THIRD DAY WITHIN THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY

              JANUARY 8

Third day within the octave of the Epiphany

MEDITATIONS FOR THE OCTAVE OF THE EPIPHANY

By Richard Challoner

The Faith and Offerings of the Wise Men

Consider, first, the strong and lively faith of the wise men: they set out with expectation of finding an infant king, attended with that state and pomp which was suitable to the dignity of one that was born to be monarch of the universe; and behold, instead of this, they meet with nothing but poverty and humility; a babe wrapt in swaddling clothes, and laid in a manger; attended only with a poor maid, and a humble tradesmen, an ox, and an ass. But their faith by this time was more fully instructed in the qualities of him, whom they had been seeking for with so much labour: and therefore they were not shocked with those mean appearances; nor looked upon them with a worldly eye; but under this poor and humble equipage, believed and adored their King, their God, and their Saviour. O how happy are those souls, whose faith takes no scandal either at the crib, or at the cross of Christ, but rather knits them so much the more closely to him, by how much the more he has debased himself for the love of them.

      Consider 2ndly, how the wise men, having found our Lord, immediately fell down prostrate before him, and worshiped him; professing by this humble and submissive posture of the body, the profound reverence and adoration of their souls. Do we imitate them by the like humility, reverence, and adoration, when we appear before the same Lord in prayer? After this homage they opened their stores; and made him their offerings of gold, frankincense, and myrrh; to signify, by the quality of these their gifts, their faith in him, to whom they gave them: they presented him with their Gold, as a tribute due to him, as their king; they offered him their Frankincense, (which was used in the divine worship) as to their God; and they gave him their Myrrh, (which was used in the burial of the dead,) as to a mortal man who came to redeem all mankind by his death. O let us, by their example, daily offer him our best homages in all these qualities; as our King, as our God, and as our Redeemer!

Consider, that the wise men, having found Christ, were admonished from Heaven not to return any more to Herod: and so went back another way to their own country: to teach us, that after finding Christ, we must return no more to his and our enemies, Satan and sin; but must make the best of our way to our true country, by a quite different road from that by which we came away from it. Our true country is Paradise: we came away from this our country, by pride, by disobedience, by the love of these visible things, and by gratifying our sensual appetite with the forbidden fruit. We must take quite another road, if we hope to return thither again: it must be by penitential tears, by humility, by despising these visible things, by restraining our sensual appetite, by wholesome mortifications of the flesh, and other self-denials, and by a constant obedience, that we are to find the way back to our true home.

     Conclude to quit the broad road, of gratifying thy passions and sensual pleasures; and to pass over to the narrow Way of penance and self-denial; and thou shalt be brought safely back to thy true country, and to thy Father’s house.

Roman Breviary

Hymn

What makes thee, cruel Herod, quake,

Lest Christ thy crown from thee should take?

He will not seize an earthly throne,

Who heavenly kingdoms makes our own.

The Sages coming from afar,

Follow the new appearing star:

With light they seek a better Light;

Their gifts confess the God of might.

The heavenly Lamb in Jordan stood,

To sanctity the crystal flood;

Our sins with that baptismal dew,

Were washed in Him, Who sin ne'er knew.

A strange miraculous power is shown:

The water pots are ruddy grown,

Whose waters by command Divine

Their nature change, and yield pure wine.

To Christ, Who did the Gentiles call,

Be endless glory given by all,

To God the Father we repeat

The same, and to the Paraclete.

Amen.

From the Sermons of St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo

2nd on the Epiphany

Many kings of the Jews had been born, and died, but which of them was sought after by wise men to worship him? Not one for not one had been proclaimed by the voice of heaven. Let us not also pass by the fact that the enlightenment of the wise men standeth in strong contrast to the blindness of the Jews. The first came from far to find Him, Whom, being born in their midst, the second knew not.

     The wise men found the young Child among those who denied Him. These holy pilgrims came and worshiped the yet silent Christ in the land whose inhabitants, after He grew up and worked miracles, crucified Him. They worshiped in that tiny Body the God Whom, amid great signs and wonders, the Jews would not spare even as a man. They who saw the Star which shone at His birth, put it to more profit than they who saw the sun veiled at His death.

     The star which led the wise men towards the place where the new-born God dwelt with His Virgin Mother, ceased to shine when it came to the city of Jerusalem, while they were inquiring of the Jews where Christ should be born. The Jews answered them according to the testimony of the Divine Scriptures In Bethlehem of Judah for thus it is written And thou Bethlehem in the land of Judah, art not the least among the princes of Judah, for out of thee shall come a Governor, that shall rule My people Israel. What else are we to understand that God's Providence would here signify, than that there should remain among the Jews those Divine Writings only, whereby the Gentiles are enlightened, while they themselves remain dark?

                 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 brought gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold is the fitting gift to a King, frankincense is offered in sacrifice to God, and with myrrh are embalmed the bodies of the dead. By the gifts, therefore, which they presented unto Him, the wise men set forth three things concerning Him unto Whom they offered them; by the gold, that He was King; by the frankincense, that He was God; and by the myrrh, that He was to die. There are some heretics who believe Him to be God, but confess not His Kingly dominion over all things; these offer unto Him frankincense, but refuse Him gold. There are some others who admit that He is King, but deny that He is God; these present unto Him gold, but will not give Him frankincense.

     There are some other heretics who profess that Christ is both God and King, but not that He took a dying nature; these offer Him gold and frankincense, but not myrrh for the Manhood. Let us, however, present gold unto the new-born Lord, acknowledging His universal Kingship; let us offer unto Him frankincense, confessing that He Who hath been made manifest unto us in time, is God before time was; let us give unto Him myrrh, believing that He Who cannot suffer as touching His Godhead, was made capable of death as touching the manhood which He shareth with us.

     There is also another signification in this gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Gold is a type of wisdom; as saith Solomon In the mouth of the wise abideth a treasure to be desired. Frankincense, which is burnt in honour of God, is a figure of prayer; witness the words of the Psalmist, Ps. cxl. 2: Let my prayer be set forth as incense before thee. By myrrh is represented the putting to death of the body; as where the holy Church saith of her labourers who strive for God even unto death My hands dropped with myrrh. Cant. v. 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.