Epiphany of the Lord

by Fr. John Granato  |  01/07/2024  |  Words from Fr. John

My Dear Friends,

Today is Epiphany Sunday; Happy Epiphany, which is the twelfth day of Christmas. On this day we commemorate the visit of the three Magi to the Christ child, bringing with them the gifts of frankincense, gold, and myrrh. These are gifts fit for a priest, prophet and king. Many cultures would exchange Christmas gifts on this day and not on Christmas day. As important a day a Christmas is, Epiphany is the revelation of Jesus Christ not only to his parents and the shepherds, but he is revealed to all the nations. It is the first recorded instance of the divinity of Christ to non-Jews.

The other two feasts that are united to Epiphany in showing forth the divinity of Christ are the Baptism of our Lord in the Jordan and the Wedding Feast at Cana. We celebrate that God became man, entering into his creation, and walked this earth. And, as is usual for our faith when talk about the events of our Lord’s birth, we also see a foreshadowing of his death in the gift of myrrh, which is used to anoint the body of a deceased person. We are truly blessed to be a follower of Jesus Christ and to be a member of his Holy Catholic Church. And we are truly blessed to be able to receive his body, blood, soul and divinity in the Most Blessed Sacrament at the celebration of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass.

Be aware, though, that in a matter of weeks we will be entering into the season of Lent at Ash Wednesday (this year on February 14th), focusing on our Lord’s passion and death. Our time of rejoicing will shortly be making a pivot to a time of repentance for our sins. In the meantime, though, we rejoice for our Savior has been born.