3 January 2027 · Latin Rite
Open in the Daily Word appAlso: Syro-Malankara Rite · Syro-Malabar Rite · മലയാളം
“When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:10–11
Epiphany means “manifestation”. At Christmas the Lord was revealed to the shepherds of Israel; today he is revealed to the nations, represented by the Magi from the East. Isaiah saw it centuries before: “Arise, shine; for your light has come… Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Camels from Midian and Sheba bring “gold and frankincense”. St Paul names the mystery hidden for ages: “the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus.” Today is the feast of all of us who are not descended from Abraham, and who have been brought into God's family.
The Magi follow a star; they read the book of creation honestly, and it leads them to Jerusalem. There they need the Scriptures to find the exact place: Bethlehem, as the prophet Micah wrote. Reason and revelation work together. Yet the scribes who knew the Scriptures did not take the few hours' walk to Bethlehem, and Herod, who heard the same news, felt threatened and planned murder. The same Christ draws some to worship and provokes others to fear. Knowledge without worship leaves us where we are.
“They knelt down and paid him homage.” The journey ends in adoration. The gifts became, in the Fathers, a confession of faith: gold for a king, frankincense for God, myrrh for one who would die (St Irenaeus, St Gregory the Great). And “they left for their own country by another road.” Whoever truly meets Christ cannot go back the same way. The Church in India, born from the faith of the Apostle Thomas and the missions of Francis Xavier, is itself a fruit of the Epiphany: the light reached the East.
Theme: “Nations shall come to your light.”
Christ revealed to the nations; seeking, finding and adoring.
“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD has risen upon you.” Isaiah 60:1
“that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” Ephesians 3:6
Apply: Pray for one person who does not yet know Christ.
“Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” Isaiah 60:3
“asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.”” Matthew 2:2
Apply: Read one chapter of a Gospel each day this month.
“May all kings fall down before him, all nations give him service.” Psalm 72:11
“When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” Matthew 2:10–11
Apply: Spend fifteen minutes in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament this week.
The star leads to the Child; the Child leads to the Cross and the empty tomb.
Whoever adores Christ cannot go back the same way.
Take-home resolution: Bless your home this week and offer Christ one concrete gift.
Dear brothers and sisters, today is our feast. At Christmas Jesus was shown to the shepherds of Israel. Today, at the Epiphany, he is shown to the nations. The Magi from the East represent all of us who were not born into the people of Israel, and who have been invited into God's family.
Isaiah had seen it long before: arise, shine; for your light has come… nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn (Isaiah 60:1, 3). St Paul calls it a mystery hidden for ages: the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, sharers in the promise (Ephesians 3:6). In Christ there are no outsiders.
Look at how the Magi find Jesus. First they follow a star; they read God's book of creation honestly. But the star brings them only to Jerusalem. There they need the Scriptures: the prophet Micah says Bethlehem. Reason and faith work together. A sincere mind, open to God's word, finds Christ.
But notice the others. The chief priests and scribes knew the exact verse, yet none of them walked the few hours to Bethlehem. Herod heard the same news and was afraid. Knowledge without worship leaves us where we are; fear of losing our power makes us enemies of Christ. Each of us must ask: am I a seeker, a spectator, or a Herod?
When the Magi see the child with Mary his mother, they kneel and pay him homage, and they open their treasures: gold for a king, frankincense for God, myrrh for one who would die. Adoration is the end of the journey. And then, warned in a dream, they leave for their own country by another road (Matthew 2:12). No one who truly meets Christ goes back the same way.
Today the Church announces the date of Easter: this year 28 March. The star of Bethlehem points to the Cross and the empty tomb. Let us bring Christ our gifts, kneel before him in the Eucharist, and go home this week by another road. Amen.
The Fathers saw in the three gifts a confession of faith: gold for a king, incense for God, myrrh for one who would die.
📖 Psalm 72:10–11
📖 Matthew 2:2
Apply: Give Christ the first place in one decision this week.
📖 Psalm 141:2
📖 Matthew 2:11
Apply: Kneel in adoration before the Blessed Sacrament this week.
📖 Isaiah 53:5
📖 John 19:39–40
Apply: Offer one hidden suffering to Christ.
The Magi confessed Christ as King, God and Saviour.
Our gifts are our obedience, our worship and our sacrifices.
Take-home resolution: This week I will bring Christ the gold of obedience, the incense of prayer and the myrrh of a hidden sacrifice.
Dear brothers and sisters, the Magi opened their treasure chests and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh (Matthew 2:11). The Fathers of the Church saw in these three gifts a whole creed.
Gold is for a king. The Magi asked: where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? (Matthew 2:2). Herod trembled for his throne, but Christ's kingship does not compete with earthly power; it reigns by serving.
Incense is for God. The Magi knelt down and paid him homage. Incense rises like prayer, and worship belongs to God alone. These foreign scholars recognised in a little child the God they had sought.
Myrrh is for burial. It was a strange gift for a baby, yet Nicodemus would bring myrrh to bury the body of Jesus (John 19:39). From the crib, the shadow of the cross is already present.
What shall we bring? The gold of obedience, the incense of prayer at the Mass, and the myrrh of a sacrifice offered in love. Then we too, like the Magi, will go home by another road. Amen.
The Magi saw, set out, sought, found, worshipped and returned by another road. Their journey is the journey of every believer.
📖 Genesis 12:1
📖 Matthew 2:1–2
Apply: Take one step in faith you have been postponing.
📖 Micah 5:2
📖 Matthew 2:5–6
Apply: Read the Gospel of the day each morning this week.
📖 Isaiah 60:3
📖 Matthew 2:12
Apply: Change one habit after meeting Christ at the Mass.
God guides seekers by many lights, and finally by his word.
No one who truly meets Christ goes home by the same road.
Take-home resolution: This week I will take one step toward Christ, and change one road that leads me away from him.
Dear friends, the Magi were not Jews and had no Bible. They had a star. God spoke to them in the language they understood, and they set out (Matthew 2:1–2). Faith always begins with a journey.
But the star brought them only as far as Jerusalem. There they needed the Scriptures: in Bethlehem of Judea, for so it has been written by the prophet (Matthew 2:5). God leads us by many lights, but finally by his word.
When they found the Child with Mary his mother, they knelt and worshipped. The long search ended in adoration. Every Sunday at the Mass our search ends in the same way: we kneel before him.
And then: having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road (Matthew 2:12). After meeting Christ, they could not go back the old way.
Let us ask ourselves: what is my star? Where do I need the Scriptures to guide me? And which old road must I leave after meeting Christ today? Amen.
Children, the wise men followed a star for a long, long way to find Jesus. When they found him, they knelt and gave him gifts.
What gift can you give Jesus? A kind word, a prayer, sharing your toys. Jesus loves your gifts!
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. Amen.
Epiphany means “manifestation”. Today the child of Bethlehem is shown to those who were not of Israel. Isaiah sees the nations walking toward the light that has risen over Jerusalem, bringing gold and frankincense. The psalm prays for a king to whom far-off rulers bring gifts, and who protects the poor. St Paul names the mystery that was hidden for ages: the Gentiles are fellow heirs. In Matthew, wise men from the East follow a star, ask the Scriptures of Israel the way, and kneel before a child with his mother. The key words are light, nations and homage. It is the feast of all of us who came from far away.
Setting.
Many scholars think that Isaiah 56–66 addresses the Jewish community after some of the exiles returned from Babylon, a little after 538 BC. The promises of return had been glorious, but the reality was hard: a ruined city, a poor people and a small rebuilt Temple. Into this discouragement the prophet speaks to Jerusalem as to a woman lying on the ground, and tells her to get up.
The poem pictures a great procession to Zion. Her own scattered children come home, and with them the wealth of foreign peoples.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.” (60:1)
The verb “risen” is the one used for the sunrise. God's coming is described as dawn over a sleeping city.
“For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples;” (60:2)
The prophet does not deny the darkness of the world. Compare the darkness of Herod's fear and scheming in today's Gospel.
“Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.” (60:3)
This verse, with Psalm 72, is the source of the Christian custom of picturing the wise men as kings. Matthew does not call them that.
“They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.” (60:6)
Midian, Ephah and Sheba are peoples of Arabia, famous for caravans and for incense. Note that Isaiah has no myrrh; Matthew's third gift is new, and the Fathers saw meaning in it.
How the Church reads it.
The Roman liturgy has read this chapter on Epiphany for centuries, because Matthew's story seems to echo it, with its light, its nations coming from afar, its gold and frankincense. The Second Vatican Council took its first words from the same image: Christ is the light of nations, and his brightness is reflected on the face of the Church (Lumen Gentium 1). The Church does not shine by her own light. The Catechism recalls a favourite image of the Fathers: the Church is like the moon, all its light reflected from the sun (CCC 748).
Setting.
Psalm 72 is a royal psalm, a prayer for the king of Israel, perhaps on the day of his enthronement. Its title links it with Solomon, whose visit from the Queen of Sheba, with camels and gold and spices, is told in 1 Kings 10. It asks for far more than any earthly king ever gave, and so Israel came to read it as a hope for the Messiah. The ancient Aramaic paraphrase of the psalm, the Targum, names the Messiah in its first verse.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“Give the king your justice, O God, and your righteousness to a king’s son.” (72:1)
Justice is asked for first, before wealth or victory. It belongs to God and has to be given.
“May he have dominion from sea to sea, and from the River to the ends of the earth.” (72:8)
The River is the Euphrates. Zechariah 9:10 uses the same words of the humble king on a donkey.
“May the kings of Tarshish and of the isles render him tribute, may the kings of Sheba and Seba bring gifts.” (72:10)
Tarshish lay far to the west across the sea, and Sheba far to the south. The poet is drawing a map of the whole known world.
“For he delivers the needy when they call, the poor and those who have no helper.” (72:12)
The child adored today will one day say that whatever is done to the least is done to him (Matthew 25:40).
How the Church reads it.
The Church sings this psalm on Epiphany with the refrain “Every nation on earth will adore you, Lord”, and hears it fulfilled in the Magi. She also hears in it a programme: the kingdom of Christ is one of justice and peace, as the Preface of Christ the King says, and the Church's care for the poor is no side issue. The Catechism says that those oppressed by poverty are “the object of a preferential love” on the part of the Church (CCC 2448). Gifts brought to this king should reach those he protects.
Setting.
The letter speaks in the name of Paul, a prisoner for the sake of the Gentiles (3:1). Many scholars think it was written by a disciple of Paul who drew on his thought, while others hold to Paul's own authorship. The Church receives it as inspired in either case. The Lectionary leaves out the verses in which the writer speaks of his earlier words and his understanding, and goes straight to the heart of the matter.
The preceding chapter has already said that Christ “has made both groups into one and has broken down the dividing wall” (2:14). Our reading names this as the mystery.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you,” (3:2)
An office in the Church is a grace, and it is given for others.
“In former generations this mystery was not made known to humankind, as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:” (3:5)
The promise to bless all nations through Abraham is old (Genesis 12:3). What is new is the manner: not as visitors or second-class guests, but as full members in Christ.
“that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (3:6)
This is the reading's single great sentence. The Gentiles are heirs of a promise that was first given to Israel. They do not replace Israel; they are joined to its inheritance.
How the Church reads it.
St Leo the Great, preaching on Epiphany, prays that the full number of the nations may enter the family of the patriarchs, and the Catechism takes up his words (CCC 528). The Catechism also says that the people descended from Abraham are the root onto which the Gentiles are grafted (CCC 60; Romans 11:17–24). The Council recalls that Christ, by his Cross, reconciled Jews and Gentiles, and that the Church cannot forget the root from which she draws her life (Nostra Aetate 4). Because this mystery is for all, the Church is missionary by her very nature (Ad Gentes 2).
Setting.
Matthew alone tells this story. Its first readers had just heard the genealogy from Abraham (chapter 1), and the Gospel will end with the risen Lord sending the disciples to “all nations” (28:19). Already in chapter 2, the nations are on the road.
Herod the Great ruled Judea as a client of Rome until his death in 4 BC, so Jesus was probably born a few years before that date. Herod was an able builder and a very fearful ruler. The Jewish historian Josephus tells how he had even his own sons killed.
Structure.
Key words.
Verse by verse.
“Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” (2:2)
Numbers 24:17 had spoken of a star coming out of Jacob, in the words of Balaam, himself a seer from the East. Nature takes these men part of the way. The last part of the way they will need the Scriptures.
“When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him;” (2:3)
Many read “all Jerusalem” here as the ruling circle around a violent king, whose fear makes others afraid. It is no judgment on the Jewish people. Mary, Joseph and the child are Jews too, and the Magi will find the way by Israel's own Scripture.
“In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:” (2:5)
They quote Micah 5:2, with an echo of 2 Samuel 5:2 on shepherding. The Scriptures give the true answer. The Magi need that answer, which shows they do not come by the star alone.
“When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy.” (2:10)
The Greek piles up words for joy: literally, “they rejoiced with very great joy”. It is the only emotion Matthew gives them.
“On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage.” (2:11)
Matthew, who has told the story mostly from Joseph's side, here says “Mary his mother”. They find no throne and no palace, and still they kneel.
“they left for their own country by another road.” (2:12)
It is a plain fact of the journey, yet the Church has long heard more in it. No one who has truly met Christ goes home by the same road.
How the Church reads it.
The Catechism says that in the Magi, “representatives of the neighboring pagan religions”, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, and adds that they find Jesus only by turning toward the Jews and receiving from them the messianic promise (CCC 528). St Irenaeus explains the gifts: myrrh because he would die and be buried, gold because he is a king, incense because he is God (in substance, Against Heresies 3, 9). Origen links the Magi with Balaam's prophecy of the star (in substance, Against Celsus 1, 60). St Leo the Great in his Epiphany sermons says that the Magi stand for all the nations (in substance). The Council says that God is not far from those who seek the unknown God in shadows and images (Lumen Gentium 16). The Magi's road began there.
Were there three of them? Were they kings? What were their names?
Matthew says only “wise men”, and he gives no number and no names. The number three comes from the three gifts, and Origen is among the first to mention it. Tertullian says that the East counted such men almost as kings. The names Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar come from much later tradition. The Church uses these traditions freely in art and piety, but they are not the Gospel's own statement.
Was the star a real star, a comet, or a miracle?
We cannot say. Since Kepler, people have proposed a conjunction of planets in 7 BC, a comet or a new star, but no explanation is agreed, and an ordinary star does not stop over one house. Matthew is not giving an astronomy lesson. He tells us that God led seekers by the signs they could read, and then by Scripture.
Does the Gospel approve of astrology?
No. The star does not tell them a fate. It brings them to a person, and they kneel to him, not to the star. The Bible elsewhere rejects seeking the future from the stars (Isaiah 47:13; CCC 2116). God meets them where they are, as he meets each of us, and leads them on.
Rome keeps the Epiphany on 6 January, but in India and many other countries it is moved to the Sunday between 2 and 8 January, as this year. In the Roman liturgy, Evening Prayer speaks of three mysteries on this day: the star leading the Magi, the water made wine at Cana and the Baptism in the Jordan. The Roman Missal also provides, after the Gospel, for the solemn announcement of the date of Easter and the moveable feasts of the new year, since the whole year flows from Easter. Most of us in India are descended from nations that came late to Abraham's promise, so this is very much our feast.