The Epiphany Sunday reading from the Book of Isaiah begins with stirring words: “Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you.” On Tuesday Republican presidential candidates and the nation learned which of them rose to the top of the field and shone in the Iowa Caucasus. But the race for the nomination is only beginning. . . .

“The stewardship of God's grace” was granted to Saint Paul for the benefit of early Christians, the Letter to the Ephesians tells us this Sunday. Pope Benedict XVI Sunday announced the creation of the Personal Ordinariate of the Chair of St. Peter, to be based in Houston. Under the stewardship of . . .

“Raise your eyes and look about,” urges this Sunday’s first reading, while the psalmist promises the Lord that “the king’s son . . . shall govern your people with justice.” Forecasters looking for the top trends in 2012 predict that those who govern in the workforce . . .

The gospel recounts the magi’s trip to Bethlehem to pay homage to the newborn leader who would shepherd the people of Israel, while the psalmist pledges the Lord will help those who have no one to help them. President Barack Obama sidestepped Republican opposition in the U.S. Senate to appoint the first director of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau . . .

“Bishop Zavala told me that he submitted his resignation to the Holy Father in Rome . . . . The archdiocese has reached out to the mother and children to provide spiritual care as well as funding to assist the children with college costs.”

A recent Rutgers University study reports that only 7 percent of people laid off as a result of the financial crisis have returned to or exceeded their former quality of life.