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1st Reading: Is 60:1-6
Responsorial Psalm: Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
2nd Reading: Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Gospel: Mt 2:1-12OPENING PRAYER
Come Holy Spirit, fill the hearts of your faithful and kindle in them the fire of your love. Send forth your Spirit and they shall be created. And You shall renew the face of the earth.
LECTIO
Take some time to intentionally read the readings, specifically the Gospel. Reading it twice, even three times, going slower each time.
MEDITATIO
Meditate on the passage and see if any words or phrases stand out to you. Focus on them and try to see what the Lord is trying to tell you through them. After you spend some time doing this, feel free to supplement your meditation with the following reflection:
This Sunday we read about the Visitation of the Magi. Sent by King Herod to find the newborn king of the Jews, the 3 wise men eventually do find him by following a star in the sky. When they finally reached the child they “prostrated themselves and did him homage.” Then they offered their treasures: gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
Today, the Christ Child demands something far more valuable than any earthly treasure: he desires you. The repeated saying found on bumper stickers and ancient Facebook posts still rings true today: wise men and women still seek him. In the post-haste of the holidays, and as we return to the regular routines of life, work, etc. - let us remember to set time aside to spend time with the Child King. He awaits us at every moment - not just in prayer but also in the Blessed Sacrament of the Altar
If you stick to one resolution let it be one that draws you closer to Jesus. If you do that, then every other goal and hope will fall into place.
ORATIO
What do you want to tell the Lord?
What is it that you desire to bring to Him?
What have these meditations stirred in your heart?CONTEMPLATIO
What did the Magi feel during their journey?
Do I feel overjoyed when I see Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament?
In what ways do I give God homage?OPERATIO
What treasures do I have to give the Lord?
How far am I willing to go for the Lord?
What are concrete ways that I can give homage to the Lord?CLOSING PRAYER
O God, who on this day revealed your only Begotten son to the nations by the guidance of a star, grant in your mercy that we, who know you already by faith, may be brought to behold the beauty of your sublime glory. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
