Reading I
Is 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.
Responsorial Psalm
Ps 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13.
(cf. 11) Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
O God, with your judgment endow the king,
and with your justice, the king’s son;
He shall govern your people with justice
and your afflicted ones with judgment.
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Justice shall flower in his days,
and profound peace, till the moon be no more.
May he rule from sea to sea,
and from the River to the ends of the earth.
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
The kings of Tarshish and the Isles shall offer gifts;
the kings of Arabia and Seba shall bring tribute.
All kings shall pay him homage,
all nations shall serve him.
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
For he shall rescue the poor when he cries out,
and the afflicted when he has no one to help him.
He shall have pity for the lowly and the poor;
the lives of the poor he shall save.
Lord, every nation on earth will adore you.
Reading II
Eph 3:2-3a, 5-6
Brothers and sisters:
You have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace
that was given to me for your benefit,
namely, that the mystery was made known to me by revelation.
It was not made known to people in other generations
as it has now been revealed
to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit:
that the Gentiles are coheirs, members of the same body,
and copartners in the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel.
Gospel
Mt 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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Catholic Fundamentalism Interpretation:
Chosen people of The Tribes, The Programmer has downloaded The Password, and you may see His glory.
Everyone else is in the shadows, and can't see His light, but you can.
Whole peoples will no longer walk in darkness, but will be able to see and understand The Program. Even earthly rulers will ober The Operating Instructions that have been downloaded. Look around, and see them coming to you who are chosen to receive The Downloads and access The Program. Even those who've moved away, and helpless infants, will see. Then, you'll see that you have everything you need, for the riches of the world will be brought to you.
They will exchange their earthly possessions for access to The Programmer, praising The Programmer (for His goodness).
O Loving Programmer of all, every group of people on earth (who are chosen to do so?) will love you.
O, Loving Programmer, please give a sense of justice to earthly rulers and their successors. (And, give that sense of justice to your Son.)
He shall rule with justice (on earth and in Heaven).
O Loving Programmer, every nation (of the chosen?) will love you.
While He rules, there shall be justice, and great peace, until those things programmed to reflect Your power are gone.
Let Him rule all the lands.
O Loving Programmer, every nation (of the chosen?) will love you.
The Kings from as far as Spain (and Britain?) will give you gifts. Even the sons of Ishmael and Africa will accept your rule. All the Kings will kneel before Him, and their nations serve Him.
O Loving Programmer, every nation (of the chosen?) will love you.
You will also help the poor when they ask for your Programming Assistance, and those who've been downtrodden.
O Loving Programmer, every nation (of the chosen?) will love you.
My fellow downloaders of The Access Code, you've heard that God has put me in charge of spreading God's grace (access to The Program) for your own good by revelation (starting on the Damascus Road).
Earlier gene rations of people didn't know about it, because it wasn't time, then. But, now The Access Code (in human form) has been made available to His earthly Programming Assistants by The Holy Wireless Connector, and tells us that non-Jewish people are equal heirs to The Kingdom of He Who has programmed all, The Unprogrammed Programmer.
When Jesus Christ, The Program in perfect, loving, human form was downloaded in Bethlehem of Judea, when Herod was King, those who were led to the Downloading came from the East to Jerusalem, asking "Where's the newborn King of the Jews? We saw indications that He had come, and left our comfortable homes because this long trip is sure to be worth it when we see and worship Him."
Herod, the earthly King, was afraid he'd be deposed by this "new king", and found out where He was supposed to be from the local clergy, who told him Christ would come from Bethlehem.
Herod then met secretly with the three Wise Men, and found out when the birth of the new King was to take place. He sent them to Bethlehem, where they were already going, and instructed them to let him know when they found Him so he could go and worship Him, as well.
The Programmer had one of His Programming Assistants tell the three wise men to go home without seeing Herod, saving Jesus from Herod's attempt to kill Him. |