The Epiphany Of Our Lord. “Gold Is A Mark Of Our Lord’s Kingship; Incense, Of His Divinity; Myrrh, Of His Humanity”.

“Virgin of the Angels”.

Artist: William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Date: 1881.

Collection: Forest Lawn Museum

Source/Photographer: GettyCenter

(Wikimedia Commons)

Text is from “The Liturgical Year”.
   By: Abbot Guéranger, O.S.B.
      Volume 3.
      Christmas.
      Book II.

The Feast of The Epiphany is the continuation of The Mystery of Christmas; but it appears on The Calendar of The Church with its own special character.

Its very name, which signifies “Manisfestation”, implies that it celebrates the apparition of God to His creatures.

For several Centuries, The Nativity of Our Lord was kept on this day (6 January); and when, in 376 A.D., the Decree of The Holy See obliged all Churches to keep The Nativity on 25 December, as Rome did, 6 January was not robbed of all its ancient glory.

English: “Queen of the Angels”.

Latina: Regina angelorum.

Artist: William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Date: 1900.

Collection: Petit Palais

Source/Photographer: Art Renewal Center

(Copied from English Wikipedia to Commons).

(Wikimedia Commons)

It was still to be called The Epiphany, and The Baptism of Our Lord Jesus Christ was also Commemorated on this same Feast, which Tradition had marked as the day on which that Baptism took place.

The Greek Church gives this Feast the venerable and mysterious name of “Theophania”, which is of such frequent recurrence in the early Fathers, as signifying a “Divine Apparition”.

We find this name applied to this Feast by Eusebius, Saint Gregory Nazianzen, and Saint Isidore of Pelusium. In the Liturgical Books of The Melchite Church, the Feast goes under no other name.

The Orientals also call this Solemnity “The Holy Lights”, on account of its being the day on which Baptism was administered; for, as we have just mentioned, Our Lord was Baptised on this same day. Baptism is called by the Holy Fathers “Illumination”, and they who received it “Illuminated”.

Lastly, this Feast is called, in many Countries, “King’s Feast”; It is, of course, an allusion to The Magi, whose journey to Bethlehem [Editor: “The House of Bread”] is so continually mentioned in today’s Office.

The Epiphany shares with the Feasts of Christmas, Easter, Ascension, and Pentecost, the honour of being called, in The Canon of The Mass, “a Day most Holy”. It is also one of “The Cardinal Feasts”, that is, one of those on which the arrangement of The Christian Year is based; for, as we have “Sundays after Easter”, and “Sundays after Pentecost”, so, also, we count six “Sundays after “The Epiphany”.

English: “The Virgin of the Lilies”.

Français: “La Vierge au lys”.

Artist: William-Adolphe Bouguereau

Date: 1899.

Collection: Private collection

Source/Photographer: PaintingHere.com

(Wikimedia Commons)

The Epiphany is indeed a great Feast, and the joy caused us by The Birth of Our Jesus must be renewed on it, for, as though it were a second Christmas Day, it shows us our Incarnate God in a new light.

It leaves us all the sweetness of the dear Babe of Bethlehem, Who hath “appeared” to us already in love; but to this it adds its own grand “manifestation” of The Divinity of Our Jesus.

At Christmas, it was a few Shepherds that were invited by the Angels to go and recognise THE WORD MADE FLESH; but, now, at The Epiphany, the voice of God, Himself, calls the whole World to “adore” this Jesus, and “hear Him”.

The following Text is from The Saint Andrew Daily Missal:

“Gold Is A Mark Of Our Lord’s Kingship; Incense, Of His Divinity; Myrrh, Of His Humanity”.