CELEBRATING THE EPIPHANY

    Most of you probably know much, but some (myself included) know very little about it. EPIPHANY comes from the Greek word epiphaneia meaning “manifestation” and being a Christian holiday commemorating the first manifestation of Jesus to the Gentiles, represented by the Magi, (most of us probably knew this but read on) and the manifestation of His divinity, as it occurred at his baptism in the Jordan river and at his first miracle, at Cana in Galilee.
   Epiphany is one of the oldest festival days of the Christian church along  with Easter and Christmas. Roman Catholics, Lutherans, Anglicans, and other Western churches observe the feast on January 6 (this year January 5 because of its close proximity to Sunday), while some Eastern Orthodox churches celebrate Theophany “appearance of God” on January 19, since their Christmas Eve falls on January 6.
   The festival originated in the Eastern church, where it at first included a commemoration of Christ’s birth. In Rome, by 354, Christ’s birth was celebrated on December 25, and later in the 4^th century, in Rome, Epiphany began to be celebrated on January 6. Here, the festival primarily commemorates the visit of the Magi to the infant Jesus, which is seen as evidence that Christ, the Jewish Messiah, came also for the salvation of Gentiles. Also, in the East, it primarily commemorates the baptism of Jesus and celebrates the revelation that the incarnate Christ was both fully God and fully man.
   The time between December 25 and January 6 is known as the Twelve Days of Christmas (especially commemorated by that secular carol). Epiphany is celebrated with special pastries in many countries, and children often receive gifts in their shoes in honor of the Magi’s gifts to the infant Jesus. The holiday also has a number of traditions involving water as a reflection of Jesus’ baptism, including the blessing of houses with holy water.
   Here, at SMV we commemorate the birth of Christ, the Angels announcing it to the shepherds, the visit by the Magi with our annual Pageant now called the Epiphany Pageant because of the Magi visit. This is a teachable moment for the children participating – a main reason for doing it – as they take on the roles of everyone involved including the manger animals. Everyone loves to play “dress-up” (Halloween and costume parties) and the children really love it. I have to admit that it becomes more difficult to convince the children to be animals when they get older. Certainly the angel and king roles are the favorites.
   So that more people can see this, we moved the pageant to today, Sunday, just before the 1:00 Mass. Even if you go to one of the earlier Masses, come back. The pageant does not last more than 20 minutes or so. Bring cameras. It culminates in a children filled tableau.

Faithfully,
Mary Nesvadba,
SMV Organist