FOURTH DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY

MEDITATIONS FOR THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY

Fourth day within the octave of the Epiphany

By Richard Challoner

               January 9

The offerings we are to make, by the example of the Wise men

Consider, first, that, like the wise men, we also must present our best offerings to our Lord. The gold, frankincense, and myrrh, offered by the wise men to our new-born Saviour, mystically denote other offerings, which we also ought daily to make to him. In the first place, we must offer him the tribute of our gold, as to our true king; that is, we must daily present him with our souls, stampt with his own image, and burnished with divine love. This is the gold, this is the tribute our Sovereign expects from us. When the Jews asked him concerning their giving tribute to Cesar, he called for their Coin, on which they had the image of Caesar; and inferred from thence, that they were to render to Caesar the things that were Cesar’s, that is, to give him what was stampt with his image. Our souls are stamps with God's own image, to this very end, that we should give them in tribute to him, by perfect love: render then to God, the things that are God’s; by daily offering your whole souls up to him, by fervent acts of love; and you shall have given him your gold.

Consider 2ndly, that we must also offer our frankincense to our Saviour as to our God. Incense in scripture is considered as an emblem of prayer, and expresses the worship we pay to our Lord, by sending up to him the odoriferous vapors of our devotions, as from the censer of a heart burning with the love of God. Prayer then is the frankincense, which we must, in imitation of the wise men, present to our Saviour, as to our God. This we must daily offer to him at the hours of incense, as a morning and evening sacrifice, in the temple of God, which is within our souls; with this we ought also to endeavour to perfume in some measure all our other daily actions and employments, in order to make them agreeable to him.

Consider 3rdly, that with these offerings of the gold of divine love, and of the frankincense of fervent prayer, we must also join that of the myrrh of self-denial, and mortification, which our Lord no less expects, and requires at our hands, than the other two; since he has so expressly declared, that except we deny ourselves and hate ourselves in this world, we cannot be his disciples. ‘Myrrh has a bitter taste, but it is a wholesome bitter; and it has an excellent property to keep bodies from corruption. Thus it is an emblem of the mortification of our passions and sensual inclinations; which is somewhat bitter and disagreeable indeed, to the taste of our nature, but is sovereignly wholesome; and necessary to keep the soul from the corruption of sin. So that this offering of myrrh, like the other two, should be the daily exercise of a Christian; and should as it were season all his thoughts, words, and deeds, to restrain them from evil.

Conclude, O my soul, not to let a day pass without frequently offering, to thy Lord, the gold of love and charity, the frankincense of prayer, and the myrrh of self-denial; and he will certainly accept of both thy offerings and thyself: and in exchange he will give thee himself.

Roman Breviary - Matins

Taken from the Sermons of Pope St. Leo the Great

1st for Twelfth-Day

Dearly beloved brethren, we have but lately celebrated that day whereon the inviolate virginity of Blessed Mary gave to man a Saviour. And now the venerable solemnity of the Epiphany giveth us a continuance of joy. So that by the nearness of these two holy Feasts, the freshness of our gladness and the quickening of our faith hath no time wherein to die away. And truly it concerneth the salvation of all men, that the Mediator between God and men is already made manifest before leaving the humble city of His birth.

     It is true that the Lord chose the nation of Israel, and in that nation one family, whence to take upon Him that nature which He shareth with all mankind, but, at the same time, He would not that the narrow walls of His Mother's house should imprison within them all the brightness of His appearing, and, as He was pleased to be born for all, so willed He to be forthwith made manifest to all. Three wise men in the East, therefore, saw a new and brilliant star, which, by excelling all others in brightness and beauty, attracted the eyes and thoughts of all beholders and thereby it became at once evident that some new and great event had befallen.

     Then He Who had given the sign, gave understanding to those that saw it; and having given to them to understand that He was born, He gave them the grace to seek Him; and, being sought by them, was pleased to be found. The three wise men followed the guiding of the heavenly light, and, with their eyes firmly fixed upon the glory that went before them, were so led by the light of grace as to obtain the knowledge of truth. They, knowing that He was born a King, sought Him in the Royal City; but He Who had taken upon Him the form of a servant, and came not to judge but to be judged, had chosen Bethlehem for His birth, and Jerusalem for His Suffering.

MASS PROPERS

INTROIT – Malachias 3: 1; Psalm 71: 12

Ecce advénit Dominátor Dóminus: et regnum in manu ejus et potéstas et impérium.

Ps. 71. 2. Deus, judícium tuum Regi da: et justítiam tuam Fílio Regis. V. Glória Patri.

Behold the Lord the Ruler is come: and the Kingdom is in His hand, and power, and dominion. Ps. Give to the King Thy judgment, O God: and to the King’s Son Thy justice. V. Glory be to the Father.

COLLECT

O God, Who on this day by the leading of a star didst manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles; mercifully grant that we who know Thee now by faith, may be brought to the contemplation of the beauty of Thy majesty. Through the same Lord.

EPISTLE - Isaias 60: 1-6

Arise, be enlightened, O Jerusalem: for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon Thee. 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. And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light, and kings in the brightness of thy rising. 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. 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. The multitude of camels shall cover thee, the dromedaries of Madian and Epha: all they from Saba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense and showing forth praise to the Lord.

GRADUAL - Isaias 60: 6, 1

All they from Saba shall come, bringing gold and frankincense and showing forth praise to the Lord. V. Arise and be enlightened, O Jerusalem: for the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee.

ALLELUIA - Matthew 2: 2

Alleluia, alleluia. V. We have seen His star in the East, and are come with gifts to adore the Lord. Alleluia.

GOSPEL - Matthew 2: 1-12

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Juda in the days of King Herod, behold there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, 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. And king Herod hearing this was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him. And assembling together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ should be born. But they said to him: In Bethlehem of Juda. For so it is written by the Prophet: 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. Then Herod, privately calling the wise men, learned diligently of them the time of the star which appeared to them: 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 and adore Him. 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. And seeing the star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy. And entering into the house, they found the Child with Mary His mother, [here genuflect] and falling down they adored Him. And opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts: gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having received an answer in sleep that they should not return to Herod, they went back another way into their country.

Homily by Pope St. Gregory the Great

(10th on the Gospels.)

The wise men teach us a great lesson in that they departed into their own country another way. That which they did, being warned of God in a dream, we ought to do. Our country is heaven; and, when we have once known Jesus, we can never get there by returning on the way wherein we walked before we knew Him. We have left our country far, by the way of pride, and disobedience, and worldliness, and forbidden indulgence we must seek that heavenly Fatherland by tears, by subjection, by contempt of the things which are seen, and by curbing the fleshly appetites.

     Let us then depart into our own country another way. They that have by enjoyment put themselves away from it, must seek it again by sorrow. Therefore, my dearly beloved brethren, it behoveth us to be ever fearful and watch, having continually before the eyes of our heart, on the one hand, the guilt of our doings, and, on the other, the judgment at the latter day. It behoveth us to think how that awful Judge will surely come, Whose judgment is hanging over us, and hath not yet fallen the wrath to come is before sinners, and hath not yet smitten them and the Judge yet tarrieth in order that, when He cometh, there may haply be less to condemn.

     Let us afflict ourselves for our faults with weeping, and, with the Psalmist, let us come before His Presence with thanksgiving. Let us take heed that we be not fooled by the appearance of earthly happiness, or seduced by the vanity of earthly pleasure. For the Judge is at hand, even He That saith Woe unto you that laugh now, for ye shall mourn and weep, Luke vi. 25. Hence also Solomon saith Even in laughter the heart is sorrowful; and the end of that mirth is heaviness, Prov. xiv. 13. And again: I said of laughter, It is mad; and of mirth, What doeth it? Eccles. ii. 2. And yet again The heart of the wise is in the house of mourning, but the heart of fools is in the house of mirth, (vii. 5.)

OFFERTORY - Psalm 71: 10, 11

The kings of Tharsis and the islands shall offer presents: the kings of the Arabians and of Saba shall bring gifts: and all kings of the earth shall adore Him: all nations shall serve Him.

SECRET

Graciously look down, we beseech Thee, O Lord, upon the gifts of Thy Church: by which gold, frankincense, and myrrh are no longer laid before Thee; but He is sacrificed and received who by those very gifts was signified, Jesus Christ Thy Son our Lord. Who with Thee liveth and reigneth.

PREFACE FOR THE EPIPHANY

It is truly meet and just, right and availing unto salvation that we should at all times and in all places give thanks unto Thee, O holy Lord, Father almighty and everlasting God. For when Thine only-begotten Son showed Himself in the substance of our mortal nature, He restored us by the new light of His own immortality. And therefore with Angels and Archangels, with Thrones and Dominations, and with all the heavenly hosts, we sing a hymn to Thy glory, saying without ceasing:

Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus Dóminus, Deus Sábaoth. Pleni sunt coeli et terra glória tua. Hosánna in excélsis. Benedíctus, qui venit in nómine Dómini. Hosánna in excélsis.

COMMUNION - Matthew 2: 2

We have seen His star in the East, and are come with gifts to adore the Lord.

POSTCOMMUNION

Grant, we beseech Thee, O almighty God, that by a purified mind we may attain to the understanding of that which we solemnly celebrate. Through our Lord.