Generous Gift and Giver

Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

04 January 2026

 

First Reading: Isaiah 60:1-6

Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

Second Reading: Ephesians 3:2-3a, 5-6

Gospel: Matthew 2:1-12

 

Reflection

By: Ma. Rosalina S. Flores

 

What gifts did you receive and give this Christmas?

In today's Gospel as we celebrate the Epiphany of the Lord, we heard how the Magi (Wise Men) brought gifts to the infant Jesus as they paid him homage. Each gift had meaning: gold symbolized Jesus as King, frankincense pointed to His priesthood, and myrrh foretold His suffering and death.

The Epiphany, however, is not only about the gifts. It is about the revelation of Jesus to the world. The Magi were Gentiles, showing us that Jesus came not just for a chosen few, but for everyone. His kingship, priesthood, and saving love are offered to all, without exception.

In the same way, Christmas is more than presents, food, and decorations. It is a celebration of relationships and encounters. As we continue this Christmas season, let us focus more on the relationships in our lives, those that are “organic,” as we might call them today, rather than the things that are carefully curated.

May we offer our presence more than presents, our genuine care more than gift cards, and our love beyond fleeting laughter, especially this new year.

Prayer

Father, thank You for the greatest gift, Your Son, our Savior. Help us to follow Your example by giving generously, not only in material things, but also in our time, kindness, and love. Amen.

Journeying With Hope

   

The Epiphany of the Lord

05 January 2025

 

First Reading: Is 60:1-6

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

Second Reading: Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6

Gospel: Mt 2:1-12

 

Reflection

By: Anton B. Ocampo

 

The Sunday after the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother of God is dedicated to the very special celebration of the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord (although some places like Rome still celebrate it on its traditional date, January 6, regardless of what day the said date falls). This solemn celebration highlights the very long journey of the Wise Men, also known as the Magi, in search of the one true King who is none other than our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. The Wise Men followed the Christmas Star, the Star of Bethlehem, as they journeyed in search of the Lord Jesus. 

The Wise Men did not need to make the lengthy journey from their place of origin in the East. When they arrived in Jerusalem, they went to ask Herod about the whereabouts of the newborn King, only to find out that he knew nothing about the Divine Child's whereabouts. In fact, Herod needed the chief priests and scribes to learn about it. At that point, the Wise Men could have just given up and returned to their country of origin. Everything was just a waste of time and effort for them. 

However, the reason why the Wise Men continued was because of hope. If we could ask them why they decided to continue on their journey, they would have probably said that they were still clinging to the remaining hope that they had in their hearts, even though it was little and fading at that point, for the Star of Bethlehem to appear once again to guide them to wish to the Child Jesus. If another group were in their place, they would have just given up, even if the Star of Bethlehem would show up once again to guide them. But not the Wise Men. The Wise Men were heavily motivated by the little hope that they had left.

Hoping in the Lord God is the theme of the readings for today's Solemnity. The promise of the Lord God to Israel featured in the First Reading are words of hope. The light of the Lord will shine through Israel, letting everyone know that He is the one true God who everyone must hope in and worship. Saint Paul the Apostle in the Second Reading stressed that God has fulfilled His promise in the Old Testament through Christ Jesus. By sending Christ Jesus as the fulfillment of the promise He made in the Old Testament, God has given hope to everyone. The Responsorial Psalm stresses our response to God should be - adoration and worship. By doing so, we strongly proclaim that God is our only hope, enabling us to completely trust Him.

Like the Wise Men, let us continue journeying our lives with hope. Let us allow the hope the Lord brings to fill our hearts to live according to God's will and calling - a life of holiness. 

Prayer

O Most Divine Child Jesus, we thank You for willingly filling our hearts with hope, even though we do not deserve it. Help us to accept this gift that You freely give us wholeheartedly. Amen.

God is with us always

    

The Epiphany of the Lord

07 January 2024

 

First Reading: Is 60:1-6

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

Second Reading: Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6

Gospel: Mt 2:1-12

 

Reflection

By: Jose Paulo Gonzales

Have you ever had someone inquiring after your affairs? This could be anything from an innocent check-up plainly curious about your current whereabouts – and this may come from genuine concern; but alternatively, there is also what Herod displayed towards the Christ to be born – an inquisitive prodding with hidden motives. Herod told the wise men to go into Bethlehem to see the Child so he may “come to adore Him”, which we later come to know is an incipient attempt at having Jesus killed shortly after His birth.

The Gospel today shows us that despite the different reasons people come to check on us, there is much Cause for rejoicing in the birth of Christ. I could remember Nathaniel asking challengingly, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). We know Nazareth to be the place where Jesus grew up, and not unlike Bethlehem, Nazareth was a quaint town from which townspeople and village folks of then would not expect something good would originate.

The highest jubilation is only fitting for this eventful occurrence as the Savior that would bear all our sins, the One that would expiate our sins through His death, the One that would rise again to destroy the stronghold of death to win us salvation and eternal life in Heaven… He is here, Emmanuel: God, indeed, is with us.

Such joyous was the moment of Christ’s birth that it made little distinction whoever came. The urge to come must have been too significant that it mattered only little how worthy anyone felt about joining in! Such is Christ’s cohesive quality. Truly, people from different walks of life felt nonetheless welcome to witness and participate! The noble wise men, the shepherds, and even stable animals were all part of the heavenly entourage! Interestingly, the welcoming atmosphere surrounding Christ’s birth in the manger we would also find interspersed in the Bible… in the very language He would use to refer to and ultimately to invite us all – then, the Jews, and now, the Gentiles, too!

Scrolling through our Facebook or Instagram feeds, we could have seen the different ways the Christmas belen or crèche was set up – all embodying the fundamentals of Jesus’ birth, but some have been so enthused as to include today’s significant social events. I remember a belen that was pressed right in the middle of dilapidated slabs of concrete with steel bars jutting out – all to depict the wreckage of war – but more especially so – the undying presence of hope. The belen was posted on Facebook by Rev. Fr. Treb Futol and is situated in the Our Lady of The Pillar in Pilar, Sorsogon.

https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=10160646264657928&set=pcb.10160646265462928

While different interests of today would instigate in some the drive to wage or prolong wars, may we never forget the always gleaming hope we have in Christ. This does not mean to diminish our hardships or mute them as if they are not felt or are not there. In this world, we will have trouble (John 16:33), and the poor, we will always have with us [which does not only mean financially poor but also the circumstantially poor – those impoverished by difficult encounters] (Mark 14:7); but if we do not give up, in due time with the Lord, we will reap our harvest if we continue to do good (Galatians 6:9-10) – to us, this means to step out in faith, spurred on no less by hope, ignited all the way by love. There is cruelty in the world not because there is an absence of God, but rather, there remains good however desperate it can get because God is here – with us, always… Emmanuel, Emmanuel.

Prayer

Lord God, thank You for the Present of Yourself this Christmas. If it were not for Your birth, passion, and resurrection, we would not enjoy living, whether here on earth or where we will settle for eternity if You will – in Heaven.

While living on earth, may we not forget to live for you and others; and in times we fail, please give us the drive, the courage, and the follow-through to restart and recommit ourselves to You and others.

May we live Christmas in our hearts as we live for You and Your beloved every day.

In Jesus’ most holy Name, Amen.

I want to see Jesus, again!

    

  The Epiphany of the Lord

08 January 2023

 

First Reading: Is 60:1-6

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

Second Reading: Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6

Gospel: Mt 2:1-12

 

Reflection

By: Anabelle Balla

 

The song “ Open Our Eyes, Lord” is one of my favorite Christian songs. It brings me to the deepest part of my soul, releasing my longing yo be in God's presence. To gaze upon Him and seek the comfort of His embrace. Please allow me to share the lyrics here. You can sing it or simply read it as a prayer and be filled with God's overwhelming grace.

Open our eyes, Lord

We want to see Jesus

To reach out and touch Him

And say that we love Him

Open our ears, Lord

And help us to listen

Open our eyes, Lord

We want to see Jesus

May we all start the year seeking and spending time with God. Let us allow the manifestation of Christ, His epihany, to happen in our life. These are gifts we can offer that will surely delight Him, and improve our overall well-being. 😊

I may have shared this same message before and I will continue to share again hoping you and others who are reading this reflection, will be blessed by Christ's epiphany.

Prayer

Father, thank You for Your presence. Allow us to bask in Your love, peace, and joy all the days of our life. In Jesus' name, we pray. Amen.

Feast of the Epiphany

 

First Reading:  IS 60:1-6

Responsorial Psalm:  PS 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

Second Reading:  EPH 3:2-3a, 5-6

Gospel:  MT 2:1-12

 

Reflection

By: Carlo Alexis Malaluan

 

Last Christmas season, I watched a 1985 classic movie entitled "The Fourth Wise Man". It was Martin Sheen who played the role of Artaban, the Fourth Magus whom like the other three Magi, knew about the upcoming birth of the Messiah. However, unlike the other three who did make their way to see Child Jesus, he missed the caravan but still continued to search for the Holy One. Years have passed and Artaban spent much of his remaining wealth to help the poor and the unfortunate he met along the way until at the end of his life, he met Jesus, the foretold Messiah, at his trial!

 

Oftentimes, we seek Jesus. We are on a long journey to look for Jesus only to find disappointments. Instead of Jesus, we met people who are not Jesus or even Jesus-like! We meet the poor, the hungry, the weary, the tired, and the unfortunate. They are not the images of Jesus we have in mind, but unknowingly, Jesus reveals himself to us in ways we cannot imagine and in people we do not expect. Of course, practically, we can no longer see Jesus in the household of Joseph but the experience of the Epiphany is always inviting to experience God.

As we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany, let us thank the Lord for the Epiphanies in our lives. In our daily encounter with our neighbor and friends, in answered prayers, in our unexpected conversations with strangers we met along the commute, in storms and trials, and in subtle experiences of life, Jesus reveals Himself to us tenderly. And these are indeed life-changing.

Every encounter with God is life-changing just like as how the Magi in the Gospel changed their ways back home, never to return back to Herod. But we are also being challenged, how can we become Epiphanies to other people? Do our words and actions lead people to the encounter of God? Does our presence make other people feel God's dwelling? Let us strive to become bearers of God's love to others.

 

Let me share with you this beautiful prayer.

 

Prayer

 

Lord of All Nations, we longed to see Your face, to hear Your voice. We kept the faith and reached You in our prayer but too often, we failed to find You. And then, one day in time You placed Yourself within reach in the person of a child as vulnerable as any of us. King and peasant beheld You -- man and woman, slave and free, Jew and Gentile for You had come for all. "Epiphany" we called it --  a living manifestation of the God we call upon. We have since known other Epiphanies: we have met you in the faces of our brother, the grace of our sisters, the hand that reaches out, the heart that weeps for the other, in the strength of one who protects, in the gentleness of one who forgives. We have seen Your face. We have heard Your voice. As broken as we are, as scared and hollowed and sinful, may other see something of You in us, may they hear the sound of Your voice. May You be revealed to all nations, all peoples on earth and may Epiphanies abound. Be born in us, O Lord. Amen.

(Prayer of the Catholic Relief Services)

 

 

 

Follow the Star

The Epiphany of the Lord Jan 5
First reading Isaiah 60:1-6

Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come,

the glory of the Lord is rising on you,

though night still covers the earth

and darkness the peoples.

Above you the Lord now rises

and above you his glory appears.

The nations come to your light

and kings to your dawning brightness.

Lift up your eyes and look round:

all are assembling and coming towards you,

your sons from far away

and your daughters being tenderly carried.

At this sight you will grow radiant,

your heart throbbing and full;

since the riches of the sea will flow to you,

the wealth of the nations come to you;

camels in throngs will cover you,

and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;

everyone in Sheba will come,

bringing gold and incense

and singing the praise of the Lord.

Psalm                                                                            Psalm 71:1-2,7-8,10-13
Second reading                                                          Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6  You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery. This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel. Gospel                                                                         Matthew 2:1-12

After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:

And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah,

for out of you will come a leader

who will shepherd my people Israel.’

Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.

Reflection by Grace Madrinan

At the start of the year, it is but normal to hear “New Year Resolutions” from anyone. As much as I don’t want to make any resolutions of my own, I can’t help but think deeply about it especially when asked by friends. “What do I want? What do I want to accomplish anyway?” I want to pursue something that I am really passionate about, something that will change my life forever.

“Where is the newborn king of the Jews? We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” (Matthew 2:2)

For the magi in today’s Gospel, they came far and wide just to seek the fulfillment of the prophecy – that a Child destined to be a Ruler is born in Bethlehem. They knew exactly what they want. And when they saw the star, they followed to where it leads them “And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them, until it came and stopped over the place where the child was”  (Matthew 2:9)

For the magi, they started with the passion to find the Child in the prophecy. And with a star as a sign, they were led the fulfillment of their search. I am thinking that it must have taken a huge amount of faith and perseverance to complete such journey. What if they are following the wrong star? The star could have been randomly be brighter that night. What if the star is just any ordinary star? Imagine travelling in circles and not going anywhere.

But I have to give it the magi in today’s Gospel, they believed the prophecy and pushed forward with the journey anyway. Because they knew what they want and they pursued it. There was nothing (or maybe I have not read) about the story of the lives of the magi after their travel to Bethlehem. But I believe their lives are forever changed by it. And it all started with a dream, a passion to pursue it and faith that it will be fulfilled.

Prayer

Dear Father, thank You for providing us with another year to pursue our aspirations. Teach us to be like the magi who had faith and endured the journey to find the Child Jesus. May our dreams lead us to finding Your glory. Amen.

But Wait, There's More

The Epiphany of the Lord
03 January 2010


Come, let us worship Christ, who has appeared to us.

First reading Isaiah 60:1-6
Arise, shine out, Jerusalem, for your light has come,
the glory of the Lord is rising on you,
though night still covers the earth
and darkness the peoples.
Above you the Lord now rises
and above you his glory appears.
The nations come to your light
and kings to your dawning brightness.
Lift up your eyes and look round:
all are assembling and coming towards you,
your sons from far away
and your daughters being tenderly carried.
At this sight you will grow radiant,
your heart throbbing and full;
since the riches of the sea will flow to you,
the wealth of the nations come to you;
camels in throngs will cover you,
and dromedaries of Midian and Ephah;
everyone in Sheba will come,
bringing gold and incense
and singing the praise of the Lord.

Psalm or canticle: Psalm 71:1-2,7-8,10-13

Second reading Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6
You have probably heard how I have been entrusted by God with the grace he meant for you, and that it was by a revelation that I was given the knowledge of the mystery. This mystery that has now been revealed through the Spirit to his holy apostles and prophets was unknown to any men in past generations; it means that pagans now share the same inheritance, that they are parts of the same body, and that the same promise has been made to them, in Jesus Christ, through the gospel.


Gospel Matthew 2:1-12
After Jesus had been born at Bethlehem in Judaea during the reign of King Herod, some wise men came to Jerusalem from the east. ‘Where is the infant king of the Jews?’ they asked. ‘We saw his star as it rose and have come to do him homage.’ When King Herod heard this he was perturbed, and so was the whole of Jerusalem. He called together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, and enquired of them where the Christ was to be born. ‘At Bethlehem in Judaea,’ they told him ‘for this is what the prophet wrote:
And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
you are by no means least among the leaders of Judah,
for out of you will come a leader
who will shepherd my people Israel.’
Then Herod summoned the wise men to see him privately. He asked them the exact date on which the star had appeared, and sent them on to Bethlehem. ‘Go and find out all about the child,’ he said ‘and when you have found him, let me know, so that I too may go and do him homage.’ Having listened to what the king had to say, they set out. And there in front of them was the star they had seen rising; it went forward, and halted over the place where the child was. The sight of the star filled them with delight, and going into the house they saw the child with his mother Mary, and falling to their knees they did him homage. Then, opening their treasures, they offered him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh. But they were warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, and returned to their own country by a different way.

Reflection
By Gharri Tulabut

“But Wait There’s More” so goes the popular TV shopping phrase. Just when we thought Christmas season is over, look again, there’s more. We still have today’s celebration – the Epiphany of the Lord - which is popularly known as the feast of the Three Kings or Magi or Wise Men. Whether these men were rulers, astrologers or simple travelers, for me, they represent the elite, the successful people, the superstars, the rich, the politicians, or simply those who had a wonderful year last year as compared to those who suffered tragedies, hunger, injustice, oppression, failure, or poverty who, on the other hand, were represented by the shepherds (see my Jan 1 reflection).

“But wait there’s more” is more than just about an extension of the season. For me this is a call for those who are so much blessed in life but still haven’t discovered the Lord in their lives. I say “But wait, there’s more”, there’s more to life than material things and success. I am not saying these blessings are evil. Rather, these blessings can become instruments to seek the mother of all blessings. That is finding true happiness in the Lord. Like the magi, let us seek the king that was born and serve Him. Offer the gifts of gold (i.e. charity), frankincense (i.e. church service), and myrrh (i.e. new life in the Spirit). Let’s follow His star and we will be on the right path. And once we found Him, let us not go back to Herod (i.e. sin) instead, let us be the guiding star and light the path for others who also wish to witness the Lord’s Epiphany in their lives.


Father, thank You for showering us with blessings. May we become blessings to others so that they, too, may experience You in their lives. Amen.


Next week on God-speak
Whoever Loves the Most Makes the First Move