Second Sunday of Christmas - Year C - A King To Behold & “We Three Kings”
This weekend’s Gospel teaches us how Christ enriches those who bring him their hearts. The adoration of the Magi fulfills the oracle of Isaiah (Isa. 60:1-6), prophesying that the nations of the world would travel to the Holy City following a brilliant light and would bring gold and incense to contribute to the worship of God. The Psalm (Ps 72) includes a verse about kings coming from foreign lands to pay homage to a just king in Israel. Paul’s letter to the Church of Ephesus (Eph. 3:2-6) expresses God’s secret plan in clear terms: “…the Gentiles are…co-partners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.”
The Gospel reminds us that if God permitted the Magi – foreigners and pagans – to recognize and give Jesus proper respect as the King of Jews, we should know that there is nothing in our sinful lives that will keep God from bringing us to Jesus. There were three groups of people who reacted to the Epiphany of Christ’s birth. The first group, headed by King Herod the Great, tried to eliminate the Child, the second group, priests and scribes, ignored him, and the third group, represented by the shepherds and the Magi, came to adore him.
Life Messages for us:
(1) Let us make sure that we belong to the third group
By worshiping Jesus at Mass with the gold of our love, the myrrh of our humility, and the frankincense of our adoration;
By giving a new direction to our lives. As the Magi chose another route to return to their homes, we need to choose a better way of life, abstaining from proud and impure thoughts, evil habits and selfish behavior; and
By becoming stars leading others to Jesus as the star led the Magi to Jesus — removing the darkness of the evil around us and radiating Jesus’ love through selfless service, unconditional forgiveness, and compassionate care.
(2) On this feast of the Epiphany, let us, like the Magi, offer Jesus our grateful use of his gifts to us:
His gift of friendship with God in the form of wholehearted love and devotion;
His gift of friendship with others by leading them to God through our exemplary lives of Christian charity in action;
His gift of reconciliation with God by making use of the Sacrament of Reconciliation frequently, by asking daily for His pardon and forgiveness for our sins and by giving unconditional forgiveness to those who wound us; and
His gift of peace by seeking God’s peace in our own lives through prayer, leading a Sacramental life, and daily meditation on the Word of God.
In honour of the Feast of the Epiphany, we’d like to share our latest video with you. "We Three Kings" is a Christmas carol written by John Henry Hopkins Jr. in 1857. Hopkins wrote the carol for a Christmas pageant in New York City and it became the first widely popular Christmas carol written in America.
Video can be watched by clicking here or on the picture below:
