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EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR

The Epiphany of the Lord

January 4, 2025

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Is the Ultimate Gift”

 

 

(+) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

(A moment of silence)

 

SONG: A Christmas song, a Eucharistic hymn or another appropriate song may be sung.

 

WORDS OF SAINT BASIL THE GREAT

The star came to rest above the place where the child was. At the sight of it the wise men were filled with great joy, and that great joy should fill our hearts as well. It is the same as the joy the shepherds received from the glad tidings brought by the angels. Let us join the wise men in worship and the shepherds in giving glory to God. Let us dance with the angels and sing: To us is born this day a savior who is Christ the Lord. The Lord is God and he has appeared to us … Could anyone be so lacking in sensibility and so ungrateful as not to join us all in our gladness, exultation and radiant joy? This belongs to the whole universe. It gives heavenly gifts to the earth; it sends archangels to Zechariah and to Mary; it assembles a choir of angels to sing, Glory to God in the highest, and peace to his people on earth. Stars cross the sky; wise men journey from pagan lands; earth receives its savior in a cave. Let there be no one without a gift to offer, no one without gratitude as we celebrate the salvation of the world, the birthday of the human race.

 

SILENT ADORATION

OPENING PRAYER

Leader: Father of light, unchanging God,

today you reveal to men of faith

the resplendent fact of the Word made flesh.

Your light is strong, your love is near;

draw us beyond the limits which this world imposes,

to the life where your Spirit makes all life complete.

We ask this through Christ our Lord.

Assembly: Amen.

 

Part I

JESUS MASTER TRUTH

Listening to the Word

 

FIRST READING: Is 60:1-6

RESPONSORIAL PSALM

SECOND READING: Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6

GOSPEL READING: Mt 2:1-12 

POINTS FOR REFLECTION 

The beautiful homage of the gift-giving Magi as they encountered the Christ-Child in Bethlehem, together with Mary his Mother, gently leads us to the divine gift-giver: the loving God the Father who loved the world so much that he gave his only Son that whoever believes in him may not be lost, but may have eternal life (cf. Jn 3:16). The Son of God, Jesus, the Word made flesh, is the paramount GIFT – the Father’s gift to us – the sign of his great love for us. Indeed, the Son of God made flesh, born as a child, is the most powerful sign of the Father’s will to bring us salvation. As the Christmas liturgy proclaims: “UNTO US A CHILD IS BORN! UNTO US A SON IS GIVEN!” He is the sign of the Father’s marvelous love and the means of salvation. The Child who is the Father’s gift to us is JESUS, humankind’s model of ultimate self-giving.

Indeed, the celebration of Christmas and the Eucharist, the actualized memorial of Christ’s death on the cross, is unique because it is the celebration of the life-giving Jesus who gives himself for us and for the whole world. The joy of self-giving which Jesus has begun at his birth is continued in the Eucharist. In the Eucharist, he continues to give himself to us that we too, may become bread broken and shared – the cup poured out and offered for the life of the world. Our celebration of the birth of Christ and his manifestation to the nations in the Christmas-Epiphany mystery … our sharing in the Eucharistic feasting … our service of his kingdom of justice and peace should configure us more and more to him, the ultimate model of self-giving. In effect, Jesus the Savior is for humankind the perfect gift and gift-giver of all.  

 

SONG: A Christmas song, a Eucharistic hymn or another appropriate song may be sung.

 

Part II

JESUS MASTER WAY

Confrontation with the Word

 

POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART

What does “the gift of the Magi” mean to us personally? How do we imitate the Magi gift-givers? Above all, how do we imitate Jesus Savior, the perfect gift-giver of all? Do we intend to give ourselves to the Christ Child as “gift”? How? 

 

PRAYING WITH THE WORD 

Loving Father,

in Jesus, your beloved Son,

you have given us the greatest Christmas gift

and the perfect model of self-giving.

Like the magi from the East,

we present to you today

the gold of our charity and good works,

the incense of our prayer and faith

and the myrrh of our bitter suffering

that leads to glorious resurrection.

By incarnating the Christmas-Epiphany mystery

in our life of service and caring for the poor and needy,

let us offer Jesus to the nations,

in a perpetual epiphany of love.

We thank you with humble and grateful hearts for Jesus,

our Lord and Savior, now and forever.

Amen. 

 

SONG: A Christmas song, a Eucharistic hymn or another appropriate song may be sung.

  

Part III

JESUS LIFE

Acting upon the Word

 

PERSONAL PRAYER

CONTEMPLATING WITH MARY THE FACE OF CHRIST: The Rosary’s Glorious Mysteries may be prayed in part or in full.

 

THE WAY OF SOLIDARITY: PRAYER OF INTERCESSION

Leader: With trust and confidence, let us present our petitions to our loving God who gave us his only begotten Son as our Savior, the Incarnate Word. Let us say to him:

(R.) LORD, HEAR OUR PRAYER.

1. For the Holy Father’s General Intention for this month of January – for prayer with the Word of God. Let us pray that praying with the Word of God be nourishment for our lives and a source of hope in our communities, helping us to build a more fraternal and missionary Church. We pray: (R.)  

2. That the peoples of the earth may choose to live in fraternity, the foundation and pathway to peace, and that the family of nations may welcome Jesus Christ as God’s ultimate gift and walk by the light of faith. We pray: (R.)

3. That the gifts of the magi to our Lord Jesus Christ may inspire us to give the best of ourselves to Jesus and that, by our ministry of prayer and concrete works of charity, we may help the persecuted Middle East Christians obtain peace, the greatest “gift” they hope for. We pray: (R.)

4. That we may continue to work for unity and to promote ecumenical and inter-religious dialogue and that we may be deeply animated by the truth that “the Gentiles are co-heirs, members of the same body and co-partners in the promise of Christ Jesus”. We pray: (R.)

5. That the victims of violence may experience the comfort and power of the Prince of Peace, that the New Year may be filled with God’s abundant blessings  and marked by human solidarity and peace-making, and that our life of Christian witnessing may truly be an “epiphany” of God’s love in today’s troubled world. We pray: (R.)

(Other prayers may be included.)

 

THE LORD’S PRAYER

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Leader: Father,

guide us with your light.

Help us to recognize Christ

in the poor, the helpless, and the needy

and welcome him with love.

Let us proclaim him to the nations.

You live and reign, forever and ever.

Assembly: Amen

 

FINAL SONG: A Christmas song, a Eucharistic hymn or another appropriate song may be sung.   

 

 

 

 

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EUCHARISTIC ADORATION

THROUGH THE LITURGICAL YEAR

The Baptism of the Lord

January 11, 2025

“JESUS SAVIOR: He Was Baptized”

 

(+) In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

(A moment of silence)

 

SONG: Any suitable Eucharistic hymn or a song with a baptismal theme may be sung.

 

WORDS OF ST. GREGORY OF NAZIANZUS

(From his sermon on “The Baptism of Christ”) 

Christ is bathed in light; let us also be bathed in light. Christ is baptized; let us go down with him, rise with him … Jesus rises from the waters; the world rises with him … Today let us do honor to Christ’s baptism and celebrate this feast in holiness. Be cleansed entirely and continue to be cleansed. Nothing gives such pleasure to God as the conversion and salvation of men, for whom his every word and revelation exist. He wants you to be a living force for all mankind, lights shining in the world. You are to be radiant lights as you stand beside Christ, the great light, bathed in the glory of him who is the light of heaven.

 

SILENT ADORATION AND PRAYER

OPENING PRAYER

Leader: Father, all powerful and ever-living God,

we do well always and everywhere to give you thanks.

You celebrated your new gift of baptism

by signs and wonders at the Jordan.

Your voice was heard from heaven

to awaken faith in the presence among us

of the Word made man.

Your Spirit was seen as a dove,

revealing Jesus as your servant,

and anointing him with joy as the Christ,

sent to bring to the poor

the good news of salvation.

In our unending joy we echo on earth

the song of the angels in heaven

as they praise your glory for ever:

Assembly: Holy, holy, holy Lord,

God of power and might,

Heaven and earth are full of your glory.

Hosanna in the highest.

Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.

Hosanna in the highest.

  

Part I

JESUS MASTER TRUTH

Listening to the Word

 

GOSPEL READING: Mt 3:13-17

POINTS FOR REFLECTION

This Sunday’s celebration of the baptism of the Lord fittingly concludes the Christmas-Epiphany season. Ordinary Time begins tomorrow and the liturgy of the season through the year emphasizes the daily ministry of Jesus to the people of his day and the flock that he continues to shepherd in the here and now. The feast of the Lord’s baptism contains tremendous significance and profound riches for the community of believers today. At the River Jordan, where Jesus has submitted himself to a baptism by John, there is an epiphany, a messianic investiture and anointing by the Holy Spirit, and above all, a pre-figuration of Christ’s Paschal Mystery. 

The climax of Matthew’s baptismal account is the identification of Jesus as the Son of God. A voice comes from the heavens saying: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased”. The voice is addressed publicly to those present and has a revelatory character. For the evangelist Matthew, the baptismal event is an epiphany – a manifestation of Jesus to the world as the Son of God, totally committed to serve the Father’s messianic saving plan. The biblical scholar, Daniel Harrington, comments: “Matthew’s primary concern is to show that at the very beginning of Jesus’ public ministry he is publicly acknowledged as the Son of God. This in turn makes clear the significance of everything that Jesus will do in the course of that ministry. His is the ministry of God’s own Son. A new age under the power of God has begun, and in it all the plans of God will be fulfilled.”

 

SONG: Any suitable hymn of praise or a song with a baptismal theme may be sung.

 

Part II

JESUS MASTER WAY

Confrontation with the Word

 

POINTS FOR THE EXAMINATION OF THE HEART 

Leader: The feast of the Lord’s baptism contains tremendous significance and profound riches for the community of believers today. Let us delve into the depths of our hearts and see how fully immersed we are in the saving event of Christ’s baptism.

1. What does it mean personally to us that the Lord’s baptism is an “epiphany”? Do we perceive this character of “epiphany” in the baptismal event of Jesus as a loving act of God?

2. How does the ministerial aspect of Jesus’ baptism affect us? How does the vocation and mission of the Servant-Son challenge us?

3. Do we fully surrender to the paschal implication of our Christian baptism? In our daily lives, are we ready to die and rise with Jesus Christ, whose baptism in the waters of the Jordan signifies his blood bath on Mount Calvary and his resurrection to Easter glory?

 

RENEWAL OF BAPTISMAL PROMISES (All stand.)

Leader: Brothers and sisters, just as Jesus Christ rose from the dead, so we, too, must walk in newness of life, knowing well that our “old man” was crucified with Christ, so that we would no longer be slaves of sin. Let us consider ourselves dead to sin, but alive to God, in our Lord Jesus Christ. Hence let us renew the promises of holy baptism, with which we once renounced Satan and all his works, and the world that is the enemy of God, and we promised to serve God faithfully in the holy Catholic Church. Therefore: Do you reject Satan?

Assembly: I do. 

Leader: And all his works?

Assembly: I do.

Leader: And all his empty promises?

Assembly: I do.

Leader: Do you believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of heaven and earth?

Assembly: I do.

Leader: Do you believe in Jesus Christ, his only Son, our Lord who was born of the Virgin Mary, was crucified, died and was buried, rose from the dead, and is now seated at the right hand of the Father?

Assembly: I do.

Leader: Do you believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the resurrection of the body, and life everlasting?

Assembly: I do.

Leader: And now let us all pray together as our Lord Jesus Christ taught us to pray:

Assembly: OUR FATHER …

Leader: God, the all-powerful Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,

has given us a new birth by water and the Holy Spirit,

and forgiven all our sins.

May he also keep us faithful to our Lord Jesus Christ

forever and ever.

Assembly: Amen.

 

SONG: Any suitable song may be sung.

 

Part III

JESUS LIFE

Acting upon the Word

 

PERSONAL PRAYER

CONTEMPLATING WITH MARY THE FACE OF CHRIST: The Rosary’s Mysteries of Light may be prayed in part or in full.

 

THE WAY OF SOLIDARITY: PRAYER OF INTERCESSION

(From the Liturgy of the Hours, Feast of Baptism)

Leader: Our Redeemer desired to be baptized in the Jordan by John; let us make our petition to him: 

(R.) LORD, SEND FORTH YOUR SPIRIT UPON US.

1. Christ, Servant of God, the Father acknowledged you as his own Son with whom he was pleased: send forth your Spirit upon us.  (R.)

2. Christ, Chosen One of God, you did not break the crushed reed or extinguished the wavering flame: have mercy on all who are seeking you in good faith.  (R.)

3. Christ, Son of God, the Father called you to be a light to the nations in the new covenant: open the eyes of the blind by the waters of baptism.  (R.)

4. Christ, Savior of mankind, the Father anointed you with the Holy Spirit for the ministry of salvation: lead all mankind to see you and to believe in you, that they may have eternal life.  (R.)

5. Christ, our hope, you lead those in darkness to the light of salvation: receive our departed brothers and sisters into your kingdom.  (R.) 

(Other prayers may be added.)

 

CONCLUDING PRAYER

Leader: Father,

grant to us your faithful

to always hear your Son with faith

so that we who share in the sonship of Christ

may follow in his path of service to man,

and reflect the glory of his kingdom

even to the ends of the earth,

for he is Lord forever and ever.

Assembly: Amen.

 

FINAL SONG: Any suitable Eucharistic hymn or song with a baptismal theme may be sung.

 

 

 

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Prepared by Sr. Mary Margaret Tapang, PDDM

 

 

PIAE DISCIPULAE DIVINI MAGISTRI

SISTER DISCIPLES OF THE DIVINE MASTER

3700 North Cornelia Avenue, Fresno, CA 93722 (USA)

Tel (559) 275-1656