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. Raymond of Peñafort(Priest (c. 1175-1275))

SAINT RAYMUND OF PEÑAFORTPriest(C. 1175-1275) Born 1175 A.D., of a noble Spanish family, Raymund, at the age of 20, taught philosophy in Barcelona with great success. Ten years later, he earned a doctorate at the University of Bologna and other high dignities. A tender devotion to our Blessed Lady, which he had nurtured since childhood, made him renounce all his honors in middle life and enter the Order of St. Dominic. He founded the Order of Our Lady of Ransom for the Redemption of Captives together with St. Peter Nolasco and King James of Aragon. The Holy Mother of God appeared in visions to the three and showed them that ransoming Christian slaves from Islamic kingdoms was the will of God. Simultaneously, Raymund preached a crusade against the Moors and ransomed countless Christians. Thanks to their efforts, Spain was eventually liberated in the fifteenth century. King James of Aragon, a man of great qualities, but held in bond by a ruling passion, was bidden by Raymund to put away the cause of his sin. On his delay, Raymund asked for leave to depart from Majorca. The king refused and forbade his conveyance by others. Full of faith, Raymund spread his cloak upon the waters, tied one end to his staff as a sail, made the sign of the cross and fearlessly stepped upon it. In six hours, he was borne to Barcelona, where he gathered up his cloak dry and stole into his monastery. The king was overcome by this miracle and became a sincere penitent and Raymund's disciple. Angels, who intercede until the end of time, undoubtedly bore Raymund's weight; and to them we owe our thanks. In 1230, Gregory IX summoned Raymund to Rome, made him his confessor and grand penitentiary, and directed him to compile The Decretals: a collection of the scattered decisions of the Popes and Councils. Having refused the archbishopric of Tarragona, Raymund found himself chosen as the third general of his Order in 1238, which he again succeeded in resigning on account of his age. His first act when freed was to resume his labors among the Saracens. In 1256, Raymund, then 81, reported that ten thousand Muslims had received baptism. He passed away in 1275: interceding before God and the Blessed Virgin Mary forever.

St. Angela Foligno(Religious (1248 - 1309))

Saint Angela of Foligno(1248 – January 4, 1309) St. Angela of Foligno was a Christian mystic who wrote extensively about her mystical revelations. She was a Franciscan tertiary and was known as the Teacher of Theologians. She was also noted for founding a religious community that refused to accept enclosure:in order to continue her vision of caring for those in need. Pope Francis declared her a saint on October 9, 2013. Some saints show marks of holiness very early. Not Angela! Born of a leading family in Foligno, Italy, she became immersed in the quest for wealth and social position. As a wife and mother, she continued a life of distraction. Around the age of 40, she recognized the emptiness of her existence and sought God’s help in the Sacrament of Penance. Angela's Franciscan confessor helped her find God’s forgiveness and dedicate herself to prayer and works of charity. Shortly after her conversion, her husband and children died. She then sold her possessions and entered the Secular Franciscan Order. She was absorbed in meditating on the crucified Christ and serving the poor of Foligno as a nurse and beggar for their needs. Other women later joined her and together they formed a religious community. At her confessor’s advice, Angela wrote her Book of Visions and Instructions. In it, she recalls some of the temptations she suffered after her conversion. She also expresses her thanks to God for the Incarnation of Jesus. This book and her life earned for Angela the title Teacher of Theologians. She was beatified in 1693; and canonized in 2013.

St. Lucian(Priest and Martyr († 312))

SAINT LUCIANPriest and Martyr( 312) St. Lucian was born in Samosata, Syria. After he was orphaned, he distributed his considerable inheritance among the poor. He then withdrew to Edessa and lived near a holy man named Macarius. The latter conferred his knowledge of Holy Scriptures and helped St. Lucian to excercise supernatural virtues. When St. Lucian was ordained as a priest, his time was divided between the external duties of his holy state, the performance of works of charity and the study of sacred scriptures. He revised the books of the Old and New Testaments: expunging the errors of copyists and heretics. He prepared the way for St. Jerome, who shortly after gave the Latin translation known as the Vulgate. Having been denounced as a Christian, Lucian was thrown into prison and condemned to torture, which was protracted for 12 whole days. Some Christians visited him in prison on the feast of the Epiphany bringing bread and wine. While bound and chained down on his back, Lucian consecrated the divine mysteries upon his own chest; and communicated the faithful who were present. He finished his glorious career in prison; and died with the words, "I am a Christian," on his lips.

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