We 3 kings of Orient are, bearing gifts we travel so far! The children in our home receive their last gift on Epiphany as well as hear the account of Epiphany from the Bible! We sing We 3 kings and the 12 Days of Christmas. It helps make it concrete that Christmas is for more then 1 day.
The readings for Epiphany:
Reading 1IS 60:1-6
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.
The Word of the Lord! Thanks be to God!
GospelMT 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.
The Gospel of the Lord! Praise to you Lord Jesus Christ!
Just a few notes on the Readings: The 1st reading of course contains the prophecy of the Epiphany. The Gospel fulfills the prophecy. What are these gifts!? Gold for a King, frankincense (incense) for God, myrrh was used in burial. The song We 3 kings contains the meaning of the gifts.
A few other notes from the Gospel: notice the Wise Men found Jesus in a house, not in the stable, and Jesus is called a child not an infant. This suggests that some time has gone by and that the Holy Family is now living in a house rather then the stable. You can read some good Catholic commentaries on Epiphany at Catholic websites.
