Thoughts on Epiphany

[AlexPetrosPio]

Great thing about being Catholic: Christmas is not just 25 December, but celebrated until 5 January (called Twelfth Night, as in the Twelve Days of Christmas), where 6 January is traditionally celebrated as Epiphany. As most Latin Rite diocese in the English speaking world transfer the holiday to Sunday (for this year, it would be this coming Sunday, 8 January), the official day on the Universal Latin Calendar still celebrates Epiphany on the 6th.

So, what is Epiphany? Dictionary.com describes it as “an appearance or a manifestation” or " a sudden, intuitive perception of or insight into the reality or essential meaning of something, usually initiated by some simple, homely, or commonplace occurrence or experience."

Yeah? So? What does this mean for us? “An appearance/manifestation” of God Incarnate is at the Nativity, celebrated on 25 December…so why this holiday as well? The shepherds’ “sudden perception into the reality” that the baby lying in the manger was in fact the King of Kings, but again, celebrated on 25 December. So we look to the Christ-child’s other visitors: the Magi.

The Magi came from the East (the land of the wise), following a star (they had some sense of science, as astrology at the time was science) to a baby. In this “simple, commonplace occurrence,” they had the “intuitive perception into the essential meaning of” the star pointing to a great king. In all their wisdom, the Magi lay prostrate to a baby, destined to be the King of Kings. (See, following scientific truths WILL lead you to God if you keep your head on straight!)

As I attended Epiphany Mass last night (Mass in the Extraordinary Form still uses the Liturgical Calendar from 1962) the priest in his homily pointed out an insight I missed before. As there are traditionally (small t) three Magi, there are also three “epiphanies” of Christ the Son of God. One being of course being the adoration of the Magi, the first Christian pilgrimage, the first Gentiles to bow before God-Incarnate. The second being the Baptism of Our Lord. Although in today’s Liturgical Calendar, it is celebrated as the first Sunday after Epiphany (in English speaking Diocese, on 9 January, the next Monday, as the Feast of Epiphany is transferred to Sunday), it is also an “epiphany” of the Son of God. As John the Baptist pours the water on Jesus in the Jordan, the voice of the Father is heard and the form of the Holy Spirit is seen. It is the first manifestation of One God in Three Persons.

The third (as seen in the Gospel reading this morning) is the Wedding at Cana. This “epiphany” of Jesus having control over physical objects, changing the very physicality of water into wine, as if He were God. hint hint How pre-Eucharistic…prefiguring how He in the future will then turn wine into His very Precious Blood.

As we are about to start Ordinary Time, and the start of Our Lord’s public ministry, what better way than to meditate on the very “epiphany” of Jesus, how He shows us that He truly is God, and God for both Gentile and Jew? He shows us that all science, philosophy, and other branches of reason all point to Him, if we are open to following truth where it leads us. Let us finish this Christmas season as the Blessed Virgin did: “pondering all these in our hearts.”

 

[AlexPetrosPio]

This is from my blog serventsacredfire.blogspot.com/ that I’ve recently started. I would like (name removed by moderator)ut, and ways that it can be improved. Being awesome Catholics, I can’t count on you guys for help right?

 

[Evan]

Of course, with the move of Epiphany to Sunday, this year we had

the 13th day of Christmas on Friday ( 13 fish a frying ) and
the 14th day of Christmas on Saturday ( 14 ?? ).

We need to adjust that song :whacky:

 

[JillyAnn]

The Christmas season I thought ended with the Baptism of the Lord, which, this year, was yesterday.

Things were screwy this season b/c Christmas and Solemnity of Mary were both on Sunday…so the other Holy days…presentation in the temple and Baptism were not on Sundays this year.

The Epiphany of the Lord is an wondrous celebration and many wonderful traditions come with it! You have included some beautiful thoughts! Thanks!

 

[AlanFromWichita]

This is from my blog serventsacredfire.blogspot.com/ that I’ve recently started. I would like (name removed by moderator)ut, and ways that it can be improved. Being awesome Catholics, I can’t count on you guys for help right?

How can Epiphany be improved?

j/k no really how can we really appreciate epiphany?

:bible1:

Here’s one possible path:

By starting with anything that is not only a mystery, but a blatant contradiction, or otherwise makes it difficult for your mind to comprehend. Pretend there is a world where that contradiction actually exists, and think how it would be.

For example, brother Albert Einstein chose the following statement to revolutionize physics: “what would it be like to take a ride on a light beam?”

We can celebrate Epiphany by taking our thoughts on a journey they’ve never been before.

So the key is to try to convince yourself of anything you believe so strongly is false that you’d bet your life and mine against it, or to try to convince yourself that you are wrong about the things you hold most sacred. At least that’s if you want to go the true-false route. Like a big game of loves me, loves me not. Eternal life, torture beyond death. You know, dualistic stuff.

Another way to go is the pain/pleasure route. Suffer or rejoice to the extreme. If you get to do both in one lifetime, you win the prize! Chalk up another new life.

How about order and chaos at the same time at the same place and you don’t recognize either?

How about if we are to love our enemies, wouldn’t that include satan? Or is satan not an enemy? Tell me which it is.

But all that’s dualistic. But what if you are a “shades of gray” person? A Cafeteria Catholic? Agnostic? Spiritual but not religious?

The extremes will receive their award for their offered devotions, but all of us wishy-washy, touchy-feely types neither claim to have such devotion or are not ashamed they didn’t.

So how much pain is it to have that feeling? :newidea:

Harry Chapin wrote a song about this called Halfway to Heaven.

God has a special place in His heart for you. Listen to this. How could you want for a better deal?

Rev 3:16
So, because you are lukewarm, neither hot nor cold, I will spit you out of my mouth.

Why is this such a stumbling block? Am I the only person I know who tries not to judge? Or is it a matter of fear?

Honestly at heart we can all be dedicated, indifferent or anywhere between. That is our true characteristics of our mortal components. but we are all in communion in our substance, which is the Body and Blood of Jesus, which by the incarnation becomes bread and wine.

OK, I give up. Please tell me if this is obvious or if everyone’s just been playing tricks on me. You see, as soon as I saw it was revelations, I thought of John 3:16 because i’m scared of revelations because a person told me it was confusing and dangerous to try to interpret on our own. So I immediately deferred to John 3:16, but then looked again and saw it was revelation 3:16. So in my mind there was a sequencing of the two.

So that means that Rev 3:16 could possibly be interpreted thus: If we are not pure, God eats us at the same time as we consume the Eucharist, digests us, and then spits us back out into His garden, to be used for the next crop. I don’t know whether we are dirt, air, water, fertilizer, seed, gardener or what have you, but when God spits us out we have zero will of our own, and we are again like a baby. Who in his right mind would want to opt out of that experience?

Oh, and another thing. Thank you all for being you, and for reading my blather. :tiphat:

Peace and love,
Alan