One Divine Miraculous Revelation
Before I came to Sacred Heart, my career was in Education. I was a Catholic high school principal for over 30 years. The last school community I was honored to lead was Saint Basil Academy in Jenkintown, PA.
St Basil Academy, an Eastern Rite Ukrainian Catholic school, was founded by the Sisters of Saint Basil the Great. Being a Latin rite Catholic and having only led Roman Catholic schools, I had a steep learning curve.
There are several things in the Eastern Catholic tradition I have come to appreciate. None more than their understanding of Epiphany. Eastern Rite Catholics call our Epiphany– Theophany. Traditionally, Theophany celebrated the Advent (Coming) of Christ. It commemorated the Nativity, Visitation of the Magi, Baptism of Christ, and the Wedding at Cana all in one feast.
There is some wisdom in this tradition that we don’t want to lose. Incarnation is about a life, not a moment.
When the feasts are separated in our Roman rite, we risk losing the understanding that the Incarnation is not only about Christmas. Incarnation is about the whole picture, not a moment in a stable. God’s incarnation encompasses Jesus’ birth, recognition, Baptism, and ministry. It also holds a foreshadowing of death.
In our Western society, Christmas has overshadowed our celebrations of Epiphany. Yet, in many parts of the world, rich Epiphany traditions remain.
In Italy, La Befana brings sweets and presents to children not on Christmas but on Epiphany. Children in many parts of Latin America, the Philippines, Portugal, and Spain also receive presents on “Three Kings Day.”
In Ireland, Catholics celebrate “Women’s Christmas” – where women rest from housework and cleaning and celebrate together with a special meal.
Epiphany in Poland is marked by taking chalk with gold, incense, and amber to be blessed at Mass. Back at home, families will inscribe the first part of the year, followed by the letters “K+M+B+” and then the last numbers of the year on top of every door in the house. The letters stand for the names traditionally given to the wise men – Casper, Melchior, and Balthazar – and for the Latin phrase “Christus mansionem benedicat,” or, “Christ, bless this house.”
These traditions also point to what is known – and what is still mysterious – about the Magi, who were the first Gentiles to encounter Christ. The Bible remains silent about the wise men’s names, but we know they were clever, wealthy, and, most importantly, brave. They were willing to risk searching for the truth in what they discerned was a monumental event. And they were confident in their decision to return home by a different route.
The gifts the wise men brought – frankincense, myrrh, and gold – point to Christ’s divinity and his revelation to the Magi as the King of Kings and his crucifixion. They gave the herbs traditionally used for burial. The gifts show a sense of anticipation of what is to come.”
In both the traditions of the East and the West, it is important that we keep our spiritual eye on the oneness in God’s epiphany. God, who in the human birth we celebrated on Christmas and whose divinity we celebrate with the Kings, is made manifest in every day of his life, ministry, death, and resurrection.
Like the Kings, we go back to our lives by a different route, knowing we are changed when we see with clear eyes the fullness of the humanity and divinity of Jesus. Jesus’ life cannot be fully understood in a scrapbook of snapshots. If we truly want to understand Epiphany, we must absorb the East’s wisdom. The manifestation of God is not separate events rather, it is one divine, miraculous revelation.
In God’s Unending Love,
Gwen
