Isaiah 60:1-6, Ephesians 3:2-3, 5-6, Psalm 72, Matthew 2:1-12
Link to Readings --> http://www.usccb.org/nab/010409.shtml
THE GIFT OF SELF
"Then they opened their coffers and presented Him with gifts of gold,
frankincense, and myrrh." —Matthew 2:11
For most of the world, today's feast of Epiphany is the most important day
of the Christmas season. It's the day when many people exchange gifts and
imitate the wise men who gave gifts to Jesus. Today the Lord is calling us
to give Jesus the present of ourselves, to prostrate ourselves before Him
and do Him homage (Mt 2:11).
Like the wise men, we should express our giving of everything to Jesus by
giving Him something — a gift that would represent our all. Some of us
should give Jesus gold. We should give money to God's work to the degree
that our lifestyle is significantly affected. Others should give
frankincense. In the Bible, our prayer is represented by incense (Ps
141:2). We should commit ourselves to a time of prayer and fasting that
will in effect be giving our lives to the Lord.
Finally, we should give the Lord myrrh. Myrrh is associated with death
since it is a perfume used to prepare a dead body for burial. We should
give a gift that would force us to die to ourselves. On this great feast
of Epiphany, let's be wise enough to give Jesus our all.
Prayer: Jesus, in this season celebrating Your birthday, I give myself and
my life to You forever.
Promise: "Rise up in splendor! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord
shines upon you." —Is 60:1
Praise: Praise You, risen Jesus! At Your Name every knee shall bend and
every tongue confess You as Lord (Phil 2:10-11).
(For a related teaching, order our leaflet "Living In Reality" or our
tapes, either a four-part audio series starting with AV 38-1 or a two-part
video series starting with V-38.)
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Rescript: In accord with the "Code of Canon Law", I hereby grant my
permission to publish "One Bread, One Body" covering the period from
December 1, 2008 through January 31, 2009
†Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of
Cincinnati, June 17, 2008
The rescript is a declaration that a book or pamphlet is considered to be
free of doctrinal or moral error. It is not implied that those who have
granted ecclesial permission agree with the contents, opinions, or
statements expressed.
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