Revealing our Role

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary today exhort us to understand and experience action in love for others that is an “epiphany” of our mission in Christian action.

Feeding the Family

The Reading from the First Letter of John declares God’s Love and Christian Life.

* [4:7–12] Love as we share in it testifies to the nature of God and to his presence in our lives. One who loves shows that one is a child of God and knows God, for God’s very being is love; one without love is without God. The revelation of the nature of God’s love is found in the free gift of his Son to us, so that we may share life with God and be delivered from our sins. The love we have for one another must be of the same sort: authentic, merciful; this unique Christian love is our proof that we know God and can “see” the invisible God. (1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 72 presents the Israelite king as the instrument of divine justice

* [Psalm 72] A royal Psalm in which the Israelite king, as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice (Ps 72:1–4, 12–14) and blessing (Ps 72:5–7, 15–17) for the whole world. The king is human, giving only what he has received from God. Hence intercession must be made for him. The extravagant language is typical of oriental royal courts. (Psalms, PSALM 72 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Mark proclaims the Feeding of the Five Thousand.

* [6:35–44] See note on Mt 14:13–21. Compare this section with Mk 8:1–9. The various accounts of the multiplication of loaves and fishes, two each in Mark and in Matthew and one each in Luke and in John, indicate the wide interest of the early church in their eucharistic gatherings; see, e.g., Mk 6:41; 8:6; 14:22; and recall also the sign of bread in Ex 16; Dt 8:3–16; Ps 78:24–25; 105:40; Wis 16:20–21.

* [6:40] The people…in rows by hundreds and by fifties: reminiscent of the groupings of Israelites encamped in the desert (Ex 18:21–25) and of the wilderness tradition of the prophets depicting the transformation of the wasteland into pastures where the true shepherd feeds his flock (Ez 34:25–26) and makes his people beneficiaries of messianic grace.

* [6:41] On the language of this verse as eucharistic (cf. Mk 14:22), see notes on Mt 14:19, 20. Jesus observed the Jewish table ritual of blessing God before partaking of food. (Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB, n.d.)

A Member of Creighton University Community offers a reflection to help comprehend the love of which the apostle and the saint speak and to help understand what St. Augustine, in this same homily, meant by “love, and do what you will.” To love God and our neighbor is to will what is best for them. It is to sacrifice for them.

The following is from St. Augustine’s famous sermon on love where he reflects upon the Apostle John’s words:

“This is how the love of God is shown among us.” The reason why the writer exhorts us, is so that we may come to love God. Could we love him, unless he first loved us? Though we were slow to love, let us not be slow to love in return. He loved us first. We do not even love in the same way as he. He loved the unrighteous, but he took away the unrighteousness. He loved the sick, but he visited them to make them whole. Love, then, is God. “This is how the love of God is shown among us: God sent his only Son into the world, that we may live through him.” As the Lord himself said: “No one can have greater love than this: to lay down his life for his friends.” [John 25:13] This proved Christ’s love for us, the fact that he died for us. How is the Father’s love for us proved? By the fact that he sent his only Son to die for us. As the apostle Paul says, “He who did not spare his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how will he not freely give us all things?” [Rom. 8:32] (A Member of Creighton University Community, n.d.)

Don Schwager quotes “The Lord fills all things with blessing from above,” by Cyril of Alexandria (376-444 AD).

"So that by every means the Lord might be known to be God by nature, he multiplies what is little, and he looks up to heaven as though asking for the blessing from above. Now he does this out of the divine economy, for our sakes. For he himself is the one who fills all things, the true blessing from above and from the Father. But, so that we might learn that when we are in charge of the table and are preparing to break the loaves, we ought to bring them to God with hands upraised and bring down upon them the blessing from above, he became for us the beginning and pattern and way." (excerpt from FRAGMENT 177) (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Mark 6:34-44 comments that Jesus wanted to receive what the disciples offered him because they needed to be involved. As they saw what the Lord would do with the “raw materials” they had available, they learned that no matter their need, no matter the situation they faced, they could rely on Jesus to multiply whatever they gave him.

Remember, Jesus wants to receive what you have to offer, even when you feel it’s not much. It doesn’t matter how small your contribution is; when you give him what you have, he will always receive it and bless it and multiply it.

“Jesus, help me to have the confidence to offer you all that I have today!” (Meditation on Mark 6:34-44, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments about the passage from 1 John on Love. God taught us that  Great Love is understood by Jesus as dying for the other person. To love is a choice. In the Gospel of Mark, the people were like sheep without a shepherd. The religious leaders had profited from their sheep. In Mark, there are two multiplications of the loaves, one feeding five thousand with twelve baskets remaining for the Twelve Tribes of Israel and one with seven baskets, the perfect number, for the Gentiles to feed the whole world. Friar Jude notes the green grass is an allusion to Psalm 23 and the promise that the Lord is my Shepherd.

Fr. Richard Rohr, OFM, introduces religious historian Diana Butler Bass who invites readers to take a clear-eyed look at the world around us and how we participate in its healing or harm. Butler Bass connects our ability to see and to act with the Christian celebration of the Epiphany.

The Wise Men awaited a sign in the sky—a star—to guide them on this journey. Revelations break in, signs appear in dreams, light shines forth, and glory hovers all around. Such things are from the realms of miracle, awe, and wonder. They surprise and disrupt the normal course of existence. Epiphanies are not of our making.

But it would be a mistake to believe that we are only passive recipients of epiphanies. We need to be alert for their arrival…. Revelations can be missed if one isn’t attentive or attuned to the possibilities of sacred surprise….

We cannot create epiphanies, but, like the Wise Men, we can respond to them. Epiphanies grab a hold of us; we can’t shake them. Epiphanies beckon. The star invites; it calls to the attentive to do something—to act. [2]

We reflect on the events of our life that changed our understanding of love as we express gratitude for the “epiphanies” that brought us to greater fullness in life.

References

Mark, CHAPTER 6 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/mark/6?34 

Meditation on Mark 6:34-44. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/01/06/1474341/ 

A Member of Creighton University Community. (n.d.). Daily Reflection. Creighton Online Ministries: Home. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-january-6-2026 

1 John, CHAPTER 4 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/1john/4?7 

Psalms, PSALM 72 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/72?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). They All Ate and Were Satisfied. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 6, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/ 

Sacred Search

The texts from the Roman Catholic Lectionary, today, The Epiphany of the Lord, remind us that the mission to share the blessings of Jesus' birth continues for all who have witnessed the Presence of God on their journey. 

The Heavens Proclaim

The Reading from the Book of the Prophet Isaiah proclaims the Dawning of Divine Glory for Zion and the expectation that the Nations will Come to Zion.

* [60:1–9] The light the prophet proclaims to Zion symbolizes the blessing to come to her: the glory of the Lord, the return of her children, the wealth of nations who themselves will walk by her light. The passage is famous from its use in the Latin liturgy for the feast of Epiphany. (Isaiah, CHAPTER 60 | USCCB, n.d.)

Psalm 72 declares the Israelite king, as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice.

* [Psalm 72] A royal Psalm in which the Israelite king, as the representative of God, is the instrument of divine justice (Ps 72:1–4, 12–14) and blessing (Ps 72:5–7, 15–17) for the whole world. The king is human, giving only what he has received from God. Hence intercession must be made for him. The extravagant language is typical of oriental royal courts.

* [72:2] The king’s son: the crown prince is the king’s son; the prayer envisages the dynasty.

* [72:8] From sea to sea…the ends of the earth: the boundaries of the civilized world known at the time: from the Mediterranean Sea (the western sea) to the Persian Gulf (the eastern sea), and from the Euphrates (the river) to the islands and lands of southwestern Europe, “the ends of the earth.” The words may also have a mythic nuance—the earth surrounded by cosmic waters, hence everywhere. (Psalms, PSALM 72 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Reading from the Letter to the Ephesians reflects on Paul’s Commission to Preach God’s Plan.

* [3:1–13] Paul reflects on his mission to the Gentiles. He alludes to his call and appointment to the apostolic office (Eph 3:2–3) and how his insight through revelation, as well as that of the other apostles and charismatic prophets in the church (Eph 3:4–5), has deepened understanding of God’s plan of salvation in Christ. Paul is the special herald (Eph 3:7) of a new promise to the Gentiles (Eph 3:6): that the divine plan includes them in the spiritual benefits promised to Israel. Not only is this unique apostolic role his; Paul also has been given the task of explaining to all the divine plan of salvation (Eph 3:8–9), once hidden. Through the church, God’s plan to save through Christ is becoming manifest to angelic beings (Eph 3:10; cf. Eph 1:21), in accord with God’s purpose (Eph 3:11). The fulfillment of the plan in Christ gives the whole church more confidence through faith in God (Eph 3:12). The readers of this letter are also thereby encouraged to greater confidence despite Paul’s imprisonment (Eph 3:13).

* [3:1] A prisoner of Christ: see Introduction. Paul abruptly departs from his train of thought at the end of Eph 3:1 leaving an incomplete sentence.

* [3:2] Stewardship: the Greek is the same term employed at Eph 1:10 for the plan that God administers (Col 1:25) and in which Paul plays a key role.

* [3:3–4] The mystery: God’s resolve to deliver Gentiles along with Israel through Christ; cf. notes on Eph 1:10; 3:9. (Ephesians, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB, n.d.)

The Gospel of Matthew proclaims The Visit of the Magi.

* [2:1–12] The future rejection of Jesus by Israel and his acceptance by the Gentiles are retrojected into this scene of the narrative.

* [2:1] In the days of King Herod: Herod reigned from 37 to 4 B.C. Magi: originally a designation of the Persian priestly caste, the word became used of those who were regarded as having more than human knowledge. Matthew’s magi are astrologers.

* [2:2] We saw his star: it was a common ancient belief that a new star appeared at the time of a ruler’s birth. Matthew also draws upon the Old Testament story of Balaam, who had prophesied that “A star shall advance from Jacob” (Nm 24:17), though there the star means not an astral phenomenon but the king himself.

* [2:4] Herod’s consultation with the chief priests and scribes has some similarity to a Jewish legend about the child Moses in which the “sacred scribes” warn Pharaoh about the imminent birth of one who will deliver Israel from Egypt and the king makes plans to destroy him.

* [2:11] Cf. Ps 72:10, 15; Is 60:6. These Old Testament texts led to the interpretation of the magi as kings. (Matthew, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB, n.d.)

Rev. Rashmi Fernando, SJ, comments that Paul, in the Letter to the Ephesians, further proclaims the heart of the Epiphany mystery—the Gentiles (foreigners) are “coheirs, members of the same body”—revealing God’s saving plan has no ethnic, cultural, linguistic, religious, or any other boundaries whatsoever.

The Gospel brings this revelation into a concrete, human story as the Magi, foreigners, guided by a star, search for that light with courage, humility, and perseverance. Herod, by contrast, feels threatened by the same light and responds with fear and deceit. When the Magi finally encounter God’s revelation, their journey culminates not in power or certainty, but in humility and vulnerability. They offer their treasures and then return home “by another way”—a powerful transformation from darkness to grace, from exclusion to inclusion, and from fear to freedom.

Hence, let us ask ourselves:

1.    Having celebrated the birth of Christ, am I willing to be led by His light and revelation in the New Year 2026?
2.    Like the Magi, what “treasures” am I called to surrender, perhaps the things I find difficult to let go?
3.    In my lifework and in the world today, what does it mean for me to “return by another way”, and what must I do to “take a new road” in 2026? (Fernando, 2026)

 

Don Schwager quotes “The glory of Christ's divinity is revealed,” by Chromatius (died 406 AD).

"Let us now observe how glorious was the dignity that attended the King after his birth, after the magi in their journey remained obedient to the star. For immediately the magi fell to their knees and adored the one born as Lord. There in his very cradle they venerated him with offerings of gifts, though Jesus was merely a whimpering infant. They perceived one thing with the eyes of their bodies but another with the eyes of the mind. The lowliness of the body he assumed was discerned, but the glory of his divinity is now made manifest. A boy he is, but it is God who is adored. How inexpressible is the mystery of his divine honor! The invisible and eternal nature did not hesitate to take on the weaknesses of the flesh on our behalf. The Son of God, who is God of the universe, is born a human being in the flesh. He permits himself to be placed in a manger, and the heavens are within the manger. He is kept in a cradle, a cradle that the world cannot hold. He is heard in the voice of a crying infant. This is the same one for whose voice the whole world would tremble in the hour of his passion. Thus he is the One, the God of glory and the Lord of majesty, whom as a tiny infant the magi recognize. It is he who while a child was truly God and King eternal. To him Isaiah pointed, saying, 'For a boy has been born to you; a son has been given to you, a son whose empire has been forged on his shoulders (Isaiah 9:6).'" (excerpt from TRACTATE ON MATTHEW 5:1)

[Note: Chromatius was an early Christian scholar and bishop of Aquileia, Italy. He was a close friend of John Chrysostom and Jerome. He died in 406 AD. Jerome described him as a "most learned and most holy man."] (Schwager, n.d.)

The Word Among Us Meditation on Matthew 2:1-12 comments that God's desire is that everyone would seek him, and that in their seeking, they would all find him. As St. Paul proclaims in our second reading, “The Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body” (Ephesians 3:6).

Even now, Jesus is the “true light, which enlightens everyone” (John 1:9). That includes you. No matter who you are or what you have done, his light is shining upon you. It’s shining upon the people you love. It’s shining upon everyone. Jesus draws to himself all who are seeking truth and goodness, everyone who recognizes their longing for meaning, everyone who is searching for answers to their deepest questions.

Rejoice and be glad! Jesus your light has come!

“Thank you, Jesus! Your light is always leading me closer to you.” (Meditation on Matthew 2:1-12, n.d.)

Friar Jude Winkler comments that 3rd Isaiah, written after the exile in Babylon, declares the light that is coming upon the people. The caravans are foretold to pay homage to a new born king. The message of mercy and love is revealed to Gentiles as coheirs. The Magi are not Jews. They were likely astronomers, perhaps from Persia. In Matthew’s Gospel the Magi received a message of the birth of a King for the Jews. The star of Bethlehem has been suggested as a super nova or a comet. What was the “Star”, an event in 7 BCE when Jupiter and Saturn were aligned in Pisces, interpreted as “A King is Born for all time”? God ‘s plan is in the time log. The Magi quote Micah who hated the politics of city life. Descendants in the line of David were present in a small town, Bethlehem. Micah indicated the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem and Magi brought gifts of gold for a king, frankincense to be offered to God, and myrrh for anointing dead bodies. They had to bring small precious gifts while travelling. Friar Jude notes that they returned by a different path responding to the dream of Herod’s intention to kill the child.

CAC faculty member Brian McLaren introduces the 2026 Daily Meditations theme: “Good News for a Fractured World.” Across every traditional Christian denomination, there are widespread calls for change. Imaginative scholars, liturgists, organizers, networkers, and pastors are creating resources and spaces for beautiful new things to be born….

These redeemers of Christianity are out there, by the hundreds, thousands, and tens of thousands. Catholic and Protestant, Pentecostal and Mainline, Eastern Orthodox and other … I know them. Some are heads of communions, bishops, seminary presidents, and professors, with well-known names, with best-selling books and big platforms. Some are pastors and church planters, leading and forming faith communities of all shapes, sizes, and denominations. Some are nuns, friars, Catholic workers, organizing for the common good. Some are podcasters, publishers, bloggers, producing creative content to help in the transition process. Some are artists, integrating needed truth with arresting beauty. Most are quiet people, living ordinary lives of extraordinary love and grace. When they’re attacked, they keep moving forward with humble, gracious confidence. When they’re discouraged, they find new inner strength. When they think about leaving Christianity, which probably happens quite often, they say, “Not today. Not me.” You know this is true, because there’s a good chance that you’re one of them….

It will never be perfect. Of course. It’s a human enterprise, and we humans complicate everything. But at least this emerging Christianity could become humble and teachable, curious and self-critical, creative and humane, diverse and harmonious. [2] (McLaren, n.d.)

We reflect on the “Epiphany” of the Magi and ponder our own understanding of the revelation of the Love of God through the people and events in our journey.

References

Ephesians, CHAPTER 3 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/ephesians/3?2 

Fernando, R. (2026, January 4). Daily Reflection January 4, 2026 | Creighton Online Ministries. Creighton Online Ministries. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from https://onlineministries.creighton.edu/daily-reflections/daily-reflection-january-4-2026 

Isaiah, CHAPTER 60 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/isaiah/60?1 

Matthew, CHAPTER 2 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/matthew/2?1 

McLaren, B. (n.d.). Daily Meditations — Center for Action and Contemplation. CAC.org. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from https://cac.org/daily-meditations/falling-apart-coming-together/ 

Meditation on Matthew 2:1-12. (n.d.). Word Among Us. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from https://wau.org/meditations/2026/01/04/1464912/ 

Psalms, PSALM 72 | USCCB. (n.d.). Daily Readings. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from https://bible.usccb.org/bible/psalms/72?1 

Schwager, D. (n.d.). They Fell down and Worshiped Jesus. Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations – Daily Scripture Readings and Meditations. Retrieved January 4, 2026, from https://www.dailyscripture.net/daily-meditation/