The Solemnity of the Epiphany

The meaning of the celebration

+ The celebration of the Epiphany (“revelation”) of the Lord is one of the most ancient feasts of the Church.

+ The original celebration of the Incarnation, in the Western Church this day has come to be known as “Three Kings Day,” on which the visit of the Magi is remembered. In keeping with long-standing tradition, however, the liturgies of this day also commemorate two other moments of revelation: the Baptism of Jesus and the Wedding at Cana (see the Magnificat Antiphon for Evening Prayer II).

+ The Gospel of Matthew records that the Magi presented three gifts to the Newborn King. According to long-standing tradition, these gifts have been understood as having special spiritual significance: gold as a symbol of his royal status, frankincense in honor of his divinity, and myrrh as a recognition of the death he will suffer.

For prayer and reflection

“At his feet, as the Magi once did, we place here the symbolic gifts, recognizing in him the Word of God made flesh and man, son of Mary Most Holy, our Mother, the firstborn of humanity. We greet him as the Messiah, the Christ, the unique and irreplaceable Mediator between God and men; the Priest, the Master, the King, the One who was, who is and who comes.”—Pope Saint Paul VI, Address on the Solemnity of Epiphany at the Grotto of Bethlehem

Spiritual bonus

On this day we also remember Blessed Titus Zeman. A Salesian priest, he helped the members of his community escape the oppressive regime in Czechoslovakia after the Communists outlawed religious communities in 1950. He was arrested in 1951 as he tried to leave the country and, after being interrogated and tortured, he was sentenced to 25 years in prison. The abuse he endured destroyed his health and, although he was released from prison in 1964, his health never recovered and he died on January 8, 1969. Because his death was directly related to the suffering he endured in prison, he is regarded as a martyr for the faith and he was beatified in 2017.

Prayer

O God, who on this day
revealed your Only Begotten Son to the nations
by the guidance of a star,
grant in your mercy, that we, who know you already by faith,
may be brought to behold the beauty of your sublime glory.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit,
God, for ever and ever. Amen.

(from The Roman Missal)

Saint profiles prepared by Brother Silas Henderson, S.D.S.