January 2026

The feast of the Epiphany celebrates the visit of the Magi, bearing gifts for the infant Jesus. The traditional date of Epiphany is January 6; many churches observe it this year on Sunday, January 4.

While Epiphany highlights the revelation of the gospel to the Gentiles (in the persons of the Magi), we reflect on other ways God's grace becomes manifest.

We might be surprised to realize that Christmas is larger than a starry, starry night when Jesus was born in Bethlehem. Our liturgical documents of the Christmas season richly illuminate the amazing full story, the three-fold phases of Christ's coming—The History, the Mystery, and the Majesty.

The History: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God." (John 1:1) In time, the Word was incarnated in a maiden called Mary. The manger scene and the star which led the Magi to the newborn Child Jesus are first earthly signs of the history of Jesus' first coming. This history continues throughout the life of Jesus' in his teachings and his miracles, revealing to his followers a history of divine power.

The Mystery: The Incarnation is a central mystery of our faith along with the Trinity, three Persons in one God. Our faith assures us that Christ comes to us in the every day, present in our minds and hearts. He comes to us in the Eucharist, in prayers, in retreats and preaching, in the awe of a rainbow or manifestation in nature. We can read the witnesses of saints, great saints like Therese of Lisieux, or Ignatius of Loyola, or Mother Teresa. 

The Majesty: And yet another coming – Christ himself prophesied His return, describing it as a glorious event to be witnessed by all people. We wait in assured hope for these prophecies of his final return when he is revealed as the ultimate Judge and King, bringing justice and peace to the world. (Matt 24:30)

Personally, I wait for the fulfillment of the prophecies that God will wipe away each tear from our eyes, and there will be no more death and sorrow, no more crying and pain; that instead, there will be everlasting peace and joy. God will make all things new. (Rev 21:4-5) His majesty will be manifest in the eternal bliss of his everlasting love.

Christmas trees, bells, candles, and wreaths. We saw symbols of Christmas appearing this Advent, once again a season of expectation; an expectation of celebrating once more the birth of Jesus, the incarnate Word. But oh, there is so much more.

The Christmas season extends to the Baptism of Jesus. Between those two events is the feast of Epiphany. In search of the newborn king of the Jews, the Magi followed a star until it came and stopped over the place where the child was. The Magi travelled from the east to do him homage. (Matt 2:1-12)

"Epiphany" is from a Greek word meaning “revelation from above". This feast represents the fulfillment of the history, the mystery, and the symbolic majesty of the Incarnation to the whole world. Epiphany, the "revelation." is the assurance of the abiding presence of Emmanuel, God with us. Let us not reduce the Christmas season to December 25, but live in the abiding presence of the revelation from above, however it might come to us – today, next year, and every day of our lives.

--Jan

The Magi arrived in Bethlehem bearing gifts. But how did they return?

In his classic poem, Journey of the Magi, T. S. Eliot imagines one of the wise ones musing:

We returned to our places, these Kingdoms,

But no longer at ease here, in the old dispensation,

With an alien people clutching their gods.

We begin the new year having experienced the wonders of Christmas, the miracle of the incarnation, of God-with-us! As we begin this new year, I wonder: To what am I still clutching that I need to let go?

Years ago, I heard a preacher encouraging us to pray with open hands. “If we pray with our fists clenched,” she said, “holding tightly to what we already have, how can we possibly receive God’s gifts?”

More recently, during this past Advent, a Catholic priest shared these words from Dag Hammarskjöld:*

Each day the first day: each day a life.

Each morning, I must hold out

the chalice of my being

to receive,

to carry,

to give back.

It must be held out empty.

I am struck by the image: my life as a chalice, each day made empty and, therefore, made ready to receive the sacred.

Christmas is a time for receiving gifts. May this Epiphany be a time for letting go.

--Bill

*I present this quote as it was presented to us; I have found slightly different wording online.

Photo by Marcel Eberle on Unsplash

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