Epiphany Sunday
Exodus, Chapter
20, Verse 18-20
Now as all the people
witnessed the thunder and lightning, the blast of the shofar and the mountain
smoking, they became afraid and
trembled. So they took up a position farther away and said to Moses, “You speak to us, and we will listen; but
do not let God speak to us, or we shall die.” Moses
answered the people, “Do not be afraid,
for God has come only to test you and put the fear of him upon you so you do not sin.”
The Israelite’s were afraid and preferred to have
Moses mediate for them with God rather than having a real relationship with
God.
What
is love? In his text On Loving God, St. Bernard surveys the four types
of love that Christians experience as they grow in their relationship with God:
loving one's self, selfish love, loving God as God, and loving one's self in
God. St. Bernard reminds us that not only did God give us life, but He gave us
Himself. For indeed, "God deserves to be loved very much, yea,
boundlessly, because He loved us first, He infinite and we nothing, loved us,
miserable sinners, with a love so great and so free." St. Bernard reminds
us that we are indebted to God for his love and His sacrifice. Not only should
we love God because it is what He deserves, but also because loving God does
not go without reward. Loving God is to our advantage. The Lord rewards those
who love Him with the blessed state of the heavenly Fatherland, where sorrow
and sadness cannot enter. St. Bernard's medieval prose is poetic and full of
clever imagery. His work is as beautiful as it is knowledgeable.
Emmalon
Davis, CCEL Staff Writer
Read: The Epiphany marks the arrival of
visitors, identified in Scripture as magi, to the place where Jesus was born.
Although we know virtually nothing about them, we do know they brought three
gifts:
·
Gold,
a symbol of wealth and power, identifies the recipient as a king.
·
Frankincense,
the crystalized resinous sap of a tree used as incense and as an offering, is
symbolic of prayer.
·
Myrrh,
another resinous tree sap, was used in healing liniments and as an embalming
ointment. Myrrh is an odd gift for a child—so, even at the beginning of
Jesus' life on earth, this gift foreshadows his death.
Reflect: Practice the ancient art of Lectio Divina today and reflect on the readings
on the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord.
Pray: Say a blessing on your home on the Epiphany.
Act: Did you wish someone a Merry
Christmas today? The Christmas season continues until next Sunday, which is the
Feast of the Baptism of the Lord. An easy way to evangelize is to wish someone
a Merry Christmas during the Christmas season after December 25 and explain
why. The liturgical season of Christmas begins with the vigil Masses on
Christmas Eve and concludes on the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord.
Traditionally today is the Feast of the Epiphany or
the day the three kings presented gifts to Christ. They are an example of men
who overcame great obstacles and their own fears
to come and present gifts to our Lord. They also being wise men knew that they
could not trust Herod when he asked them to return to him and tell him where
Christ was. It is not always possible to get to a win-win situation and we must
also use our wisdom as the three Kings did and know when we must fight, run, do
nothing, compromise or prepare for growth. Christ reveals Himself not just to
the Jews, but to the Gentiles, as the visitation of the Magi makes clear that
the Light of Christ did not come to illuminate one nation but all, and so on
the Feast
of the Epiphany we celebrate His first manifestation (epiphaneia)
to the Gentiles, the three Magi who followed His star from the East. This
manifestation also leads us to consider other "firsts" -- the first
manifestation of His mission at His Baptism and the first manifestation of His
power at the wedding of Cana. Hence both are also remembered on the Feast of
the Epiphany. Epiphany is one of the greatest feasts of the liturgical year.
The twelfth day after Christmas, it concludes Christmastide proper by
celebrating the "manifestation," or epiphaneia, of Christ to
the Gentiles. To this day the Eastern churches consider Epiphany more important
than Christmas. The Holy Spirit's guidance of these wise men to the Holy Land
through the aid of a star signifies the calling of all nations, not just the
Jews, to the New Covenant. But this "manifestation" to non-Jews also
calls to mind other manifestations of our Lord's divinity. The Nativity
continues to be remembered as the first crucial manifestation, but so too does
the Baptism of our Lord in the Jordan, since it affirms both His
divinity as well as His humanity. And the wedding of Cana comes to mind
because it was Christ's first public manifestation of His power with the
transubstantiation of water into wine. (It also comes to mind because the
Gospel uses the word "manifest" (ephanerosen) to describe this
event (Jn. 2.11).) Finally, the manifestations of Jesus Christ during His
earthly existence ineluctably lead us to consider His final manifestation in glory, a
manifestation for which we have longed throughout Advent and Christmastide.
Hence St. John Chrysostom says in his sermon on Epiphany:
There are two
manifestations of Christ, not one. The first is the one which has already
happened, His epiphany in the present. The second is the one of the future
which will come at the end of time with great splendor and glory. You have
heard read today what St. Paul writes to Titus about both of these epiphanies.
Concerning the first he says, "The grace of God our Savior has appeared to
all men..." About the second he writes, "We look for the blessed hope
and glorious coming of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ" (Titus
2.11-13) (On the Baptism of Christ).
The Three Kings
Blessing of Water
Magi Plays
Feasting
The Feast of the Holy Family
Epiphany Facts & Quotes[3]
·
Epiphany
Day is celebrated as a public holiday in Sweden, Finland and Iceland. Denmark
and Norway do not have the day off but do hold special mass and church
services. The day is also a holiday throughout much of Eastern Europe.
·
Frankincense,
a perfume, and myrrh, anointing oil, were traditional gifts for kings during
the time of Christ. Bodies were also prepared for burial with these
items. These were the gifts that the wise men brought to the baby Jesus.
·
In
Latin American culture, Epiphany, which means 'manifestation', is celebrated
with plays and special songs that celebrate the coming of the three kings, or
magi. Children
place boxes of hay under their beds for the magi' camels, and in return
they receive gifts.
·
In
some Eastern Orthodox Christian communities, Epiphany is celebrated by a
procession to the nearest river, lake, or pond. The priest blesses the
water and he throws a cross in the waves. People dive into the water to
retrieve the cross, and the one who finds it is thought to be particularly
blessed in the New Year.
·
It’s
a time to focus on the guiding star and the three men who out of curiosity
followed the star to Jesus, - Martin Modeús of the Church of Sweden
Epiphany Top Events and Things to Do
·
Take
down any decorations, you should have taken these down on Knut’s Day, the day
before Epiphany, but if you’ve been too busy eating, today is the day to get
them down.
·
Sing
We Three Kings, a traditional Epiphany hymn telling the story of the
magi.
·
Go
to an Orthodox service and witness a Epiphany procession. This often
includes pageantry of colorful robes and a large bowl of water centered in the
middle of the church. Churches are often decorated with flowers and greenery.
·
In
some Western churches, church members share king cake, similar to the pastry
served on Mardi Gras in New Orleans. A coin or bean is cooked into the
cake, and whoever receives them gets to wear a crown for a day.
·
Watch
a Christmas themed movie. Our favorites include
1) Fanny and Alexander (1982), this film depicts a family in Uppsala, Sweden during the 1900s and is a national favorite.
2) Santa Claus (1990)
3) Elf (2003), Will Ferrell’s modern Christmas classic
1) Fanny and Alexander (1982), this film depicts a family in Uppsala, Sweden during the 1900s and is a national favorite.
2) Santa Claus (1990)
3) Elf (2003), Will Ferrell’s modern Christmas classic
Today would also be a good time to honor your Father
in heaven by marking your home in chalk; publicly stating who’s you are.
A traditional way of doing this is to use chalk to write above the home’s entrance, 20 + C + M + B + 19. The letters C, M, B have two meanings. They are the initials of the traditional names of the three magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar. They also abbreviate the Latin words Christus mansionem benedicat, “May Christ bless the house.” The “+” signs represent the cross and 2019 is the year.
Blessing
the Chalk
R. The maker of heaven and earth.
V. The Lord shall watch over your going out and your coming in:
R. From this time forth for evermore.
Let us pray.
Instructions
for Blessing the Home
20 + C + M + B + 19 while saying:
The three Wise Men, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar
followed the star of God’s Son who became human two thousand and nineteen years
ago. May Christ bless our home and remain with us throughout the New Year.
Amen.
Then
offer the following prayer: Visit, O blessed
Lord, this home with the gladness of your presence. Bless all who live or visit
here with the gift of your love; and grant that we may manifest your love to
each other and to all whose lives we touch. May we grow in grace and in the
knowledge and love of you; guide, comfort, and strengthen us in peace, O Jesus
Christ, now and forever. Amen
“Chalking
the door” is a way to celebrate and literally mark the occasion of the Epiphany
and God’s blessing of our lives and home. With time the chalk will fade. As it
does we let the meaning of the symbols written sink into the depths of our
heart and be manifest in our words and actions the Latin words, Christus mansionem benedictat, “May Christ bless the house.”
Whoever acknowledges that Jesus is
the Son of God, God remains in him and he in God. We have come to know and to
believe in the love God has for us. God is love, and whoever remains in love
remains in God and God in him. In this is love brought to perfection among us,
that we have confidence on the Day of Judgment because as he is, so are we in
this world. There is no fear in love, but perfect love drives out
fear because fear has to do with punishment, and so one who fears is not yet
perfect in love. We love because he first loved us. (1 Jn 4:15-19)
Beyond Mere Survival: The Family’s
Nature is Love
27.
Beyond the survival of the species and the society, though, the family is the
irreplaceable center of love and of life. The nature of human beings is to need
love as well as life! Love is not optional. What is love? The word love has
suffered from a certain overgrowth of confusion in the English language, like
the philosopher’s neglected garden. It is a bit of a mess and needs a good
pruning to be seen for the garden that it is. St. Thomas Aquinas, the Angelic
Doctor, defined the word love this way, “Love is willing the good of the
other.” This definition is simple, profound and very helpful. Love is one
person willing the best, the good, for another, for the other’s sake. Let us
not be afraid to prune that which is confused and overgrown.
During
this Christmas season let us take up the nature of God by reflecting on these
traits that make us a model for our children and our sisters and brothers in
Christ. Today reflect on:
Security vs.
Anxiety
Structuring my life around that which is eternal and cannot be destroyed or taken away (John 6:27)
2207
The family is the original
cell of social life. It is the natural society in which
husband and wife are called to give themselves in love and in the gift of life.
Authority, stability, and a life of relationships within the family constitute
the foundations for freedom, security, and fraternity within society. The
family is the community in which, from childhood, one can learn moral values,
begin to honor God, and make good use of freedom. Family life is an initiation
into life in society.
2310
Public
authorities, in this case, have the right and duty to impose on citizens the obligations
necessary for national defense.
Those who are sworn to serve their country
in the armed forces are servants of the security and freedom of nations. If
they carry out their duty honorably, they truly contribute to the common good
of the nation and the maintenance of peace.
2547
The Lord grieves over the rich, because they find
their consolation in the abundance of goods. "Let the proud seek and love
earthly kingdoms but blessed are the poor in spirit for theirs is the Kingdom
of heaven." Abandonment to the providence of the Father in heaven frees us
from anxiety about tomorrow. Trust in God is a preparation for the blessedness
of the poor. They shall see God.
"Read
these counsels slowly. Pause to meditate on these thoughts. They are things
that I whisper in your ear-confiding them-as a friend, as a brother, as a
father. And they are being heard by God. I won't tell you anything new. I will
only stir your memory, so that some thought will arise and strike you; and so
you will better your life and set out along ways of prayer and of Love. And in
the end you will be a more worthy soul."
Remember that the heart is a traitor. Keep it locked with seven
locks.
Daily Devotions
·
Day Thirteen activity
(Epiphany Party)
·
Day Thirteen recipe
(Twelfth Day Cake)
[5]https://family.dphx.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/2018-Complete-My-Joy-Apostolic-Exhortation-English.pdf
[6]http://graceonlinelibrary.org/home-family/christian-parenting/49-godly-Tcharacter-qualities/
[7]http://www.escrivaworks.org/book/the_way-point-1.htm
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