Epiphany: Mary reveals the Son
Introduction
The celebration of the Lord’s Nativity extends into the feast of Epiphany, the Baptism of the Lord, and His Presentation in the Temple. With this last event, the Christmas season concludes, ideally, according to the mystical scheme of Christmas and the ancient Jerusalem tradition witnessed by Egeria. In the current liturgical calendar, after the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, the Common Time begins, on weekdays and Sundays, throughout the year.This proposal already touches on the complexity of the Liturgical Year. The West celebrates Epiphany as the adoration of the Magi, although not exclusively. The East, in contrast, celebrates the Baptism of the Lord, now solemnly resumed by the Roman liturgy on the Sunday after Epiphany. But there is also the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, celebrated forty days after the feast of Christmas.Historical Roots
The feast of the manifestation of the Lord, celebrated on January 6th, has its origins in the East. The Gnostics celebrated it to signify that at Jesus’ Baptism, the Christ-man became Christ-God. The Gospel of the Ebionites states that a great light shone upon him when he rose from the water, revealing the manifestation of God.The idea of a manifestation (epiphany) of the Holy Trinity is correct and corresponds to the unanimous testimony of the Gospels that attest to the Baptism of Christ.In the 3rd century, Epiphany was mentioned by Epiphanius. Also, Ephrem the Syrian considered it a feast of the coming of the Lord, of His birth, and of His perfect incarnation. This means that initially, in the East, this feast also included the celebration of the birth of the Savior.Around the end of the 4th century, the feast existed in Antioch under the name of “ta hagia phota,” the holy lights. The main focus was on the mysterious manifestation that occurs at the Baptism of the Lord by the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and on the sanctification of the waters by Christ. It was the day of baptisms.The pilgrim Egeria speaks of this feast in Bethlehem and Jerusalem between 381-384 (Travel Diary IX, 1, “By the happiest of coincidences for us, it happened that on the day we reached the stage of Arabia, it was the eve of the most holy day of Epiphany. On that same day, a vigil was to be celebrated in the church”).At the root of the date chosen for this celebration, we find a pagan festival of light celebrated in ancient Egypt in honor of Aion, the “time.” This took place at the peak of the winter solstice, about two weeks after December 25th. In Alexandria, the goddess Kore, the Virgin who brought the Sun-light, was also celebrated. The theme of light and water, which on that day was sought in rivers and springs, is therefore also linked to a cosmic element celebrated in pagan religiosity.The Epiphany feast is celebrated in Rome since the end of the 4th century. However, it predominates the commemoration of the Lord’s manifestation to the nations, in the adoration of the three Magi guided by a star. Yet, both in Rome and in other places, such as Spain, there are accumulations of meanings, like the Baptism of the Lord, the Wedding at Cana (themes still present in the hymns and antiphons), and even the multiplication of the loaves. The image of adoration is very ancient: it is found in the catacombs and in the mosaics of Ravenna, where the names of the three characters are indicated.In the current liturgical calendar, the Epiphany retains its characteristic sense of a manifestation to the nations through Christ, who is the light of the world.The feast of the Baptism of the Lord, celebrated on the Sunday following Epiphany, has gained greater prominence in the Roman liturgy, both through the beautiful texts of the Mass and Divine Office, and also through the patristic readings of the time after Epiphany, which recover some Eastern homilies on the mystery of Jesus’ Baptism.We are facing an Eastern-Western integration in the texts and spirituality of this time.The Liturgical CelebrationThe proclaimed wordIn the Roman feast of Epiphany, the Gospel of Matthew about the adoration of the Magi (Mt 2:1-12) sets the tone. Formerly, prostration during the singing of the Gospel was ritualized to make the proclaimed mystery more vivid.This Gospel text acquires all its meaning in the light of the prophet Isaiah (Is 60:1-6), who sings the glory of Jerusalem flooded with light, and the Psalm 72, real and messianic. These two texts are at the base of understanding the evangelical narrative.Paul (Eph 3:2-6) offers the theology of the manifestation to the nations, which is later taken up in the prayers and in the preface of the feast.In the celebration of the Baptism of the Lord, uniform texts are read about Jesus’ anointing by the Spirit (Isaiah 42:1-4.6-7), and about the apostles’ testimony regarding the episode of his Baptism (Acts 10:34-38). In the various cycles, the Gospel of the Baptism is proclaimed according to the three Synoptic Gospels.The Church’s prayerIn the texts of the Mass prayers, many themes proper to the mystery celebrated are incorporated: the light and glory of revelation. The meaning of the offerings and the exchange of gifts. The commitment to life and the waiting for the definitive manifestation of the Lord.The Epiphany also has its own proper preface and texts in the Roman Canon.At the Baptism of the Lord, the prayers take up the themes of Christ’s manifestation in the Jordan and our baptism. The Lamb who washes the world clean from all stain. The listening and following of Jesus to become his disciples.Very beautiful is the preface centered on the mystery of Jesus’ Baptism, a sign of the Church’s baptism, and the consecration of the Servant with the anointing of the Spirit for his mission as priest, prophet, and king.Note on the Holy Teofania in the Byzantine RiteThe celebration of Epiphany in the East, in the Byzantine Rite, is the feast of Jesus’ Baptism, with a rich theology that encompasses the manifestation of the Trinity, Christ’s anointing, the theme of Christian baptism, the sanctification of the cosmos and the waters to enable them for the mystery of baptism, the descent that prefigures Passion, and the descent into hell. Even today, the water is solemnly blessed at the end of the divine liturgy, with the solemn text of Sophronius of Jerusalem (7th century). Also, springs and rivers are blessed. It is the sanctification of the cosmos.We transcribe a passage from Sophronius’ text, in which resounds the liturgical “Today” of salvation, which becomes actual and effective:> “Today, through the grace of the Holy Spirit, a dove descends over the waters. Today, the waves of the Jordan are transformed into the present medicines of the Lord’s presence. Today, the sins of humanity are washed away in the waters of the Jordan. Today, Paradise is opened to humanity, and the Sun of justice shines upon us. Today, we have received the Kingdom of Heaven… The feast of the Lord is celebrated today in the Jordan… and it gives the world the baptism of salvation.”
The icon of the Baptism of the Lord is very expressive. It is also found in Ravenna, in the two baptisteries, in precious mosaics of the two domes, with the Apostles by his side. In iconographic representations, we find Christ entering the Jordan River and there meeting as in a cavity. The water is transparent and reveals his body.Mariological spirituality of Epiphany: Mary manifests the SonSummarizing some lines of theology and spirituality that, indeed, are in doctrinal continuity with those of Christmas, we can offer some points:1. From Christ’s light to the baptismal illuminationIn Epiphany and the Baptism of the Lord, the theme of light prevails, so closely linked to the evangelical origins and to the pages of these festivals of holy lights. The manifestation of the Lord is glorious because the glory, signaled by the star that guides the Magi, rests where Christ is present and is adored. The glory of God, which in prophecy surrounds Jerusalem like a cloud, now rests in the humility of the stable where the Infant lies with his Mother. Light reveals to all the reality of Christ, who is the Light of the World (Light of the Nations). Light and glory evoke faith, so well expressed by the Magi who sought and found. Faith becomes a commitment to life to reach the contemplation of glory.The Magi, according to the hymn Akathist, are the first illuminated, the firstfruits of all the Gentiles called to share the grace of the baptismal light that leads to the contemplation of the mystery hidden in Christ Jesus.
Christ, in the Jordan, is the Illuminated and Illuminator, who offers to those who receive Him the baptismal light.
2. The Offer of the Nations to the King, Priest, and Prophet
Liturgy interprets in its prayer the meaning of the gifts offered to Christ by the Magi: gold as to a King, incense as to a Priest, myrrh for His tomb.
At Baptism, Jesus is fully revealed by the Spirit with the anointing priestly, prophetic, and royal, of which the Christian also participates, anointed with faith (according to an ancient theme of Syriac-Antiochan liturgy) and with the gift of the Spirit.
The gifts of the faithful are exchanged for Christ’s gift. In the Eucharistic celebration, bread and wine are transformed into Christ, the gift of the Father.
In the adoration of the Magi, we find an attitude of profound respect, adoration, and donation, which prefigures and anticipates the worship in Spirit and truth of the baptized.
3. The Mystery of the Divine-Humanity
As in Christmas, Epiphany, and Baptism, the grace of the call to participation in the divine nature, the recreation according to the image of the Firstborn, is expressed. The Preface of Epiphany, in continuity with that of Christmas, speaks of the assumption of mortal nature and the gift of immortality communicated. Similar expressions are found in the collection of the Baptism of the Lord.
4. From faith to testimony: The missionary Church
The dynamic sense of faith is expressed in the call to give testimony, to announce to all the salvation experienced, as the Magi did upon their return from Bethlehem. The Church entrusts its irradiation of Christ, the Light of the world, to intercessory prayer, making Him also the Light of the nations for the salvation of all peoples on earth, idealized by the Magi in Bethlehem.
Christ’s baptism illuminates, as the beginning of his mission of announcing the Kingdom, the Christian vocation to missionary apostolate. The Epiphany is the feast of the missionary Church.
5. The Presentation of the Lord in the Temple: The conclusion of the Christmas cycle
Forty days after the Epiphany, which then celebrated the Lord’s Nativity, the feast of the Meeting, or Hypapante, took place in Jerusalem. It is the feast of the Presentation of the Lord, celebrated today forty days after December 25th, the Lord’s Nativity.
It is the great feast of Jesus’ entry into the Temple, of his offering as the firstborn, of his ascent to Jerusalem, of his revelation as the Light of the Nations and also as a sign of contradiction. The initial lucernary of the ritual feast enacts the words of the elder Simeon.
Mary has a specific role in this feast as the Mother to whom the sword of sorrow is announced, the Virgin offering.
Ideally, this feast marks the end of the Christmas cycle and is a prophecy of the Passion of the Firstborn, thus closely related to the paschal mystery in its dual expression of sacrifice and glorification of Christ.
A Byzantine text from the feast joins ideally the Incarnation and Passion, the fulfillment of the Scriptures:
“Hail, full of grace, Virgin Mother of God: from thee has born the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, who illuminates those in darkness. Rejoice also thou, righteous elder, taking in thy arms the savior of our souls, who grants resurrection to all.”
The icon of the Presentation of the Lord in the Temple, also found in the Christmas cycle of the Triumphal Arch of Santa Maria Maggiore, depicts this mystery with simplicity and expressiveness, recalling Christmas and projecting it towards Easter.
For the doctrinal framing of Mary’s role in the liturgy and the manifestation of Christ, Chapter VIII of the Lumen Gentium of the Second Vatican Council situates Mary at the center of the mystery of the Incarnation celebrated in the Epiphany.Thus, Christmas is spiritually and theologically connected to the Pasch of the Lord, which is the root and foundation of the entire liturgical year.Deepen your studies: Explore Mariology, Marian Theology, Marian Apparitions, and the Postgraduate Program in Mariology.Academic Marian resources: Deepen your formation in Mariology and Marian Theology with the Locus Mariologicus Institute. The Postgraduate Program in Mariology offers academic excellence.To deepen Mary’s role in the Epiphany liturgy and Marian devotion throughout the liturgical year, consult the Apostolic Exhortation Marialis Cultus by Pope Paul VI.Graduate Studies in Mariology
Do you want to deepen your formation in Mariology? Get to know the Graduate Program in Mariology from Locus Mariologicus – an academic formation that combines theological rigor, spiritual life, and the living tradition of the Church.Serious about studying mariology?
This article arises from the works in the Locus Mariologicus library. The Graduate Program in Mariology takes you to the same sources, with academic guidance: Scripture, the Fathers of the Church, and the Magisterium, from the first dogma to contemporary issues.
Responses