Receiving the Light That Is Given

Scripture

“And the light shines in the darkness,
and the darkness has not overcome it.”
John 1:5

Reflection

Epiphany shows us that God does not hide Himself. He gives light freely. Christ is made known in the world, not cautiously or selectively, but generously.

Yet Epiphany also reveals something sobering. The same light that draws some hearts leaves others unchanged. God gives Himself fully, but He does not force the response.

Throughout the Epiphany accounts, Christ is present, visible, and active. Some rejoice. Some worship. Others are disturbed, hesitant, or resistant. The difference does not lie in how God reveals Himself, but in how the light is received.

This is not a failure of revelation. It is the mystery of freedom. God makes Himself known, and the heart must decide whether to receive what has been given.

Today, Epiphany invites us to recognize that Christ continues to give light through His presence in the Church, in His Word, in the sacraments, in creation, and in the events of the world. The question is not whether God has acted, but whether we are willing to receive the light He gives.

Grace Intention

Today I ask for the grace to receive the light Christ gives me.

Prayer

O Lord Jesus Christ,
You are the Light given to the world
by the Father’s love.

Remove whatever closes my heart
to what You reveal.

Send forth Your Holy Spirit into my heart,
that I may receive Your light
with humility and faith.

May I not resist Your presence,
but welcome the grace You give
for the salvation You desire to accomplish.

Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

© 2026 Discerning Hearts ®. All rights reserved. This reflection may not be reproduced or distributed without permission, except for personal prayer and noncommercial use with attribution.

“On the eighth day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Eight Maids a Milking …”

who were the least of the servants in a home. They symbolize Christ’s love for the least of us, and His faithfulness to those who don’t deserve it. The eight maids stand for the Beatitudes or blessings listed in Matthew.

Prayer: Jesus, thank you for standing by us when we least deserve it…we remember today that blessed are the poor in spirit, blessed are those who mourn, blessed are the meek, blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, blessed are the merciful, blessed are the pure in heart, blessed are the peacemakers, blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake….let us open our lives to Your blessings! Amen.

Text gratefully found at
Via Rosa Rosaries, Devotional Chaplets, Rosary Beads, and Catholic Gifts
entitled A Christian meditation on the Twelve Days of Christmas
Copyright © 2005-2006

“Herod was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.”
Matthew 2:3

Epiphany reveals Christ as Light for the world. Yet the Gospel shows that this Light does not bring peace to every place it enters.

When news of the Child reaches Jerusalem, the city is disturbed. Herod hears that a king has been born. Herod seeks the Child, but his seeking is driven by fear and the desire to retain power, not by faith or reverence. The same revelation that leads the Magi to worship provokes resistance and violence from those who feel threatened.

This reaction is not accidental. Epiphany reveals that the coming of Christ does not confirm existing power or secure the arrangements of the world. His presence exposes what is built on fear, control, and false peace. The Light does not create opposition, but it reveals it.

Jerusalem’s unrest also carries a warning. Proximity to the promises does not guarantee welcome. Knowledge of Scripture alone does not ensure recognition. Epiphany shows that when Christ is made known, the world must decide whether to receive Him or resist Him.

This mystery remains present today. Christ continues to be revealed in the world, and His truth continues to disturb what rests on fear or self-preservation. Where His light shines, false security is challenged, and the desire to control is unmasked. Epiphany reminds us that faithfulness to Christ may place us at odds with the world’s desire for comfort without truth.

The Light still shines. The response it draws still matters.

Today I ask for the grace to remain faithful to Christ when His truth confronts the world.

O Lord Jesus Christ,
Light revealed for the salvation of the world,
You entered history not to claim power,
but to accomplish the will of the Father.

When Your presence exposes false peace
and unsettles the world,
keep me faithful to You.

Send forth Your Holy Spirit into my heart,
that I may not turn away from Your Light,
but stand firm in the truth You reveal.

May my life give glory to the Father
through fidelity to You.

Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

© 2026 Discerning Hearts ®. All rights reserved. This reflection may not be reproduced or distributed without permission, except for personal prayer and noncommercial use with attribution.

As you begin, take a deep breath and exhale slowly. For at least the next few moments, surrender all the cares and concerns of this day to the Lord.

Say slowly from your heart “Jesus, I Trust In You…You Take Over”

Become aware that He is with you, looking upon you with love, wanting to be heard deep within in your heart…

From the Holy Gospel of St. Luke 2:16-21

The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.

When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.

What word made this passage come alive for you?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more give the Lord an opportunity to speak to you:

The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.

When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.

What did your heart feel as you listened?

What did you sense the Lord saying to you?

Once more, through Him, with Him and in Him listen to the Word:

The shepherds hurried away to Bethlehem and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. When they saw the child they repeated what they had been told about him, and everyone who heard it was astonished at what the shepherds had to say. As for Mary, she treasured all these things and pondered them in her heart. And the shepherds went back glorifying and praising God for all they had heard and seen; it was exactly as they had been told.

When the eighth day came and the child was to be circumcised, they gave him the name Jesus, the name the angel had given him before his conception.

What did your heart feel as you prayed?

What do you hope to carry with you from this time with the Lord?

Our Father, who art in heaven,

hallowed be thy name.

Thy kingdom come.

Thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven.

Give us this day our daily bread,

and forgive us our trespasses,

as we forgive those who trespass against us,

and lead us not into temptation,

but deliver us from evil.

May the Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life.

Amen

Deacon James Keating reflects on the cross as the sign of radical self-giving love that both attracts and frightens the human heart. The cross reveals humanity’s fear of surrender, rooted in the risk of love and the pain that often accompanies it. Jesus freely enters this place of fear and suffering, not to remove the human condition, but to dwell fully within it. By undergoing betrayal, abandonment, emotional anguish, physical pain, and death itself, Christ makes clear that no form of suffering is foreign to God. His suffering flows directly from love, showing that divine compassion is not distant or theoretical, but personally present in the darkest experiences of human life.

Prayer and communion emerge as the way the cross reshapes identity. Prayer forms a person to remain connected—to God, to others, and to love itself—when evil or suffering threatens isolation. Rather than allowing pain to fracture relationships or identity, the cross becomes the place where love enters suffering and transforms it from within. Keating describes suffering as rooted in the brokenness of the human condition, yet continually met by healing, reconciliation, and hope through Christ’s presence. Trusting God amid darkness, especially by surrendering one’s spirit as Christ did, allows suffering to become a passage toward deeper intimacy and resurrection rather than a final defeat.

1. How does the cross reveal my own fear of surrendering fully in love, and where do I resist that surrender in my daily life?
2. In what ways have I experienced Christ being present with me in moments of suffering rather than removing the suffering itself?
3. How does prayer shape my identity as someone who remains in relationship with God and others when pain or evil threatens isolation?
4. Where am I tempted to keep my faith superficial instead of allowing God to enter the deeper, hidden parts of my heart?
5. How do I respond when suffering exposes my sense of loneliness, weakness, or unlovability?
6. In what concrete ways can I meet suffering with love rather than withdrawing, escalating anger, or despair?
7. How might trusting God in darkness open a path toward deeper intimacy and hope beyond my current circumstances?

Deacon James Keating, Ph.D., is a professor of Spiritual Theology and serves as a spiritual director at Kenrick Glennon Seminary in St. Louis, MO.

Check out Deacon Keating’s “Discerning Heart” page

“On the seventh day of Christmas, my true love gave to me: Seven Swans A Swimming …”

representing the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and compassion or the seven sacraments: baptism, confirmation, penance, Eucharist, marriage, anointing of the sick, and holy orders. This is a day of new beginning, seven is the number of finality and we finish the old year and begin anew this day.

Prayer: Lord, examine our hearts today, let us come to You as anew, pure as the snow of the season. Show us our conscience, help us take Your words to heart, and make a new beginning. Lord, let this season of birth be a new birth in me. Amen

Text gratefully found at
Via Rosa Rosaries, Devotional Chaplets, Rosary Beads, and Catholic Gifts
entitled A Christian meditation on the Twelve Days of Christmas
Copyright © 2005-2006

“And being warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.”
Matthew 2:12

After their encounter with Christ, the Magi do not simply return to their former path. Scripture tells us that they leave by another way. This detail is not incidental. It reveals what happens when Christ is truly received.

The Magi are not given a speech or instructions. They are warned, and they obey. Their response is quiet and decisive. Encounter with Christ brings a change in direction, not because they have been commanded publicly, but because they have been inwardly guided.

Epiphany teaches us that when Christ is revealed, life cannot remain ordered in the same way. This does not always mean dramatic changes or visible upheaval. Often it means a reordering of priorities, attachments, and choices. What once seemed necessary may no longer hold the same place. What once guided us may quietly fall away.

Christ does not force this change. He invites cooperation. The Magi consent to God’s guidance and allow their path to be altered for the sake of fidelity.

This day of prayer invites us to reflect on how Christ may be reordering our own lives. Not by removing us from the world, but by shaping our decisions from within, according to truth and grace.

Today I ask for the grace to allow Christ to reorder my choices and direction according to His will.

O Lord Jesus Christ,
You guided the Magi with wisdom and care
after they had encountered You.

Send forth Your Holy Spirit into my heart,
that I may discern what no longer leads me in truth
and consent to the path You place before me.

Free me from attachment to old ways of thinking and acting,
and grant me the courage to follow Your guidance
with trust and humility.

May my life be quietly reordered by Your presence,
and may my choices reflect fidelity to the Father’s will.

Through the same Christ our Lord.
Amen.

© 2026 Discerning Hearts ®. All rights reserved. This reflection may not be reproduced or distributed without permission, except for personal prayer and noncommercial use with attribution.