The Season of Epiphany

In western Christian tradition, January 6 is celebrated as Epiphany. It goes by other names in various church traditions. In Hispanic and Latin culture, as well as some places in Europe, it is known as Three Kings’ Day ... Because of differences in church calendars, mainly between the Eastern Orthodox and the western Catholic and Protestant traditions, both Christmas and Epiphany have been observed at different times in the past. Today, most of the Eastern Orthodox traditions follow the western church calendar. ...

Epiphany is the climax of the Christmas Season and the Twelve Days of Christmas, which are usually counted from December 25th until January 5th. In most traditions, the day before Epiphany is the Twelfth Day of Christmas, the evening of which is called Twelfth Night. This is an occasion for feasting in some cultures, including the baking of a special King's Cake as part of the festivities of Epiphany (a King's Cake is part of the observance of Mardi Gras in French Catholic culture of the Southern USA). In some church traditions, January 5th is considered the Eleventh Day of Christmas, while the evening is still counted as the Twelfth Night, the beginning of the Twelfth day of Christmas the following day. In these traditions the Twelfth Day of Christmas is January 6th, the Epiphany.

Follow the star to Bethlehem!

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Celebrating the Feast of the Epiphany

The feast of manifestation, or Epiphany, is traditionally celebrated the 12th day after Christmas, January 6th. In the dioceses of the United States this feast has been moved to the Sunday after January 6. Regardless of the day, this "Twelfth Night" should be a day of feasting and celebration. Florence Berger gives a picture of her family's celebrations, with ideas for a grownup party and children's party.

Then comes the greater feast of the Epiphany when the "Gentiles shall walk in Thy light and kings in the brightness of Thy rising." It was amazing to find how many of our friends and our children's friends had never heard of the Epiphany. Some were Catholics who had never realized that this day is really the Gentile's Christmas, our day of Christ's manifestation. They had heard of "Twelfth Night," but only as a night of feasting. Why there was feasting they had never thought to ask. Some were non-Catholics who had never heard of the three kings and their gifts. For this reason, we always plan to do a little entertaining and a little manifesting as well.

One year it was a children's party. As the young guests arrived, they were introduced with due pomp and ceremony to the three kings who stood in state on a velvet-covered table. Only Mary and Ann knew that the kings were milk bottles with soft puppet faces. The kings' hair and features were made with floss, and their regal clothing was cut from castoff Christmas wrappings.

Next, we told the children of a great star which had appeared in the sky, and "when the Wise Men saw the star, they said to one another, `This is the sign of the great King; let us go and search for Him, and offer Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.'" Freddie was the gift bearer. The rest of the group was divided into three sections, each belonging to one of the kings. They pretended to be camel drivers or soldiers or servants.

They began the exciting journey. The children had made a paper road to Bethlehem beset with pitfalls and terrors. The kings advanced much as the pawns in Parcheesi, but such troubles they had! Camels were sloughed in the mud of the Jordan; robbers lay in wait near Jericho. Still the kings advanced with their rooting retinues until they found the crowned Christ child in the crib under the Christmas tree.

For refreshment we served the traditional Twelfth Cake. Ann was our baker.

Ann topped the cake with a beautiful crown of gum drops. Inside the cake, she hid three beans. The child who received a piece of cake with one of the beans became one of the kings for the rest of the party. Anyone who forgot to address him by his correct and kingly name had to give a forfeit. This was religious education which appealed to eye, ear, nose, touch, taste and tummy.

Another Epiphany entertainment for the grownups was a dinner party in the regal manner. When we planned the party, with its gilded invitations, we were reminded of part of Gerald Kelly's poem:

A Housewife To Our Lady
Dear Mother of God, sure I know how you felt
When the Kings in their finery entered and knelt
To adore the Gosson as He lay at your side
'Twas a black bitter blight on the bloom of your pride,
And they kneeling and offering royal gifts up
To have nothing to give them for bite or for sup.
I oft do be thinking, and I brewing my tea
How shamed I'd have been, had it happened to me.

The same thought must have passed through the minds of women centuries ago — or why did they cook such royal dinners on Twelfth Night?

When our guests arrived with the winter winds still whistling in their ears, we had a punch bowl of Lambs' Wool waiting to greet them. This is a hot drink which dates from times before the advent of distilled liquors.

As Herrick advises:

Crown the bowl full
With gentle lambs wool—
Add nutmeg, sugar and ginger,
With store of ale too
And this ye must do
To make the wassail a swinger.

If the ale seems too different, make a fireside punch. Your party will be friendlier if your guests can dip their own punch from your fireside bowl. How stiff and stilted is a cocktail shaker in comparison!

We had planned for this dinner long ahead when we butchered one of our lambs. We cut the short lamb chops part way and turned them into a large crown roast. At party time the roast was browning beautifully in the oven. We had sprinkled it with thyme when two-thirds done, and the whole house was fragrant with the odor. The Greeks never roast lamb without the addition of thyme. Lamb is far richer for the herb. The ends of the chops were decorated with paper frills before serving, and the roast was fit for a king. Centuries ago roast lamb was served at Epiphany in honor of the Kingship of Christ and the Magi who visited Him.

On Epiphany, Christ was made manifest by the shining of a great star. Today Christ continues to make Himself known to us with the same spiritual illumination. The six Sundays which follow Epiphany are known as the time of manifestation. It was difficult for men to realize that God was living among them 1900 years ago. Today we, too, forget that all grace comes through Him, that our life is one with Him and our salvation is in Him. In order to convince His followers of his Divinity, He resorted to miracles — godly acts which mere man could not fathom. These miracles are related in the manifestation gospels. He changes water into wine. He cures the centurion's servant from a distance. He commands the sea and the winds and they obey. With such miracles He proved His Divinity and called those who loved Him to a new apostolate.

One after another declared their all embracing faith. Simeon held the Christ and declared that he had seen the salvation of all men. Do we in our homes see Christ in "the little children who round the table go?" The blind man of Jericho suddenly saw the Savior after years of darkness. What in his blindness had been but a man passing by became for him God whom he now glorified. Do we in our families see the Christ in our husbands and wives or are we still walking in blindness? Can we who have seen nineteen centuries of Christians and multitudes of miracles refuse to believe? Once we are conscious of the infinite price which Christ paid for our souls, our eyes are opened to see our shortcomings.

Activity Source: Cooking for Christ by Florence Berger, National Catholic Rural Life Conference, 4625 Beaver Avenue, Des Moines, IA 50310, 1949, 1999

We are having an Epiphany Twelfth Night Party tomorrow night with catechesis for adults and children, Crown Cake, Chicken Beriani (Iraqi) dish, Stifado (Greek) beef with onions. We will have rice with the typical mid-East fruit in it and a wonderful green salad with Greek olives and a lemon juice and olive oil dressing. Also the bread will be like garlic bread only with the oil and lemon juice and thyme spread on it before browning it. The punch is called Lambswool with apple cider and baked apples, but I think I will just quarter the apples and boil them in the cider with the spices. That recipe is on Catholic Culture too.

The catechesis will include an explanation of the Twelve Nights of Christmas, crowns and stoles for the children, crown cupcakes (with three hidden coins) The children who find the three coins will carry the Three Wise Men to the Manger. We will also have a Star Search and the child who finds the star gets to lead all the children into church. All the children will bring a can of food for the Child Jesus. Families will also pick out a Patron Saint for the Year to pray to and learn about. Each family will make a poster about their saint.

We will also have an activity for the Blessing of Homes and everyone gets a home kit with the chalk, Holy Water, Blessings, and information about the Twelve Days of Christmas and what they really mean as well as information about January's devotion being to the Holy Name of Jesus.

It is all about learning, but with fun and familes! Wish me luck in putting the dinner together for 80 or so people -- that's my main job although I will be teaching about the Twelve Days of Christmas too. Our deacon was going to do it, but his mother just got out of the hospital and today his father went into the hospital! (I told him he owed us a favor!)

Inspiration of the Holy Spirit - From the Sacred Heart of Jesus

My birth was marked by a beautiful phenomenon in the heavens that attracted even the attention of three wise men from pagan lands. A star shone brightly and provided them with light and direction for their distant travel. I, the light of the world had come from above and even the stars shone with great beauty paying homage to the one who gave them light.

By divine inspiration the three wise men were moved to make the long journey from different lands, they prepared themselves with gifts to welcome me, the king of the Jews. They were not Jews and yet they were humble men who paid special attention to the signs and the divine inspirations given to them.

I was born in utter poverty, my mother and Joseph had looked for a place to spend that night of my birth but there was no place for us. Humanity was as cold on that night as it is today. Charity was denied to the mother of the savior of the world, and it was denied to me as well. It continues to be denied daily everywhere.

However some humble people were advised of my birth. So the shepherds of the area were visited by the angel of God with good news about the birth of the savior of the world, they came to worship, paid their respects and left full with joy and praise to God, they communicated the events to all those worthy to know.

The wise men also came to present gifts of incense, myrrh and gold which were most fitting for the king they had came to worship. The incense represents the faith which embrace all those who follow me, the myrrh represent the balm for the man of suffering that they unknowingly came to pay homage to. The gold, the most precious of metals was the offering made to the king of kings who came to offer the kingdom of heaven to every man.

And so started my epiphany, a manifestation of my presence among men. I came to my people, but from the very beginning I experienced rejection.

Herod was afraid of the new born king. He thought that I would be a powerful king that would bring about his fall, that is why he started plotting to kill me. The people of Jerusalem, the Jews were afraid in their ignorance, because they had conditioned their religion to reflect human laws not the law of God. They were facing a divine moment in their history and they were not prepared to meet me. In fact they were so jealous of me that in the end they put me to death.

But my Heavenly Father had disposed of my incarnation, so the word took flesh and came to speak, to give light, instruction, testimony of God and to redeem what was lost.

My work continues in every soul.

Open your heart dear child. I am the word of God, speaking to your heart. I have come to the world in the flesh. My spirit is everywhere, touching hearts, calling lovingly to accept my invitation to a perfect life.

Live by my gospel of salvation, eat the bread that I give, put all your confidence in me and I will save you.

Author: Joseph of Jesus and Mary

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