The best way to shorten winter
is to prolong Christmas.
+ G.K. Chesterton
Epiphany comes
at the finale of Christmastide
and originates from
the Greek verb phainein:
"to cause to appear"
or
"to cause to appear"
or
"to bring to light."
The common theme
of the season of Epiphany is
manifestation or revelation:
what has been largely hidden
is made more widely known.
of the season of Epiphany is
manifestation or revelation:
what has been largely hidden
is made more widely known.
Three events in the life of Christ are
associated with the Feast of the Epiphany:
associated with the Feast of the Epiphany:
+ Visit of the wise men from the East
+ Jesus' Baptism in the Jordan River
+ Miracle of water into wine at Cana
A star guides Gentiles
to a future king,
a voice identifies Jesus
as the beloved Son of God, and
a set of wine-brimming pots
reveals miraculous power.
Epiphanies!
to a future king,
a voice identifies Jesus
as the beloved Son of God, and
a set of wine-brimming pots
reveals miraculous power.
Epiphanies!
Churches in the Orthodox tradition use a slightly different word, theophany, which places even greater emphases on the idea of God shining forth. In these 5-9 weeks (depending on the date of Easter),
"we wish to see Jesus"
(Jn. 12:21),
to which Jesus replies,
"Come and see"
(Jn. 1:39),
and later Jesus will also say,
"Go and tell."
The One who summons us to Himself
sends us out on His behalf.
sends us out on His behalf.
The One who shows Himself to us
asks us to make Him known to others.
asks us to make Him known to others.
The One who declares,
"I Am the Light of the world,"
says to us,
"You are the light of the world."
"I Am the Light of the world,"
says to us,
"You are the light of the world."
Epiphany is a time both
to inhabit the Story and
to tell the Story,
for in the telling itself
we are further enlightened.
to inhabit the Story and
to tell the Story,
for in the telling itself
we are further enlightened.
"I look within my own heart
and find plenty of darkness.
So I am drawn back to Jesus,
eager to see Him anew,
like the Magi at the crib and
John in the Jordan and
Mary at the wedding and
Simon in the boat and
the disciples on the mountain.
And each of these
set out to tell others
what they had seen.
Having encountered the Light,
they exhibited the Light.
In Epiphany, we renew our willingness
to let the Light of Christ within us
shine to those around us.
Uncover the lamp, as Jesus put it.
We want to reflect
the luminous beauty of God in Christ
so that our friends turn and
see the source for themselves."
and find plenty of darkness.
So I am drawn back to Jesus,
eager to see Him anew,
like the Magi at the crib and
John in the Jordan and
Mary at the wedding and
Simon in the boat and
the disciples on the mountain.
And each of these
set out to tell others
what they had seen.
Having encountered the Light,
they exhibited the Light.
In Epiphany, we renew our willingness
to let the Light of Christ within us
shine to those around us.
Uncover the lamp, as Jesus put it.
We want to reflect
the luminous beauty of God in Christ
so that our friends turn and
see the source for themselves."
+ Bobby Gross,
To capture some more of the beauty and mystery of Epiphany, Malcolm Guite's poem, "The Magi," provides an invitation. Guite's Sounding the Seasons offers the reader a cycle of 70 sonnets, running in sequence from Advent, at the beginning the church year, to the feast of Christ the King. Here's a brief introduction to why a sonnet is such a good choice for writing poems about these seasons in the Christian Year:
The sonnet, which had its origin in Italian poetry in the thirteenth century, has proved a wonderfully flexible and delicate instrument. At the heart of its virtues are brevity, clarity, concentration, and a capacity for paradox. An advantage of the sonnet as a form through which to explore the meaning and resonance of the Christian faith, and through which to praise and celebrate a God whose beauty is 'always ancient, always new,' is that the sonnet itself is always ancient, always new.
Tangled in time,
we go by hints and guesses,
turning the wheel
of each returning year.
But in the midst of
failures and successes
we sometimes glimpse the
Love that casts out fear.
we go by hints and guesses,
turning the wheel
of each returning year.
But in the midst of
failures and successes
we sometimes glimpse the
Love that casts out fear.
+ Malcolm Guite
So as a gift to you on this holy day of Epiphany, as well as throughout the season of Epiphany until Lent, below is a sonnet by Guite in honor of those who came looking for Immanuel, God with us, from other cultures, religions, and ethnicities and worshiped Him as "the manifestation of Jesus as Messiah of Israel, Son of God and Savior of the world” (CCC 528; Matthew 2:11).
Epiphany
The Magi Sonnet
The Magi Sonnet
It might have been
just someone else's story;
just someone else's story;
Some chosen people
get a special king,
get a special king,
We leave them to
their own peculiar glory,
their own peculiar glory,
We don't belong,
it doesn't mean a thing.
it doesn't mean a thing.
But when these three arrive
they bring us with them,
they bring us with them,
Gentiles like us,
their wisdom might be ours;
their wisdom might be ours;
A steady step
that finds an inner rhythm,
that finds an inner rhythm,
A pilgrim's eye
that sees beyond the stars.
that sees beyond the stars.
They did not know his name
but still they sought him,
but still they sought him,
They came from otherwhere
but still they found;
but still they found;
In palaces, found those
who sold and bought him,
who sold and bought him,
But in the filthy stable,
hallowed ground.
hallowed ground.
Their courage gives
our questing hearts a voice
our questing hearts a voice
To seek, to find,
to worship, to rejoice.
to worship, to rejoice.
Other Revelations:
Bonus Epiphany Poem
Be happy, if you can and will,
Remember,
It is Christmas, still,
It’s Christmas till,
January 6,
And we’ll have, again,
An Epiphany, then,
An Epiphany, friends.
But it’s Christmas now, remember.
So be happy, though it’s not December,
One day it will be, remember,
Always Christmas,
And never winter.
+ S.D. Smith
With wild wonder and hope,
