Readings

First Reading
Is 60:1-6

The glory of the Lord shines upon you.

A reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come,
   the glory of the Lord shines upon you.
See, darkness covers the earth,
   and thick clouds cover the peoples;
but upon you the LORD shines,
   and over you appears his glory.
Nations shall walk by your light,
   and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about;
   they all gather and come to you:
your sons come from afar,
   and your daughters in the arms of their nurses.

Then you shall be radiant at what you see,
   your heart shall throb and overflow,
for the riches of the sea shall be emptied out before you,
   the wealth of nations shall be brought to you.
Caravans of camels shall fill you,
   dromedaries from Midian and Ephah;
all from Sheba shall come
   bearing gold and frankincense,
   and proclaiming the praises of the LORD.

Continue with the readings for Epiphany

Second Sunday After The Nativity

FIRST READING
Sir 1-2, 8-12

The wisdom of God lives in his people.

A reading from the Book of Sirach

Wisdom sings her own praises and is honored in God,
   before her own people she boasts;
in the assembly of the Most High she opens her mouth,
   in the presence of his power she declares her worth,
in the midst of her people she is exalted,
   in holy fullness she is admired;
in the multitude of the chosen she finds praise,
   and among the blessed she is blessed.

“The Creator of all commanded and said to me,
   and he who formed me chose the spot for my tent,
saying, ‘In Jacob make your dwelling,
   in Israel your inheritance,
   and among my chosen put down your roots.’

“Before all ages, in the beginning, he created me,
   and through all ages I shall not cease to be.
In the holy tent I ministered before him,
   and in Zion I fixed my abode.
Thus in the chosen city I have rested,
   in Jerusalem is my domain.
I have struck root among a glorious people,
   in the portion of the LORD, his heritage;
   and in the company of the holy ones do I linger.”

RESPONSORIAL PSALM
Ps. 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20

℟. (Jn 1:4)The Word of God became man and lived among us.

Glorify the LORD, O Jerusalem;
   praise your God, O Zion.
For he has strengthened the bars of your gates;
   he has blessed your children within you.

℟. The Word of God became man and lived among us.
  or:
℟. Alleluia.

He has granted peace in your borders;
   with the best of wheat he fills you.
He sends forth his command to the earth;
   swiftly runs his word!

℟. The Word of God became man and lived among us.
  or:
℟. Alleluia.

He has proclaimed his word to Jacob,
   his statutes and his ordinances to Israel.
He has not done thus for any other nation;
   his ordinances he has not made known to them. Alleluia.

℟. The Word of God became man and lived among us.
  or:
℟. Alleluia.

SECOND READING
Eph 1:3-6, 15-18

God destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ.

A reading from the Letter of Paul to the Ephesians

Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
   who has blessed us in Christ
   with every spiritual blessing in the heavens,
   as he chose us in him, before the foundation of the world,
   to be holy and without blemish before him.
In love he destined us for adoption to himself through Jesus Christ,
   in accord with the favor of his will,
   for the praise of the glory of his grace
   that he granted us in the beloved.

Therefore, I, too, hearing of your faith in the Lord Jesus
   and of your love for all the holy ones,
   do not cease giving thanks for you,
   remembering you in my prayers,
   that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory,
   may give you a Spirit of wisdom and revelation
   resulting in knowledge of him.
May the eyes of your hearts be enlightened,
   that you may know what is the hope that belongs to his call,
   what are the riches of glory
   in his inheritance among the holy ones.

GOSPEL ACCLAMATION
cf. 1 Tm 3:16

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Glory to you, O Christ, proclaimed to the Gentiles;
Glory to you, O Christ, believed in throughout the world!

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

GOSPEL
Jn 1:1-18

The word became flesh and made his dwelling among us.

A reading from the holy Gospel according to John

In the beginning was the Word,
      and the Word was with God,
      and the Word was God.
   He was in the beginning with God.
   All things came to be through him,
      and without him nothing came to be.
   What came to be through him was life,
      and this life was the light of the human race;
   the light shines in the darkness,
      and the darkness has not overcome it.
A man named John was sent from God.
He came for testimony, to testify to the light,
   so that all might believe through him.
He was not the light,
   but came to testify to the light.
The true light, which enlightens everyone, was coming into the world.
   He was in the world,
      and the world came to be through him,
      but the world did not know him.
   He came to what was his own,
      but his own people did not accept him.

But to those who did accept him
   he gave power to become children of God,
   to those who believe in his name,
   who were born not by natural generation
   nor by human choice nor by man’s decision
   but of God.

   And the Word became flesh
      and made his dwelling among us,
      and we saw his glory,
      the glory as of the Father’s only Son,
      full of grace and truth.
John testified to him and cried out, saying,
   “This was he of whom I said,
   ‘The one who is coming after me ranks ahead of me
   because he existed before me.’”
From his fullness we have all received,
   grace in place of grace,
   because while the law was given through Moses,
   grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.
No one has ever seen God.
The only Son, God, who is at the Father’s side,
   has revealed him.

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Then he kisses the book, saying quietly:

Through the words of the Gospel
may our sins be wiped away.

The Creed is said.

Responsorial Psalm
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13

R. :

℟. (cf. 11) Lord, every 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.

℟. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

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.

℟. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

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.

℟. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

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.

℟. Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.

Second Reading
Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6

Now it has been revealed that the Gentiles are coheirs of the promise.

A reading from the Letter of Saint Paul to the Ephesians

Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
   that was given to me for your benefit,
   namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
   as it has now been revealed
   to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
   that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
   and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.

Acclamation before the Gospel
Mt 2:2

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage.

℟. Alleluia, alleluia.

Gospel
Mt 2:1-12

We saw his star at its rising and have come to do him homage.

✠ A reading from the holy Gospel according to Matthew

When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,
   in the days of King Herod,
   behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
   “Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
   and have come to do him homage.”
When King Herod heard this,
   he was greatly troubled,
   and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
   he inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea,
   for thus it has been written through the prophet:
      And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
         are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
      since from you shall come a ruler,
         who is to shepherd my people Israel.”
Then Herod called the magi secretly
   and ascertained from them the time of the star’s appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
   “Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
   that I too may go and do him homage.”
After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
   until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
   and on entering the house
   they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
   and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
   they departed for their country by another way.

At the end of the Gospel, the Deacon, or the Priest, acclaims:

The Gospel of the Lord.

All reply:

Praise to you, Lord Jesus Christ.

Then he kisses the book, saying quietly:

Through the words of the Gospel
may our sins be wiped away.

Where it is the practice, if appropriate, the moveable Feasts of the current year may be proclaimed after the Gospel.

The Creed is said.

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