What is the feast of the Epiphany about?
According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church: The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Saviour of the world. the great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the wise men (magi) from the East, together with his baptism in the Jordan and the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee.
The Feast of the Epiphany reminds us that in their Gospels Matthew and Mark gather together stories about the childhood of Jesus, each pointing to different aspects of his significance. They both bring out the unique importance of Jesus in God’s plan. He is the Son of God come among us for the salvation of the world.
The Epiphany is celebrated each January 6th and is a day dedicated to the birth of Christ, which includes a nod toward the three Kings who came to visit Him. In some countries, Epiphany is a holy day of obligation (Canon Can. 1246 §1). Where that is the case, it is celebrated on Jan. 6. In the United States, Epiphany is not a holy day of obligation, and its celebration is transferred to the first Sunday after Jan. 1.
The word "epiphany" means "an appearance or manifestation, especially of a deity." Appearance is correct, as Christ revealed himself in the form of a newborn babe to the Three Wise Men, who traveled from their countries to pay tribute to the Son of God. It is also a reference to the baptism of Christ by John the Baptist. The six Sundays following Epiphany are known as the time of manifestation.
CCC 528: “The Epiphany is the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Savior of the world. The great feast of Epiphany celebrates the adoration of Jesus by the wise men (magi) from the East, together with his baptism in the Jordan and the wedding feast at Cana in Galilee. Mt 2:1 In the magi, representatives of the neighboring pagan religions, the Gospel sees the first-fruits of the nations, who welcome the good news of salvation through the Incarnation. The magi's coming to Jerusalem in order to pay homage to the king of the Jews shows that they seek in Israel, in the messianic light of the star of David, the one who will be king of the nations. Mt 2:2; Num 24:17-19; Rev 22:16. Their coming means that pagans can discover Jesus and worship him as Son of God and Savior of the world only by turning towards the Jews and receiving from them the messianic promise as contained in the Old Testament. Jn 4 22; Mt 2:4-6. The Epiphany shows that "the full number of the nations" now takes its "place in the family of the patriarchs.”
The Gospel of Matthew describes three Wise Men, named Melchior, Caspar and Balthazar, who were told of Christ's birth and set off, following the Star of Bethlehem, to meet the baby Jesus. Each king brought with him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to represent Jesus' elevated position, divine birth and mortality, respectively.
“Nations shall walk by your light, kings by the radiance of your dawning. The Nations Come to Zion Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you— Your sons from afar, your daughters in the arms of their nurses. Then you shall see and be radiant, your heart shall throb and overflow. For the riches of the sea shall be poured out before you, the wealth of nations shall come to you. Caravans of camels shall cover you, dromedaries of Midian and Ephah; All from Sheba shall come bearing gold and frankincense, and heralding the praises of the LORD.” (Is 60: 3-6)
The three gifts have symbolic meaning. Gold indicated Christ’s royalty. Frankincense referred to his priesthood and spiritual divinity. Myrrh was an oil used to anoint the priests of Israel. It was also used to anoint a dead body for burial, so it also suggested Jesus’ ultimate sacrifice on the Cross.
Like Christmas the Feast of the Epiphany also points to the way of suffering that the Son of God will take for our salvation. Luke’s Gospel alludes to it in the poverty of Jesus’ birth and in the forecast of a sword that will pierce Mary’s heart. In Matthew’s Gospel Jesus is immediately at risk from Herod’s murderous designs and must go with his parents as a refugee to Egypt. Perhaps, too, the gift of myrrh, an opiate as well as a perfume, hints at his crucifixion. Christmas and the Epiphany dwell on two different aspects of the coming of Christ into the world. That they form part of the one story is shown visually in the presence of both the shepherds and the Magi in the cribs of our churches.
—Deacon Gerry
“Today, on this day of grace, in a special way I am calling you to complete surrender to Jesus. Little children, surrender to Him your wounds and pains, your past and future, and permit Jesus to begin to rule in your lives. My children, only with complete surrender, Jesus gives Himself in your life, and this is the greatest gift that you can receive. Pray that you may comprehend how precious you are for Jesus and how much He loves you. Thank you for having responded to my call.”
