Epiphany of the Lord

Book of Isaiah

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.

Psalms

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.
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.
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.
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.

Letter to the Ephesians

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, as I have written briefly earlier.
which was not made known to human beings 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.

Holy Gospel of Jesus Christ according to Saint Matthew

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 Messiah 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.

St. John N. Neumann(Bishop (1811-1860) - Memorial)

SAINT JOHN NEPOMUCENE NEUMANNBishop(1811-1860) St. John Neumann was born in Bohemia on March 20, 1811. His affection for the American missions brought him to the United States as a cleric. He was ordained in New York in 1836. In 1840, he entered the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer (Redemptorists). He labored in Ohio, Pennsylvania and Maryland. In 1852, he was consecrated as the bishop of Philadelphia. There, he worked hard to establish parish schools and parishes for immigrants. Many Christian centers of worship, learning and service are inspired by St. John Neumann. He passed away on January 5, 1860. He was beatified in 1963, and canonized in 1977.

St. Genoveva Torres Morales(Foundress (1870-1956))

Saint Genoveva Torres MoralesFoundress of the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Angels (The Angélicas)(1870-1956) Genoveva Torres Morales was born on January 3, 1870, in Almenara, Castille, Spain. She was the youngest of six children. By the age of 8, both her parents and four of her siblings had died, leaving her to care for the home and her brother José. Although José treated her respectfully, he was demanding and taciturn. Genoveva lacked companionship and grew accustomed to solitude. When Genoveva was 10, she took a special interest in reading spiritual books. Through this pursuit, she came to understand that true happiness is doing God's will: effectively freeing one's self from the world. Participating in the life of God is the reason we were created. This became her rule of life. At the age of 13, Genoveva's left leg was amputated because of gangrene. The amputation was done in her home and the anaesthesia was insufficient. Throughout her life, her leg caused her pain and sickness, and she was forced to use crutches. From 1885 to 1894, Genoveva lived at the Mercy Home run by the Carmelites of Charity. She lived with the sisters and with other children, deepened her life of piety and perfected her sewing skills. During those years, Fr. Carlos Ferrís, a diocesan priest and future Jesuit founder of a leprosarium in Fontilles, guided the "beginnings" of her spiritual and apostolic life. God gave Genoveva the gift of "spiritual liberty," which she practiced throughout her life. Reflecting on her time at the Mercy Home, she later wrote: "I loved freedom of heart very much, and worked and am working to achieve it fully. ... It does the soul so much good that every effort is nothing compared with this free condition of the heart." Genoveva intended to join the Carmelites of Charity, but was rejected because of her physical condition. She was decisive and resolute by nature and continued opening herself to God's guidance. All the while, she longed to be consecrated to God. In 1911, Canon Barbarrós suggested that Genoveva begin a new religious community. He pointed out that there were many poor women who could not afford to live on their own and suffered much hardship. For years, Genoveva had thought of starting a religious congregation that would meet the needs of such women, since she knew of no one engaged in the work. With the help of Canon Barbarrós and Fr. Martín Sánchez, S.J., the first community was established in Valencia. Women joined the congregation and shared the apostolic and spiritual life. Despite problems and obstacles, more communities were established in other parts of Spain. Mother Genoveva was goaded by external activities and involvement in the new foundations. She desired to return to her characteristic interior solitude and remain alone with the Lord, but she accepted her calling as God's will and did not let her physical or interior suffering stop her. She would say: "Even if I must suffer greatly, thanks be to God's mercy, I will not lack courage." She was known for her kindness, openness and good sense of humor. She even joked about her physical ailments. In 1953, the Congregation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and the Holy Angels received pontifical approval. Mother Genoveva passed away on January 5, 1956. She was beatified by Pope John Paul II on January 29, 1995, and canonized in Madrid on May 4, 2003.

St. Simeon Stylites((c.401-460))

SAINT SIMEON STYLITES(c.401 - 460) One winter's day, around the year 401, the snow lay thick around Sisan, a little town in Cilicia. A shepherd boy, who could not herd his flock on account of the cold, went to church and heard the eight beatitudes. He asked how these blessings could be obtained, and when told of the monastic life, a thirst for perfection arose within him. He became the wonder of the world, the great St. Simeon Stylites. He was warned that perfection would cost him dear, and so it did. A mere child, he began the monastic life and spent a dozen years in austerity. On at least one occassion, he ate just once in seven days. When God led him to a solitary life, he kept fasts of forty days. For 37 years, St. Simeon climbed on top of pillars and was exposed to the heat and cold. Day and night, he adored the majesty of God. Perfection was all in all to St. Simeon: the means nothing except in so far as God chose them. The solitaries of Egypt were suspicious of a life so new and so strange, and they sent one of their number to bid St. Simeon come down from his pillar. When the Saint began to descend, the Egyptian religious witnessed humility. "Stay," he said, "and take courage: Your way of life is from God." Cheerfulness, humility and obedience set their seal upon the austerities of St. Simeon. The words that God put into his mouth brought crowds of pagans to baptism and sinners to penance. At last, in the year 460, those who watched below noticed that he had been motionless for three whole days. They ascended and found him in a prayer posture, but his soul was with God. Extraordinary as the life of St. Simeon may appear, it teaches us two plain and practical lessons: First, we must constantly renew within ourselves an intense desire for perfection. Secondly, we must use the means of perfection God points out with fidelity and courage. "Take up your cross and follow me" says the Lord (Mt. 16:24).

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