Feast of the Epiphany

JANUARY 8, 2023

This feast celebrates the epiphany (manifestation) of Christ to the Gentiles, symbolized by Christ's manifestation to the Magi (Wise Men). The wise men followed the star to Bethlehem of Judea, and to Jesus' dwelling there. Having arrived, they worshiped the infant Jesus, and gave him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. In addition, other manifestations of Christ were often commemorated during Epiphany, including the miracle at Cana.
 
While the Epiphany is a great and joyous feast, it contains a cautionary message as well. God's salvation is for everyone. That means that no one can be excluded from the invitation to follow Christ.  And once they choose to do so, they become our brothers and sisters in the Lord.  If that is the case, when we demand, cast aside, or ignore others, we open ourselves to the same condemnation with which Isaiah castigated the powerful in Jerusalem in the sixth century BC.  If we add statues of the Magi to our Nativity scene, it also means that we must add the stranger, the foreigner, the person not like us, to our life in Christ. 
 
The Epiphany is a moveable feast. In 2023, it is celebrated on Sunday, January 8.