kingdom.
Let us pray.
Father in heaven, may the faith you have given us in your son, Jesus Christ, our brother, and the flame of charity enkindled in our hearts by the Holy Spirit, reawaken in us the blessed hope for the coming of your Kingdom.
May your grace transform us into tireless cultivators of the seeds of the Gospel.
May those seeds transform from within both humanity and the whole cosmos in the sure expectation of a new heaven and a new earth, when, with the powers of Evil vanquished, your glory will shine eternally.
May the grace of the Jubilee reawaken in us, Pilgrims of Hope, a yearning for the treasures of heaven.
May that same grace spread the joy and peace of our Redeemer throughout the earth.
To you our God, eternally blessed, be glory and praise forever.
Amen.
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