The Second Sunday after Christmas Day

As we continue to celebrate the entrance of the Divine into the world, our readings today invite us to reflect deeply on the unfolding story of God’s presence among us.

[For Matthew 2:13–15, 19–23.] In the Gospel according to Matthew, we encounter the Holy Family fleeing to Egypt to escape Herod’s attempt to harm the infant Jesus. Matthew presents Jesus’ life as the fulfillment of Israel’s history, seeing Him recapitulate the journey of the people of Israel—their exile to Egypt and their return to the Promised Land. This connection emphasizes how Jesus embodies the collective story of a people seeking liberation and homecoming.

[For Luke 2:41–52.] The Gospel of Luke offers us the only account we have of Jesus’ childhood. Here, the twelve-year-old Jesus appears to the teachers in the temple as a remarkably insightful young person; to Mary and Joseph, He’s a child who has strayed, causing them great concern. For us, this narrative serves as a profound reminder of the Divine incarnate, present within a human life. Through the eyes of faith, opened by the events of Jesus’ ministry, death, and resurrection, we perceive the profound irony of God visiting the very temple dedicated to the Divine, astonishing the learned with wisdom. We are also confronted with the humility of God, who chose to live subject to human parents, embracing the full experience of human life.

[For Matthew 2:1–12.] Our Gospel reading from Matthew anticipates the Feast of the Epiphany later this week. It recounts the journey of the Magi, or Wise Ones, from the East who come to pay homage to the newborn King. This manifestation of the Divine Child to the Gentiles highlights the inclusivity of God’s revelation—a central theme of the Epiphany.

The Old Testament reading foretells the coming of God’s Kingdom, a time when all peoples will be gathered into the holy presence of the Divine. The reading from Ephesians reminds us that in Christ, we have become children of God, fully embraced into the Divine family.

As we gather to celebrate in God’s presence, we recognize ourselves as beloved children of the Divine. Just as God dwelt in the child Jesus, so too does God choose to dwell within us. In our lives, God reveals truth, often confounding the conventional wisdom of the world. Through baptism, we are adopted as God’s own, and in the Eucharist, our relationship with the Divine is affirmed and made manifest. God continues to enter the world, choosing us as primary instruments to reveal the Divine presence.