Readings for Sunday, January 2, 2022 — Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
Isaiah 60: 1-6; Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13; Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6; Matthew 2:1-12
Suggested Reflection Questions:
- The prophet Isaiah paints a picture of the coming Emmanuel’s light flooding the world and filling the people of God with joy. In this season of celebrating the coming of Christ, what makes your heart “overflow” with joy? What can you do this week to “rise up in splendor” and bring joy to someone in your life who is going through a rough time?
- Both the psalm and the Gospel reading refer to a coming King. The psalmist describes a king who “shall rescue the poor when he cries out, and the afflicted when he has no one to help him” and assures us that “he shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; the lives of the poor he shall save.” As Christians, we proclaim that this king is Jesus Christ. How can you imitate the King of Kings this week in your life? How does this vision of righteous leadership influence the way we participate in government, and what can we do to improve that?
- In Matthew’s Gospel, Herod (however sinister his motivation) exhorts the magi to “go and search diligently for the (Christ) child.” Like the magi, we all seek Christ on our own path. What does it mean to search diligently for Christ in today’s world?