Introit
Behold, the Sovereign Lord is coming; kingship, government and power are in his hands. V. Endow the King with your judgment, O God, and the King’s son with your righteousness. (Mal 3: 1; 1 Chron 29: 12; Ps 71: 1, 10-11) Let us prepare to celebrate our Lord’s coming by listening to the Introit from last year's Epiphany Mass at the Vatican. May our hearts overflow at the sight of our Lord, who loves us so much that he has come to us in the form of a child! Processional We Three Kings What gift can we bring to our Lord this Epiphany? Let us offer our thanks and praise for all that He has done for us, and resolve to serve Him ever more fervently in the coming year. For St. Paul tells us that we have been made “copartners in the promise of Christ Jesus through the gospel.” (Eph 3: 2-3a, 5-6) Psalm 72 R. Lord, ev’ry nation on earth will adore you O God, with your judgment endow the king, And with your justice the king’s son; He shall govern your people with justice And your afflicted ones with judgment. Justice shall flower in his days, And profound peace, till the moon be no more. May he rule from sea to sea, And from the River to the ends of the earth. The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts; The kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute. All kings shall pay him homage, All nations shall serve him. For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out, And the afflicted when he has no one to help him. He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor; The lives of the poor he shall save. Gospel Acclamation ~ Matt Alexander “We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.” (Mt 2: 2) Offertory Antiphon: The kings of Tarshish and the islands shall offer presents; the kings of the Arabians and of Sheba shall bring gifts; all the kings of the earth shall adore him, all nations shall serve him. (Ps 72: 10-11) John Sheppard's setting of our Offertory Antiphon Reges Tharsis helps us to glimpse the awe with which the kings of the earth adored the baby Jesus. Let us pray for this same sense of wonder to fill our hearts as we meditate on the great gift of Christ’s birth among us. What Child Is This Jesus comes to us as a poor, helpless child, and yet is our Lord and King who brings us forgiveness and salvation. Let us meditate on this glorious mystery, this seeming paradox of one who is all-powerful and yet a defenseless baby. Communion Antiphon: We have seen his star in the East, and we have come with our gifts, to worship the Lord. (Mt 2: 2) Let us pray for the courage to proclaim our Lord’s coming, and the wisdom to worship him and give ourselves wholly to Him. Here is a beautiful modern setting of our Communion Antiphon by Oliver Sterling. Gift of Finest Wheat We have been given the gift of the baby Jesus, a gift which becomes, too, the gift of the Eucharist. Let us meditate especially on Verse 4 today: “The myst’ry of your presence, Lord, No mortal tongue can tell: whom all the world cannot contain comes in our hearts to dwell.” Post-Communion Sing of Mary We remember Mary, whose Solemnity we celebrate on January 1. “Joyful Mother, full of gladness, in your arms your Lord was borne.” May Mary be a model of humility and devotion for us all. Recessional As with Gladness As the wise men followed the guiding star, let us follow Christ who offers to be our steadfast guide through all of life’s trials, ever giving thanks for His boundless love.
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