Since From You Shall Come A Ruler Who is To Shepherd My People

Awhile back the angels asked me to dedicate Sundays to the Word. With Love and Gratitude, here is the Gospel of Matthew 2: 1-12.

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.

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Have you ever had an epiphany about something? An epiphany is described as a sudden realization of something; an illuminating discovery; or a sudden perception of the meaning of something. In today’s Gospel, the three Wise Men had an Epiphany of the Lord. A Divine Epiphany, revealing the True Savior coming into the world. They knew this through the Holy Spirit, who had Divinely revealed this to them.  They had studied scriptures, studied the stars, and even had the most unique gifts for the Lord. They knew the precise star to follow , through the Holy Spirit, of the Birth of the Lord, . The gifts they brought were unique because each one represented something. Gold, was a gift given to Kings, so the three Wise Men were recognizing Jesus as “King”. The second gift, Frankincense, was a gift given to High Priests, so they were recognizing  Jesus as “Priest.” The third gift was interesting as Myrrh was often used in burials, and also in a type of anointing, so this gift was given, recognizing His Bitter Passion.