Today, 6th of January, we celebrate
The Epiphany of the Lord
Beloved:
Who indeed is the victor over the world
but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God?
This is the one who came through water and Blood, Jesus Christ,
not by water alone, but by water and Blood.
The Spirit is the one who testifies,
and the Spirit is truth.
So there are three who testify,
the Spirit, the water, and the Blood,
and the three are of one accord.
If we accept human testimony,
the testimony of God is surely greater.
Now the testimony of God is this,
that he has testified on behalf of his Son.
Whoever believes in the Son of God
has this testimony within himself.
Whoever does not believe God has made him a liar
by not believing the testimony God has given about his Son.
And this is the testimony:
God gave us eternal life,
and this life is in his Son.
Whoever possesses the Son has life;
whoever does not possess the Son of God does not have life.
I write these things to you so that you may know
that you have eternal life,
you who believe in the name of the Son of God.
Psalm 147:12-13, 14-15, 19-20
R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
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.
R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
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!
R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
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.
R/ Praise the Lord, Jerusalem.
It happened that there was a man full of leprosy in one of the towns where Jesus was;
and when he saw Jesus,
he fell prostrate, pleaded with him, and said,
“Lord, if you wish, you can make me clean.”
Jesus stretched out his hand, touched him, and said,
“I do will it. Be made clean.”
And the leprosy left him immediately.
Then he ordered him not to tell anyone, but
“Go, show yourself to the priest and offer for your cleansing
what Moses prescribed; that will be proof for them.”
The report about him spread all the more,
and great crowds assembled to listen to him
and to be cured of their ailments,
but he would withdraw to deserted places to pray.
Today’s Gospel shows us the disciples out on the lake. In a boat. At night. The wind decides to come out of hiding and starts whipping up the waves. A storm hits. And so does fear. If you’ve ever seen the Sea of Galilee, you might have seen it on a calm day. It’s a lovely, almost idyllic landscape. But it’s big enough for storms to be terrifying—especially back then, and especially if we consider that the disciples’ little boat probably wasn’t much to brag about. But Jesus passes by and invites them to trust: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
The lake and the boat have long been favorite symbols for the world and the Church. The “Barque of the Church”—the simple boat of Peter the fisherman—has to sail through the dangers of a sea that is sometimes calm and other times terrifying. In a boat, there is no “safe” place to hold onto, especially if the waves are taller than the boat itself. The boat tosses and turns, and it feels like there’s no hope of reaching the shore.
Maybe today we feel like our lives are under threat. Or maybe we feel the life of the Church is threatened because of a lack of vocations or empty pews. Some people see themselves as “prophets of doom,” seeing only dangers so terrible that it feels like we’re headed for a dead end.
Against those “doomsday prophets,” we have only the figure of Jesus passing near us and saying: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.” He is the one who keeps us sailing safely, practicing brotherhood, and reaching out to our fellow human beings without excluding anyone—because we are all children of God. Sometimes we face problems or conflicts—between the Church and society, or even within the Church, our communities, or our families. Everything will be settled through dialogue, love, and mercy. And by remembering Jesus’ words: “Take courage, it is I; do not be afraid.”
Fernando Torres, cmfIntroduction
What John says in his letter about faith in Jesus is exemplified in the gospel. Faith consists in believing in Jesus Christ, “who came by water and blood”; when he was baptised in the waters of the Jordan, he was proclaimed Son of God; by shedding his blood on the cross, he accomplished his mission. This Jesus has eternal life. By believing in him, we encounter him as a person and share in his life.
The leper believes in him: “You can cure me,” he says. Jesus restores the man’s health and thus manifests once more that God’s power and life is in him.
Opening Prayer
Lord God of life,
We believe with all that is in us
that Jesus is your Son and our Saviour.
He can heal us from the leprosy of sin
and give us a share in the fullness of his life.
Deepen our faith in him and let it change our lives.
Let us encounter your Son from person to person,
that he may live in us
and that we may bear witness
that he is our Lord and Savior,
who lives with you and the Holy Spirit,
one God, for ever and ever.
Intentions
– That all Christians, especially our leaders of the Church, may by their goodness and their spontaneous joy bear forceful witness that Jesus Christ is our risen Lord, we pray:
– That all peoples of the earth may hear where the Lord can be found and come to know his name and pray to him, we pray:
– That the faith and hope of the sick and the dying may be firmly anchored in our Lord Jesus Christ, who is the resurrection and the life, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Lord our God,
in these signs of bread and wine
we remember that Jesus shed his blood
to let us share in his life and love.
Renew us by his body and blood,
that we may grow in his likeness
and that you may recognize in us
the face of your own Son,
Jesus Christ our Lord.
Prayer after Communion
Lord God, loving Father,
your Son has been with us
and we entrust ourselves to him in faith.
Let this faith so mark our lives
that whatever the future brings,
we keep trusting and hoping
that he is our life and joy and healing,
and that with him and on account of him
we will live in your love
for ever and ever.
Blessing
“Whoever has Jesus, the Son, has life,” says the apostle John to us today. May Jesus’ life keep growing in all of us, and may God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
