Happy Feast of the Epiphany!


Today the Church celebrates the Solemnity of the Epiphany. The traditional date for this feast was January 6th, but in the United States this feast has been moved to the Sunday between January 2 and January 8 (as per the decision of the episcopal conference.)

Epiphany is Greek for "to manifest" or "to show ". The Feast of the Epiphany marks the first manifestation of the birth of Christ to the Gentiles. The Three Kings – Melchor, Gaspar, and Balthazar — had come from the East in search of the Christ child.

The Three Kings, also known as the Magi or the Wise Men, brought with them gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh – gold signifying that Jesus is King; frankincense, the symbol of prayer, signifying that Jesus is the Son of God, and myrrh, which is used to anoint the dead, signifying that Jesus would die for the salvation of all.

 Fr. Tom Hoisington shares an inspiring homily on this special feast day.

"If the Magi had come in search of an earthly King, they would have been disconcerted at finding that they had taken the trouble to come such a long way for nothing. Consequently they would have neither adored nor offered gifts. But since they sought a heavenly King, though they found in Him no signs of royal pre-eminence, yet, content with the testimony of the star alone, they adored: for they saw a man, and they acknowledged a God."

~St. John Chrysostom



Check out these other great blog posts on today's feast day:

Padre Steve:

Feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord
 Epiphany and Pope John Paul II

Esther -- A Catholic Mom in Hawaii: Epiphany Home Blessing

Elena -- Feast of Epiphany
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