Epiphany by Epiphany

Happy Epiphany! Throughout most of the world, today is the great Feast of the Epiphany. Most of my American readers, however, will have to wait until Sunday.

For reasons I can’t quite fathom, in the dioceses of the United States this feast has been moved to the Sunday between January 2 and January 8. Why you would want to move one of the holiest days of the year is something I have never been able to fathom.

We don’t move Christmas to the nearest Sunday, after all! And the Epiphany has been celebrated on January 6 for just as long. It’s the reason we sing about the twelve days of Christmas.

In the United States, I reckon this is the thirteenth day of Christmas. We’ll just have to add (or subtract!) verses to the song depending on where the day falls. Thirteen ukuleles strumming? Fourteen aardvarks barking?

Of course, my Monastic Diurnal insists that today is the Epiphany, so I get to celebrate twice!

In a sense, the Feast of the Epiphany is the culmination (if not quite the end) of the Christmas Season.

In the popular imagination, the Feast of the Epiphany is all about the Magi from the East who traveled to worship the Christ child and gift him gold, frankincense, and myrrh.

But that’s not the whole story, for the Epiphany actually celebrates three separate events, only one of which is Magi with their three gifts.

In the Monastic Diurnal, this morning’s Benedictus antiphon speaks of all three:

Each of these events is an epiphany:

In the River Jordan, Christ is revealed as the Son of God.

In the story of the pilgrim Magi, Christ is revealed as the Light to the Gentiles.

In the wedding feast at Cana, Christ is revealed as a Worker of Miracles.

Notice first the thread throughout of the wedding of Christ the bridegroom with the Church, His spouse.

Then take a look at these three epiphanies. It’s as if Christ is teaching us who He is a step at a time; as our understanding deepens, a new revelation is granted us.

And really, if you look at Salvation history, this is exactly how God operates, bringing along His people step by step into a deeper understanding and an ever more moral and spiritual state.

God teaches us as a Father should, by bringing us along bit by bit. You need to know your letters before you can learn to read. You need to know how to read before you can learn to write a novel. Step by step. Epiphany by epiphany.

A very blessed Feast of Epiphany to all of you, whenever you celebrate it!