Daily Catholic Mass Readings for January 4, 2026
First Reading: Isaiah 60.1-6
1"Arise, shine, for your light has come, and the glory of the LORD rises upon you.2See, darkness covers the earth and thick darkness is over the peoples, but the LORD rises upon you and his glory appears over you.3Nations will come to your light, and kings to the brightness of your dawn.4"Lift up your eyes and look about you: All assemble and come to you; your sons come from afar, and your daughters are carried on the arm.5Then you will look and be radiant, your heart will throb and swell with joy; the wealth on the seas will be brought to you, to you the riches of the nations will come.6Herds of camels will cover your land, young camels of Midian and Ephah. And all from Sheba will come, bearing gold and incense and proclaiming the praise of the LORD.
Psalm 72
1Endow the king with your justice, O God, the royal son with your righteousness.2He will judge your people in righteousness, your afflicted ones with justice.3The mountains will bring prosperity to the people, the hills the fruit of righteousness.4He will defend the afflicted among the people and save the children of the needy; he will crush the oppressor.5He will endure as long as the sun, as long as the moon, through all generations.6He will be like rain falling on a mown field, like showers watering the earth.7In his days the righteous will flourish; prosperity will abound till the moon is no more.8He will rule from sea to sea and from the River to the ends of the earth.9The desert tribes will bow before him and his enemies will lick the dust.10The kings of Tarshish and of distant shores will bring tribute to him; the kings of Sheba and Seba will present him gifts.11All kings will bow down to him and all nations will serve him.12For he will deliver the needy who cry out, the afflicted who have no one to help.13He will take pity on the weak and the needy and save the needy from death.14He will rescue them from oppression and violence, for precious is their blood in his sight.15Long may he live! May gold from Sheba be given him. May people ever pray for him and bless him all day long.16Let grain abound throughout the land; on the tops of the hills may it sway. Let its fruit flourish like Lebanon; let it thrive like the grass of the field.17May his name endure forever; may it continue as long as the sun. All nations will be blessed through him, and they will call him blessed.18Praise be to the LORD God, the God of Israel, who alone does marvelous deeds.19Praise be to his glorious name forever; may the whole earth be filled with his glory. Amen and Amen.20This concludes the prayers of David son of Jesse.
Second Reading: Ephesians 3.2-3a, 5-6
2Surely you have heard about the administration of God's grace that was given to me for you,3that is, the mystery made known to me by revelation, as I have already written briefly.5which was not made known to men in other generations as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God's holy apostles and prophets.6This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Gospel: Matthew 2.1-12
1After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem2and asked, "Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him."3When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him.4When he had called together all the people's chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Christ was to be born.5"In Bethlehem in Judea," they replied, "for this is what the prophet has written:6"'But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers of Judah; for out of you will come a ruler who will be the shepherd of my people Israel.'"7Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.8He sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and make a careful search for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him."9After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen in the east went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.10When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.11On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold and of incense and of myrrh.12And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.
Sermon
Today's readings beautifully illuminate the profound truth of God's universal love and His plan for salvation, revealing how His light breaks through all darkness and draws all peoples to Himself. In the Gospel, we witness the Magi, wise men from the East, Gentile seekers, drawn by a mysterious star to worship the newborn King of the Jews, offering Him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. This journey strikingly fulfills the prophecy of Isaiah, who spoke of Jerusalem's light drawing nations and kings, bringing tribute and seeking God's glory. Saint Paul, in his letter to the Ephesians, articulates the divine "mystery" behind this unfolding, explaining that what was once hidden is now made manifest: the Gentiles are no longer outsiders but are "co-heirs, and of the same body, and partners together" in Christ Jesus through the Gospel.
This magnificent revelation of Christ to the nations shows us that God's light is truly meant for everyone, transcending all boundaries of nation or lineage. Just as the Magi sought the star, we too are called to follow the guiding light of Christ in our own lives, journeying through the darkness of our world to find Him. Their gifts – gold for kingship, frankincense for divinity, and myrrh for suffering and death – symbolize the complete offering of our lives and resources to Christ. We are invited to bring our own unique talents, our struggles, and our very selves, to the manger, recognizing Christ as our sovereign Lord, our divine presence, and the one who embraces our humanity in its fullness.
The profound encounter of the Magi with the Christ Child challenges us to live as true members of His universal body. We are called not only to receive His light but to become bearers of it, allowing His glory to shine through our lives, drawing others out of their own forms of darkness and into His marvelous light. Let us, like the Magi, be transformed by our encounter with Christ, resolved to live out the mystery of universal salvation, and ever ready to announce His praise to the world, making known the grace that has been given to us for the benefit of all.