2nd Day in the Octave of Epiphany

 

Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh represent Our Lord's Kingship, Divinity and Humanity

We can also offer Him our gifts of Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh: 

Gold---Alms given to the Poor 

Frankincense --- Special Prayers or Devotions to Him 

Myrrh---Acts of Penance to die to self

Epiphany of Our Lord

 

Today is the great feast of the Epiphany!  This feast is the 3rd greatest in the Liturgical Year coming after Easter and Pentecost! 

The Epiphany celebrates the Manifestation of Our Lord's Divinity first to the wise men (Gentiles), then at the Baptism of Our Lord and finally at the Wedding Feast at Cana where Our Lord worked His first miracle at Our Lady's request.  

Privileged Octaves of the 2nd Class do not give way to any other feast than those of the 1st Class.  The Mass everyday in the Octave is of Epiphany itself, except the Sunday within the Octave (Holy Family).  On the Octave Day which celebrates the Baptism of Our Lord, it is the Mass of Epiphany, except the Collect, Gospel, Secret and Postcommunion are different.  The 2nd Sunday after Epiphany celebrates the 3rd Manifestation of the Wedding Feast at Cana.

Ways to celebrate this feast:

Read The Liturgical Year, Vol.3 by Dom Gueranger every day during the Octave

Attend the Blessing of Chalk, Frankincense and Gold at church and bring some home

Have the three Wise Men arrive at your creche after travelling all 12 days of Christmas

Save a Christmas gift for your children and give it to them on Epiphany or have a family gift

Have an Epiphany party with a King Cake

Make star cookies or a star craft

Have a procession to the manger in your home bringing your gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh

Invite a priest over to give your home the Epiphany Blessing

If a priest cannot come, then the father of the home should chalk the letters over the doorway

Use Epiphany Water to bless yourself and your home often

Crown a statue of the Infant Jesus

Change out the white Christmas candles on your Advent wreath for gold candles.

Meditate on the 3 Manifestations of the Divinity of Our Lord and read their Gospel accounts

Leave up your Christmas decorations at least through the Octave of Epiphany or until Candlemas

                               Praise be to our Infant King!                                                                                   

12th Day of Christmas - Vigil of Epiphany

The feast of the Epiphany is more ancient than the feast of Christmas and it also is of a higher rank.  Epiphany has a Privileged Octave of the 2nd Class, while Christmas has a Privileged Octave of the 3rd Class.  Like all great feasts, it has a Vigil to prepare for the feast.  

"This Vigil is not like that of Christmas, a day of penance.  The Child whose coming we were then awaiting, in the fervour of our humble desires, is now among us, preparing to bestow fresh favours upon us.  This eve of to-morrow's Solemnity is a day of joy, like those that have preceded it/and therefore we do not fast, nor does the Church put on the vestments of mourning.  . . . the colour used is White.  This is the Twelfth day since the Birth of our Emmanuel." 

The Liturgical Year, Volume 2 by Dom Gueranger

Today is also the traditional Solemn Blessing of Epiphany Water.  Attend this Blessing at church and bring home some water to use throughout the year.

O Lord, show us Thy Face and we shall be saved!

 

11th Day of Christmas - Octave Day of the Holy Innocents

Today is the Octave of the Holy Innocents.  Since it falls on Sunday this year, the feast of the Most Holy Name of Jesus supersedes it.  However the Holy Innocents would still be commemorated. 

"The Holy Church, which on the Feast is vested in the colour of mourning, and this out of condolence with Rachel's grief, now on the Octave Day clothes herself in the red of her Martyrs, in order to honour these Babes who shed their Blood for Jesus.  Notwithstanding, she is full of tender compassion for those poor Mothers, who suffered such agonies of grief at the sight of the murder of their little ones; she continually allude to them in to-day's Liturgy,"  

The Liturgical Year, Volume 2 by Dom Gueranger

Holy Innocents, pray for us! 

 

10th Day of Christmas - Octave Day of St. John

 While St. John was a martyr by desire though not in deed, he was also a virgin and the Beloved Apostle of Our Lord.  He laid his head on Our Lord's breast at the Last Supper.  It was to this virginal Apostle to whom Our Lord entrusted His Blessed Mother while He was dying on the cross.  St. John wrote his Gospel, three Letters and the Book of the Apocalypse. 

"Nearest to Jesus' Crib, after Stephen, stand John, the Apostle and Evangelist. . . .But next to the sacrifice of Blood, the noblest, the bravest sacrifice, and that which most wins the heart of him who is the Spouse of souls, is the sacrifice of Virginity.  Now just as St. Stephen is looked upon as the type of Martyrs, St. John is honoured as the Prince of Virgins.  Martyrdom won for Stephen the Crown and palm; Virginity merited for john most singular prerogatives, which, while they show how dear to God is holy Chastity, put this Disciple among those who by their dignity and influence are above the rest of men." 

The Liturgical Year, Volume 2 by Dom Gueranger

St. John the Apostle, pray for us! 

9th Day of Christmas - Octave Day of St. Stephen

The feast of St. Stephen dates back to the greatest antiquity.  It is already mentioned at the end of the 3rd century, but was well established by then.  His Octave, though not as old, is already referenced in the 9th century!  

"But how comes it that the Feast of a mere Deacon has been thus honored, whilst almost all those of the Apostles have no Octave?  The rule followed by the Church in her Liturgy is to give more or less solemnity to the Feast of the Saints, according to the importance of the services they rendered to mankind. . . . St. Stephen led the way to Martyrdom; his example inaugurated that sublime witnessing by shedding one's own blood, which is the very strength of the Church, ratifies the truths she teaches to the world, and confirms the hopes of eternal reward promised by those truths.  Glory, then, and honour to the Prince of Martyrs!" 

The Liturgical Year, Volume 2 by Dom Gueranger

St. Stephen, pray for us!

 

8th Day of Christmas - Circumcision of Our Lord

Today is the Octave Day of Christmas where we remember the first blood-shedding 

of Our Lord in His Circumcision eight days after His Birth.  

Why would the 1962 Missal down play this shedding of His Precious Blood?  

The feast is renamed as the Octave of Christmas which is a very generic title.

Is there a Truth that they do not want us to focus on???

On the first day of the year, a plenary indulgence is granted to all who are present at a 

public recitation or chanting of the Veni Creator in church with the 

intention of imploring divine assistance for the new year. 

Most Precious Blood of Jesus, save us!