The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Adoration of the Magi
by Bartolomé Esteban Murillo, 17th century

The Feast of the Epiphany

Today the church remembers The Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ.

In the course of time the Lordship of Christ was revealed to various people. The "Wise Men from the East" observed his star and were guided to his cradle where they worshiped him as a newborn king. When John baptized him in the Jordan, the Holy Spirit descended "as a dove" and a voice from heaven proclaimed, "This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased." At a wedding feast at Cana his embarrassed host was amazed when Jesus turned water into wine. He revealed himself to his disciples, and through their witness the knowledge of him spread. As the church grew, its witness to him was formalized in the sacraments and the canonical scriptures. In the Epiphany season we remember these events and the expanding revelation and manifestation of Christ to the world. We pray for the continuing growth of his kingdom until "the earth shall be filled with the glory of God as the waters cover the sea."

In the ancient Eastern Church, January 6 was observed as the feast of the Nativity, Christmas. The Eve of Epiphany is still observed in some places as the "Twelfth Night" of Christmas and the conclusion of the nativity season.

O God, lead all peoples of the earth to know your only Son now by faith, and in the world to come to see him in the splendor of his glory. Amen.

Read the Wikipedia article here.

O God, by the leading of a star you manifested your only Son to the Peoples of the earth: Lead us, who know you now by faith, to your presence, where we may see your glory face to face; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and for ever. Amen.