DEACON'S CORNER
Serving & Sharing
Serving & Sharing
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January 8, 2023
The Deacon’s Corner…
The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
This Sunday January 8th we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord Jesus Christ! This Feast is one of the oldest Christian feasts, though, throughout the centuries, it has celebrated a variety of things. Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning “to reveal,” and all of the various events celebrated by the Feast of the Epiphany are revelations of Christ to man. Like most of the ancient Christian feasts, The Epiphany was first celebrated in the East, where it has been held from the beginning almost universally on January 6. In most countries and dioceses, the celebration is transferred to the Sunday between January 2 and January 8, inclusive. This year it is celebrated for us on Sunday January 8! The Epiphany is Christmas for the Orthodox Church.
The Epiphany: A Fourfold Feast
Epiphany originally celebrated four different events, in the following order of importance: 1) The Baptism of the Lord; 2) Christ’s first miracle, the changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana; 3) The Nativity of Christ; 4) The Visitation of the Wise Men or Magi. Each of these is a revelation of God to man: At Christ’s Baptism, the Holy Spirit descends and the voice of God the Father is heard, declaring that Jesus is His Son; at the wedding in Cana, the miracle reveals Christ’s divinity; at the Nativity, the angels bear witness to Christ, and the shepherds, representing the people of Israel, bow down before Him; and at the visitation of the Magi, Christ’s divinity is revealed to the Gentiles—the other nations of the earth.
The End of Christmastide
Eventually, the celebration of the Nativity was separated out, in the West, into Christmas; and shortly thereafter, Western Christians adopted the eastern feast of the Epiphany, still celebrating the Baptism, the first miracle, and the visit from the Wise Men. Thus, Epiphany came to mark the end of Christmastide—the Twelve Days of Christmas (celebrated in the song), which began with the revelation of Christ to Israel in His Birth and ended with the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles at Epiphany. Over the centuries, the various celebrations were further separated in the West, and now the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated normally on the Sunday after January 6th, and the wedding at Cana is commemorated on the Sunday after the Baptism of the Lord. The Baptism of the Lord this year falls on Monday January 8th, which will mark the official close of Christmastide for the West!
Epiphany Customs
In many parts of Europe, the celebration of Epiphany is at least as important as the celebration of Christmas. While in England and her historical colonies, the custom has long been to give gifts on Christmas Day itself, in Italy and other Mediterranean countries, Christians exchange gifts on Epiphany—the day on which the Wise Men brought their gifts to the Christ Child. In Northern Europe, the two traditions have often been combined, with gift-giving on both Christmas and Epiphany (often with smaller gifts on each of the twelve days of Christmas in between). (In the past, though, the main gift-giving day in both Northern and Eastern Europe was usually the Feast of Saint Nicholas.) And in the United States in recent years, some Catholics have tried to revive the fullness of Christmastide. One family for example, opens gifts “from Santa” on Christmas Day, and then, on each of the 12 days of Christmas, the children receive one small gift, before the family opens all of their gifts to one another on Epiphany (after attending Mass for the feast).
God Bless!
Deacon Rick
The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
This Sunday January 8th we celebrate the Feast of the Epiphany of the Lord Jesus Christ! This Feast is one of the oldest Christian feasts, though, throughout the centuries, it has celebrated a variety of things. Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning “to reveal,” and all of the various events celebrated by the Feast of the Epiphany are revelations of Christ to man. Like most of the ancient Christian feasts, The Epiphany was first celebrated in the East, where it has been held from the beginning almost universally on January 6. In most countries and dioceses, the celebration is transferred to the Sunday between January 2 and January 8, inclusive. This year it is celebrated for us on Sunday January 8! The Epiphany is Christmas for the Orthodox Church.
The Epiphany: A Fourfold Feast
Epiphany originally celebrated four different events, in the following order of importance: 1) The Baptism of the Lord; 2) Christ’s first miracle, the changing of water into wine at the wedding in Cana; 3) The Nativity of Christ; 4) The Visitation of the Wise Men or Magi. Each of these is a revelation of God to man: At Christ’s Baptism, the Holy Spirit descends and the voice of God the Father is heard, declaring that Jesus is His Son; at the wedding in Cana, the miracle reveals Christ’s divinity; at the Nativity, the angels bear witness to Christ, and the shepherds, representing the people of Israel, bow down before Him; and at the visitation of the Magi, Christ’s divinity is revealed to the Gentiles—the other nations of the earth.
The End of Christmastide
Eventually, the celebration of the Nativity was separated out, in the West, into Christmas; and shortly thereafter, Western Christians adopted the eastern feast of the Epiphany, still celebrating the Baptism, the first miracle, and the visit from the Wise Men. Thus, Epiphany came to mark the end of Christmastide—the Twelve Days of Christmas (celebrated in the song), which began with the revelation of Christ to Israel in His Birth and ended with the revelation of Christ to the Gentiles at Epiphany. Over the centuries, the various celebrations were further separated in the West, and now the Baptism of the Lord is celebrated normally on the Sunday after January 6th, and the wedding at Cana is commemorated on the Sunday after the Baptism of the Lord. The Baptism of the Lord this year falls on Monday January 8th, which will mark the official close of Christmastide for the West!
Epiphany Customs
In many parts of Europe, the celebration of Epiphany is at least as important as the celebration of Christmas. While in England and her historical colonies, the custom has long been to give gifts on Christmas Day itself, in Italy and other Mediterranean countries, Christians exchange gifts on Epiphany—the day on which the Wise Men brought their gifts to the Christ Child. In Northern Europe, the two traditions have often been combined, with gift-giving on both Christmas and Epiphany (often with smaller gifts on each of the twelve days of Christmas in between). (In the past, though, the main gift-giving day in both Northern and Eastern Europe was usually the Feast of Saint Nicholas.) And in the United States in recent years, some Catholics have tried to revive the fullness of Christmastide. One family for example, opens gifts “from Santa” on Christmas Day, and then, on each of the 12 days of Christmas, the children receive one small gift, before the family opens all of their gifts to one another on Epiphany (after attending Mass for the feast).
God Bless!
Deacon Rick
If you are interested in the Catholic faith you can contact Deacon Rick Chenault, Sr., at 256-476-0134 or click here to learn more about the Catholic Christian faith.
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