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Q. What on earth does Epiphany celebrate?
A. Christ on earth!
Like a lot of the foreign sounding words that are part
of our liturgical language (like Eucharist, epiclesis, liturgy) the word
epiphany comes from the Greek and means "manifestation" or
"revelation". The feast of the Epiphany originated in the 3rd
century in the East where it was celebrated on January 6 in honor of
Christ's baptism. Soon it came to be considered one of the three
principal festivals of the Church, the others being Easter and
Pentecost. John Chrysostom, preaching in Antioch on January 6 in the
year 387, explains why it is ranked above celebrations of the nativity:
"Why then is this day called Epiphany? Because it was not when he was
born that he became manifest to all, but when he was baptized; for up to
this day he was unknown to the multitudes".
The Epiphany began to appear in the calendar of the
Western Church in the 4th century but with a different focus.
Instead of being a celebration of Christ's baptism, it became associated
with the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles in the person of the
Magi. Early texts make mention of the baptism of Christ and the miracle
of Cana as also being aspects of the celebration. The liturgical changes
of 1955 removed the Vigil and Octave from the Epiphany and made the
Sunday after Epiphany a separate feast of the Baptism. Actually, our
liturgies for Epiphany should hold together all three aspects of
Christ's revelation - visit of the Magi, baptism and miracle at Cana.
This antiphon from Morning Prayer for Epiphany expresses
the richness of the feast:
"Today the bridegroom claims his bride, the church, since Christ has
washed her sins away in Jordan's waters; the Magi hasten with the gifts
to the royal wedding; and the wedding guests rejoice, for Christ has
changed water into wine, Alleluia".
The meaning of the Epiphany becomes clearer if we look
out for links between today's gospel and Easter. For example, there is
an exchange between King Herod and the Jewish leaders as also happens at
the trial of Jesus; Jesus is manifested to the Gentile Magi and it is a
Gentile (the centurion) who recognizes Jesus as the Son of God on the
cross; there is betrayal and uncertainty at the time of Jesus' birth as
there is at his trial, suffering and death. These parallels serve to
remind us that all our liturgies have the one "theme” that we are always
celebrating the paschal mystery, which is, the life, death and
resurrection of Jesus Christ!
Let’s give our minds and hearts to the Lord this
Christmas Season!
Father Joe |
