Sunday Sermon - 1.5.25 & Epiphany
LATIN MASS: HOLY NAME OF JESUS
LESSON: Acts 4:8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said to them: Ye princes of the people, and ancients, hear: 9 If we this day are examined concerning the good deed done to the infirm man, by what means he hath been made whole: 10 Be it known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God hath raised from the dead, even by Him this man standeth here before you whole. 11 This is the stone which was rejected by you the builders, which is become the head of the corner. 12 Neither is there salvation in any other. For there is no other Name under Heaven given to men, whereby we must be saved.
There is no other Name which can save us. The holy Name of Our Lord, Jesus Christ. The name Jesus means “Yahweh saves” or “Yahweh is salvation”. Names mean something, and names in Scripture have a direct meaning that we can forget. Our Savior came down to Earth and was named “Yahweh saves”. This name was chosen by the Father and given to the angel Gabriel to tell Our Lady what the name of the Messiah would be.
Do not forget that “Christ” means “anointed one”. So does the word “Messiah”. Our Lord was anointed by His baptism and was anointed prior to His Passion. The kings of Israel were anointed upon receiving their kingship.
GOSPEL: Luke 2:21 And after eight days were accomplished, that the Child should be circumcised, His name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel, before He was conceived in the womb.
Our Lord first shed His Blood for us in His circumcision. He shed His Blood to sanctify the Old Covenant in preparation for redeeming it and transforming it into the New Covenant. The New Covenant He of course sanctified through His Blood in the Passion. Our Lord is willing to shed His own Blood for our salvation. Never forget that.
LATIN MASS: EPIPHANY OF OUR LORD
LESSON: Isaiah 60:1 Arise, be enlightened, O Jerusalem: for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee. 2 For behold darkness shall cover the earth, and a mist the people: but the Lord shall arise upon thee, and His glory shall be seen upon thee. 3 And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light, and kings in the brightness of thy rising. 4 Lift up thy eyes round about, and see: all these are gathered together, they are come to thee: thy sons shall come from afar, and thy daughters shall rise up at thy side. 5 Then shalt thou see, and abound, and thy heart shall wonder and be enlarged, when the multitude of the sea shall be converted to thee, the strength of the Gentiles shall come to thee. 6 The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Madian and Epha: all they from Saba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense: and shewing forth praise to the Lord.
Isaiah prophesies that when the Lord comes to Israel, the Gentiles will join them in the New Covenant that God will enact with mankind. All peoples are welcome to join in the family of God and come to worship Him in this New Covenant. Both Jew and Gentile will be in the same Body of Christ and united to God in perfect communion with Him.
GOSPEL: Matthew 2:1 When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. 2 Saying, Where is He that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to adore Him. 3 And king Herod hearing this, was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 And assembling together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ should be born. 5 But they said to him: In Bethlehem of Juda. For so it is written by the prophet:
6 And thou Bethlehem the land of Juda art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come forth the captain that shall rule My people Israel.
7 Then Herod, privately calling the wise men, learned diligently of them the time of the star which appeared to them; 8 And sending them into Bethlehem, said: Go and diligently inquire after the Child, and when you have found Him, bring me word again, that I also may come to adore Him. 9 Who having heard the king, went their way; and behold the star which they had seen in the east, went before them, until it came and stood over where the Child was. 10 And seeing the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. 11 And entering into the house, they found the Child with Mary His mother, and falling down they adored Him; and opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh. 12 And having received an answer in sleep that they should not return to Herod, they went back another way into their country.
Bethlehem, which means “house of bread” is where the Bread of Heaven will arrive. The visit of the Magi to worship Our Lord happens after the Nativity and most likely after the Presentation in the Temple (celebrated on Candlemas in February 2nd). The Holy Family offers in the Presentation the gifts of the poor, which shows they did not have the gold gifted to them by the Magi yet. The Magi also visit Our Lord and Our Lady in a house. They are no longer in the stable.
NOVUS ORDO: EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
OLD TESTAMENT: Isaiah 60:1 Arise, shine; for your light has come, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you. 2 For darkness shall cover the earth, and thick darkness the peoples; but the Lord will arise upon you, and His glory will appear over you. 3 Nations shall come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn. 4 Lift up your eyes and look around; they all gather together, they come to you; your sons shall come from far away, and your daughters shall be carried on their nurses’ arms. 5 Then you shall see and be radiant; your heart shall thrill and rejoice, because the abundance of the sea shall be brought to you, the wealth of the nations shall come to you. 6 A multitude of camels shall cover you, the young camels of Midian and Ephah; all those from Sheba shall come. They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of the Lord.
It is interesting that the prophesy of Isaiah speaks about gold and frankincense, but does not mention myrrh. Gold is the gift of royalty, showing the Messiah is the King. Frankincense is the offering burned as incense on the altar by the priests, showing that Our Lord is the great High Priest. But it doesn’t mention myrrh. This does not mean the prophecy of Isaiah is false, because silence on a topic does not mean it is saying these will be the only two gifts given to the Messiah.
Most likely the reason it is not mentioned in the prophesy is because of the nature of the gift of myrrh. There might have been some confusion from the prophesy. Myrrh is an ointment used for anointing. It is used for consecrating priests, kings and tabernacles. But it is also used for anointing a deceased body to prepare it for burial. This gift may have brought confusion because of this usage, whereas we understand it perfectly well now. We see the need for anointing of His Body to prepare it for burial after the Crucifixion, but we also see His Resurrection three days later.
NEW TESTAMENT: Ephesians 3:2 for surely you have already heard of the commission of God’s grace that was given me for you, 3 and how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I wrote above in a few words, 4 a reading of which will enable you to perceive my understanding of the mystery of Christ. 5 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: 6 that is, the Gentiles have become fellow heirs, members of the same Body, and sharers in the promise in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.
The word mystery here is the Greek mysterion, which translates into Latin into sacrament. The sacraments anoint us with holy oils and with the Holy Spirit. Just as Our Lord was given oil for anointing in the visit by the Magi, we are given oil when we receive certain sacraments. Both Jew and Gentile are brought into the family of God by this anointing.
GOSPEL: Matthew 2:1 In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, 2 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.” 3 When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; 4 and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. 5 They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
6 ‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who is to shepherd My people Israel.’”
7 Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. 8 Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the Child; and when you have found Him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay Him homage.” 9 When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the Child was. 10 When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. 11 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. 12 And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.
Many try to decode this Bible passage to deduce which stars were in the sky which could have been the Star of Bethlehem. They do this to try and figure out the date of the Nativity and other information about the Magi. It would be wise to remember that the Star of Bethlehem could be a completely different star from what we see in our skies today. First, we worship the Maker of the stars. He is omnipotent and can create a star distinct from all other stars for this purpose, and then hide or retract this star entirely from our view. Assuming that the Star of Bethlehem must be one of the stars in our current sky is an error in the premise of the question.
Secondly, this star behaves quite differently from all other stars. It moves, rises, and even disappears for a time. It only shows up again when they leave Herod. This star also stops in place as well. It then in some manner gives light upon the very house where Our Lord and Our Lady are staying. This is a very unique star. Do not assume it is a regular star we see today.