Letter from the Pastor
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January 2, 2022
Happy New Year!
May God grant us a year of grace, unity and blessings to our Church and our Country.
Today, we continue the Christmas Season with the Solemnity of the Epiphany, the day of gifts and the revelation of Jesus to the world. In many countries of the world, today is when gifts are exchanged. In those countries, only one gift was given on Christmas morning, and then everyone waited until the Epiphany. It is the day we remember the three wise men or kings who gave their gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh to the Christ Child. The celebration of the Epiphany is much older than Christmas.
The observance had its origins in the Eastern Catholic Churches. This ancient feast celebrated the Birth of Jesus; the visit of the three Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar) who arrived in Bethlehem; and all of Jesus' childhood events, up to His baptism in the Jordan by John the Baptist. This was fixed on January 6 because the feast was viewed as the fulfillment of the Jewish Feast of Lights (Hanukkah).
The emphasis at this feast is on the shining forth and revelation of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and Second Person of the Holy Trinity at the time of His baptism. Usually called the Feast of the Theophany, it is one of the great feasts of the liturgical year. "Theophany" comes from the Greek for "God shining forth."
The Irish call this day “Little Christmas.” In Rome, "Epiphania" was mispronounced into la Befana. La Befana is one of Italy's oldest and most celebrated legends. Each year on January 6 the children of Italy awaken in hopes that La Befana has made a visit to their house. This is a significant day to Italians because it marks the end of the Christmas Season and the day that the three Wise Men arrived at the manger of the Christ child. Over the years Epiphany has been a more celebrated holiday for the children of Italy than even Christmas.
In Spain, Cuba and some Latin American countries Epiphany day is called El Día de Reyes (The day of the Kings, as the Magi are known as the Los Tres Reyes Magos). In Spanish tradition, on this day, the Magi deliver Christmas presents.
No matter what culture we come from, it is a feast of great joy, for today we know that God is not just a cosmic force or power standing aloof from us, rather He has a face, He has a Name and He has given all of us the greatest gift ever, His only Son. God has revealed Himself most fully. As St. Paul told us, Jesus is the “image of the invisible God,” to see and hear Jesus is to see and hear God Himself.
Happy Epiphany!
