* A good friend suggested a combined weekend post so this seems like a good time to explain why Catholics offer a Saturday Vigil Mass that fulfills the obligation to attend Mass on Sunday. The Vigil Mass was instituted to reflect the Jewish roots of Christianity as Jewish sabbath goes from sundown to sundown (not midnight to midnight).
THE COLLECT FOR THE VIGIL MASS OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
May the splendor of Your majesty, O Lord, we pray shed its light upon our hearts,
that we may pass through the shadows of this world and reach the brightness of our eternal home.
Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son,
Who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
THE COLLECT FOR THE MASS DURING THE DAY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
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, one God, for ever and ever.
Amen.
Catholic Mass Word of the Day:
The Collect is a short prayer spoken by the priest at the end of the Introductory Rites of the Mass–it reflects the theme of the Mass and like the phrase “collect one’s thoughts” suggests, it is a good time to do our best to focus our minds to enter into the mystery of the greatest prayer of all–the Holy Mass of which receiving the Eucharist is the “Source and Summit” of that prayer.
THE SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD
The Nativity Story (2006) the Magi visit the Holy Family.
Trivia for the Day:
William Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night, or What You Will was first performed on February 2 (the feast of Candlemas which celebrates the Presentation of Jesus in the Temple by Mary and Joseph) in 1602 as entertainment to close the Christmas Season.
About this Feast Day:
Epiphany (a manifestation of a divine or supernatural being) is the great feast day of the Church that celebrates the manifestation of the Christ Child to the entire world as represented by the magi “from the East” bearing gifts to the King of all Kings.
Epiphany celebrated on January 6 is the Twelfth Day of Christmas (Twelfth Night) as Christmas celebrations should not end on December 26. Our parish, Holy Name of Jesus celebrates our annual Christmas party on the weekend of Epiphany with the highlight being the Christmas play with music and narration provided by our teens as the children of the parish act out the roles. It’s our own version of the Charlie Brown Christmas paegant.
The Scripture Behind Epiphany:
We meet the magi in the Gospel of Matthew (2: 1-12) as they arrived in Jerusalem looking for “the newborn king of the Jews.” We do not know how many they were in number but the tradition is to show three to represent the known world at the time (as Deacon Larry mentioned in his homily)–the Middle East, Africa and Europe. Epiphany represents the manifestation of Jesus Christ as the Savior of all humankind.
In reading Scripture the magi follow the Star to “the place where the child was.” “They were overjoyed at seeing the star, and on entering the house they saw the child with Mary, His Mother.” (Matthew 2:11) Notice anything interesting in this verse?
The magi entered a house, not the manger where Jesus was born. What does this indicate? By the time they arrived, Mary and Joseph had moved into a house.
What of the gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh? I love how the Nativity Story presents this scene (even if it appears the Magi get there right after the shepherds). In the movie, Melchior presents gold for the “King of Kings,” Balthasar gives frankincense for the “Priests of all Priests,” and lastly, Gaspar offers myhrr to “honor Thy Sacrifice” since myhrr was the oil used in embalment (foreshadowing Jesus’ sacrifice on the Cross).
We do not know how old Jesus was when the Magi were warned in a dream not to return to Herod and Joseph is likewise warned in a dream about King Herod’s threat to kill Jesus which prompts the flight into Egypt. According to Scripture, when the Magi do not return: When Herod realized that he had been deceived by the magi, he became furious. He ordered the massacre of all the boys in Bethlehem and its vicinity two years old and under, in accordance with the time he had ascertained from the magi. (Matthew 2:16)
To learn more about the mystery of the magi and their role in Scripture, I recommend Three Kings, Ten Mysteries by Grzegorz Gorny (published by Ignatius Press) which I shared with our R.C.I.A. class at dismissal today.
PRAYER MISSION
Read over the story of the magi and reflect upon how God has manifested His Presence in your life and what gift, uniquely yours, you can offer to others in service of Christ and His Church.
Weaver's Grace 