Solemnity of the
Epiphany, Cycles A-B-C
Celebrant: The whole world is called to
acknowledge that Jesus is Lord. Grateful for our faith, we now bring the Lord
our petitions.
Deacon/Lector:
That the Church may tirelessly reveal the glory
of Christ to all nations and peoples who do not yet know him, we pray to the
Lord...
That the Manifestation of the glory of Christ
will enable all nations to also recognize the sanctity of each and every human
life, we pray to the Lord…
That missionaries may find new strength through
today's Feast, and may enjoy the support of the Christian people, we pray to the
Lord...
That God people may more deeply discover the
mystery of the Eucharist, and worship the Lord as did the wise men of old, we
pray to the Lord...
That the sick may discover in their sufferings a
manifestation of the Passion of Christ, we pray to the Lord...
That those who have died may share eternal glory,
we pray to the Lord...
Celebrant:
Father,
we trust in your loving care.
Show us your glory,
deepen our faith,
and grant us your peace.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
Bulletin
Insert
Life: An “Epiphany”
of God
“Life is always a
good. … Why is life a good? This question is found everywhere in the Bible, and
from the very first pages it receives a powerful and amazing answer. The life
which God gives man is quite different from the life of all other living
creatures, inasmuch as man, although formed from the dust of the earth (cf. Gen
2:7, 3:19; Job 34:15; Ps 103:14; 104:29), is a manifestation of God in the
world, a sign of his presence, a trace of his glory (cf. Gen 1:26-27; Ps 8:6).
This is what Saint Irenaeus of Lyons wanted to emphasize in his celebrated
definition: ‘Man, living man, is the glory of God’. Man has been given a sublime
dignity, based on the intimate bond which unites him to his Creator: in man
there shines forth a reflection of God himself” (The Gospel of Life, n. 34).
Homily Suggestions on Pro-life Themes
Is 60:1-6
Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Mt 2:1-12
The opening and closing prayer ,the Preface, and the readings of today’s feast
all work powerfully together to enable us to communicate the message of the
sanctity of life. Epiphany is about “revelation” and “manifestation,” and that,
of course is what Christ does. Not only does he reveal the Father to us, but he
reveals us to ourselves. He shows us that this human nature of ours, that can be
so troublesome and burdened, has in fact been renewed. The Preface proclaims,
“You have renewed humanity in his immortal image.” That, indeed is “the promise
in Christ Jesus through the Gospel” that Paul proclaims to the Ephesians in the
second reading. As the alternative opening prayer says, it is a promise that God
will draw us “to the life where your Spirit makes all life complete.” Death is
no longer the final word for the human family, and this gift is shared not only
by one nation or one people, but by all humanity.
The universal offer of God’s salvation extends to those still in the womb.
Epiphany not only tells us that there are no national or ethnic boundaries to
God’s call, but that there are no artificial boundaries between “born” and
“unborn,” “wanted” or “unwanted,” “convenient” or “inconvenient.”
Moreover, the “epiphany” most needed in our time is the ability to see beyond
the appearances of those who are smaller and weaker, and beyond the illusion
created when some are declared “non-persons” under the law. Breaking through all
this darkness and blurriness is the clear light of Christ, which shines on every
human life without exception, bringing those lives God’s love and giving us the
sacred obligation to love them as well.
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