Wow, it's been awhile since I posted. The holidays have been great. I hope everyone had a Happy New Year, and more importantly, I hope everyone will have a good rest of the year.
Baptism of Our Lord
Tomorrow, January 6, is the Great Feast of the Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ, at least it is in the Eastern Catholic Church. In the Western Catholic Church in the United States, January 6 used to be the Epiphany, but the US Bishops moved it to the Sunday that falls between January 2 and January 8. So this year, it fell on January 2.
The Eastern and Western Churches have slightly different emphases for this feast day, which celebrates the revelation of Jesus' divine nature to the Gentiles. The Eastern Catholic Church primarily focuses on the Baptism of Jesus in the Jordan. There is a Blessing of the Water service done after Divine Liturgy. The newly consecrated water is used to bless the congregation and the interior of the church/sanctuary. It is also put aside to bless
the homes of the members of the church. Arrival of the Three Magi
The Western Catholic Church, on the other hand, primarily focuses on the arrival of the three Magi, Balthasar, Melchior and Caspar, who bring gifts to the newborn Jesus.
Praise God for the richness of our Catholic Church!
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images - http://www.frontporchrepublic.com/2010/01/holy-theophany/
http://www.crivoice.org/cyepiph.html
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