House of Bread
The Epiphany of the Lord
Read this Gospel passage aloud to the family
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.
(Parent) Reread this part a few times aloud
“King Herod…inquired of them where the Christ was to be born. They said to him, “In Bethlehem of Judea...”
(Parent) Read this meditation aloud to the family
The Scriptures contained many prophecies concerning the Messiah (“The Christ”) who was to come. Some of these prophecies are referred to in the Gospels around Jesus Christ’s birth: He would be born of a virgin, announced by John, coming from Bethlehem, coming out of Egypt. One interesting thing, though, is that some of these prophecies seem like they wouldn’t actually match up with each other. For instance: Jesus’ Mother lived in Nazareth, but the Christ was to be born in Bethlehem, yet the Christ was supposed to come out of Egypt… In the end, all of these prophecies do happen right in the events of Jesus’ day: a census takes Joseph and pregnant Mary to Bethlehem; Herod attempts to kill the Baby Jesus and the Holy Family escapes to Egypt.
God works salvation in real events and real people (yes, even through real tragedies) right here on earth. God can take any situation, good or bad (even sin!), and turn it into good. It is very important that we accept what we cannot change. God may be silently, surprisingly, blessing us. Is there any situation we need to accept and let God manage?
As a family, pray a portion of the Rosary together (very short if children are young) reflecting on the Scripture passage above. (Optional: allow a brief time for discussion or questions from children concerning their thoughts and prayer.)
Reminder for Parents: Pier is just meant to be a jumping off point. The real goal is that you pray & eventually use the fruits of your personal prayer as the content of your family’s prayer. Duc in altum.
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