LARRY BRODING

Seek the Lord

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Epiphany of the Lord (A)

Have you ever felt called to find an answer or go on a quest? What happened?

Youth is the time of new adventures and new experiences. Many youth simply jump from experience to experience without direction. Others spend their youth seeking, trying to find the answer to Life and Truth. Some just look for the next convenience. Others seek something worth their commitment.

To end the Christmas season, we turn to Matthew’s story of the Magi, the wise men who rose above the mundane day-to-day experience to seek someone. The “light to the nations,” the newborn King of the Jews.

Children’s Reading | Catechism Link | Family Activity

SOURCE: WORD-SUNDAY © Larry Broding

VINCE CONTRERAS

Epiphany of the Lord (A) 

1. The 1st Reading from Isaiah contains a prophecy which is directed to the Jews returning from Exile, but it is not primarily about them. Who does it describe and what will be their experience? What will Israel’s response to this be? What should our response be to seeing people who were formerly “outsiders” entering the Church?
2. In the 2nd Reading, what is the “great mystery” of which St. Paul speaks of in verse 3? Why is this significant for the Church of his time? Of our time?
3. Why was it important for Jesus to be born in the city of David, Bethlehem, a name which means “house of bread” (verses 4-6; Micah 5:1-3; 2 Samuel 5:2)?
4. What do the star, the Magi, the gifts, the homage, the hostility and the prophecy teach about the significance of Jesus?
5. Since the Magi were pagan astrologers, why would they leave everything to follow that star? In your journey toward God, how are you like the Magi? Unlike them? Have you had to leave anything to follow Jesus?
6. Note the responses of the Magi upon finding Jesus. How are they similar to the response that Christians make to Jesus, including before the Blessed Sacrament?
7. What is the “gold, frankincense, and myrrh” in your life? How have you offered this to Jesus?

DON SCHWAGER

Epiphany of the Lord (A)

SOURCE: Sunday Scripture Study for Catholics

MICHAEL MARCHAL

Our Need for a Savior

Epiphany of the Lord (A)

BACKGROUND:  We must avoid sentimentalizing this story. As the carol “We Three Kings” says, the astrologers or Magi are travelling over “field and fountain, moor and mountain” as they follow the star. We must also realize how radical this passage was for Matthew’s original, predominantly Jewish audience. It is Gentile sages who recognize the coming of the Liberator and not the Jewish civil or religious leaders. That fact is supported in today’s epistle selection.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. When have you recognized God’s presence in your life in unexpected places or through unexpected people?
2. When has Jesus been your star, leading you through doubt, confusion, or anxiety to a deeper love?
3. Which of your treasures have you already given to Jesus?
4. Which one are you still keeping back instead of sharing it with others?

Practice: Part of the meaning of this feast is that God can be revealed in very ordinary ways. Yet so many of us interact with others out of stereotypes or prejudices. This week resolve not just to be polite but friendly to service providers: cashiers, servers, and baristas. You might be surprised.

SOURCE: TEAM RCIA

ANNE OSDIECK

Seeking

Epiphany of the Lord (A)

1. What is the main contrast between Jerusalem and Bethlehem? Between Herod and the Magi? What does this tell you about places and people God chooses? At the end of this Gospel story Joseph, Mary and Jesus ended up running from Herod. Who are the modern “Herods” who sow death in the world today?

How does Pope Francis suggest that our synodal journey in the Church is comparable to the Maji’s journey?

Finally, the Magi return “by another way” (Mt 2:12). They challenge us to take new paths. Here we see the creativity of the Spirit who always brings out new things. That is also one of the tasks of the Synod we are currently undertaking: to journey together and to listen to one another, so that the Spirit can suggest to us new ways and paths to bring the Gospel to the hearts of those who are distant, indifferent, or without hope, yet continue to seek what the Magi found: “a great joy” (Mt 2:10). We must always move forwards.

Pope Francis Epiphany Homily
January 6, 2022

REFLECTION QUESTIONS

SOURCE: Sunday Web Site – Saint Louis University

MONIKA KORZEC

The Grace of…

Epiphany of the Lord (A)

Sunday Micro Retreat

Coming Soon!

1. Take a weekly break from the business of life and enjoy a mini do-it-yourself Sunday Retreat.
2. These retreats are based on Sunday’s reading and prompt reflection questions that you may want to think about. It is a good idea to keep a personal journal in which reflections that stood out for you are recorded.
3. The outcome of those Sunday Micro Retreats is good material that you can talk about in your spiritual direction.

READ MORE

SOURCE: CONTEMPLATIVE RETREAT | Recent Retreats