A WORD FOR TODAY 5 JANUARY 2020

A WORD FOR TODAY

ARISE AND SHINE FOR YOUR LIGHT HAS COME

Today the Universal Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord. It is a feast in which the Church commemorates the adoration of the infant Jesus by the wise men from the east. Epiphany is from the greek word Epipháneia which simply means manifestation or appearance. God manifested Himself and His glory in Christ Jesus.

In the first reading of today the prophet Isaiah saw the glory of the Lord rise upon the people of Israel. The people were in darkness, but when the light of the Lord shone upon them, darkness was dispelled and they became radiant again. This is a prophecy that will be fulfilled through the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Our Lord Jesus Christ is the light that has come to lead us in this new year and beyond. He is the light of the world and anyone who follows Him will not walk in darkness. We must rise and shine for God's glory will inundate us and his blessings will be seen all around us.

Jesus came for all, both the Jews and the Gentiles as saint Paul tells us in the second reading of today from his letter to the Ephesians. He came that we may be saved and we must welcome Him and let Him reign in our hearts as we journey through life. If we follow Him as our guiding star we shall get to our destination and we shall have eternal life.

In the gospel reading, the Magi from the East presented gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to Jesus when they saw Him lying in the manger and they adored Him. We must learn from them to give Jesus the best gift and that is our heart. We must let Him dwell in us and be our guide in all that we do. Gold signifies that he is a king, frankincense because he is a priest and Myrrh, because he was to die for the salvation of the world.

We must not be like Herod who was Jealous of Jesus the new born king and tried to eliminate him because he felt threatened by his birth. We must give Jesus our best gift and let him lead us as we journey through life. Arise and shine for Jesus your light has come and in Him you shall radiate and glow once again.

Good morning dearest one. Smile😊as you begin your day and do have a joyful Sunday. May the manifestation of God's glory in Christ, bring us peace and joy. Amen. *And may the Almighty God bless you: the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Meditation: Isaiah 60:1-6/Psslm 72:1-2,7-8,10-13/Ephesians 3:2-3,5-6/Matthew 2:1-12

Watch-Word: All nations on earth shall prostrate before you, O Lord.

Worship the Lord and bow adoration before, give Him the gift of your heart and He will take care of you always.

(Sunday of the Epiphany, Year A)