The Epiphany of the Lord
The Epiphany, also called Three Kings Day, celebrates the Magi's coming to worship the child Jesus and Christ's manifestation to the Gentiles as Savior of the world. Tradition also links it with the Lord's baptism and the wedding at Cana.
In three points
- "Epiphany" means manifestation, and the feast commemorates three moments of revelation
- The Magi's gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh show Christ as King, God and Savior
- The Magi saw the star but were not literally led by it
- Traditions include the chalk house blessing and the King Cake
What the feast celebrates
"Epiphany," from the Greek for "manifestation" or "revelation," commemorates the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, and his first public miracle at Cana. Each is a moment of divine revelation. The feast is rooted in the fourth century and was instituted partly to emphasize the universal nature of Christ's mission.
It was traditionally kept on January 6. In the United States and elsewhere in the Latin Church, it has been moved to the Sunday between January 2 and 8. Many Orthodox keep it later according to the Julian calendar. Epiphany crowns the Christmas season, which ends with the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, after which Ordinary Time begins.
The Magi
Little is known about the Magi, but tradition names them Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar and venerates them as saints, because they not only recognized Christ but revealed him to the world. Their visit symbolizes the Gentiles finding Jesus (Isaiah 11:10; Matthew 28:18-20), and their gifts express who he is (Isaiah 60:6; Matthew 2:11):
- Gold: his kingship.
- Frankincense: his divinity.
- Myrrh: his future sacrifice and death.
Christ himself is the greatest gift to humanity.
The star
The Magi saw a new, brilliant star that signaled the birth of a king. The star was most likely a real astronomical event, probably involving Jupiter, which Babylonian astrologers would have read as an omen of a royal birth in Judea. It did not lead them in a literal or miraculous sense. They went to Jerusalem, the logical place to find a newborn king, and had to ask for directions. After learning of the prophecy pointing to Bethlehem, they saw the star again and rejoiced; its going before them and stopping over the place where the child was (Matthew 2:9-10) fits the natural motion of a heavenly body. The Magi's recognition of the star implies that they practiced astrology, but not that we should.
Traditions
- The Epiphany house blessing, marking the door with chalk (20+C+M+B+ and the year).
- Processions and pageants of the Magi's journey.
- Three Kings Day (Día de los Reyes), with parades and gifts for children.
- Eastern Christians focus on Jesus' baptism, with blessings of water.
- The King Cake (Galette des Rois, Rosca de Reyes), with a small figure of the Baby Jesus inside.
Read online with linked Scripture: catholic.id/tracts/epiphany/