Depending on where you are in the world, you might be celebrating either Epiphany or the Baptism of the Lord this Sunday. Though we tend to think of Epiphany as simply commemorating the visit of the wise men and God’s revelation of Himself to the Gentiles, these two feasts are actually quite intimately related and were originally a single celebration. In the earliest days of the Church, before even Christmas existed as its own celebration, Epiphany celebrated the revelation of God’s Son to humanity: in His birth, His revelation to the magi, His baptism, and His miracle at the Wedding at Cana.
Jesus’ entire earthly life revolved around our salvation and the revelation of God to humanity. With different feasts and Sundays commemorating just about every event in Jesus’ life separately, we risk losing sight of the deep unity of the mystery of Jesus Christ. Every event in Jesus’ life is connected to all the others! Let’s take a quick look at how this applies to the mysteries that the Church has celebrated at Epiphany.
Each epiphany of Christ can be related to both our salvation and God’s self-revelation. In the visit of the magi, the God of Israel finally makes Himself known to the Gentiles, foreshadowing the day when all people would be welcomed into God’s Church. The gifts brought by the wise men also reveal Jesus as priest, king, and sacrificial victim, pointing to the mystery of Good Friday and Easter. The gold proclaims that Jesus is and will be king, which will come through His perfect act of worship—His self-offering throughout His life, culminating with the Cross. The frankincense recalls this worship, while the myrrh points to His death and burial.
In Jesus’ baptism, the Fathers of the Church held that Jesus, who did not need baptism, sanctified the water so that through the Holy Spirit it would have the power to save us. Baptism is also a symbolic burial, especially in Jesus’ day, when baptism always meant being fully immersed in the water. Jesus’ baptism points forward to His death. His participation in the baptism of John alongside sinners points towards the death that Jesus’ shared with sinners and for them. The Holy Spirit descends at Jesus’ baptism and a voice proclaims that He is God’s beloved Son, revealing this humble man as the anointed one of God.
The wedding at Cana reveals Jesus’ divine power and is the moment when “Jesus […] manifested his glory. And his disciples believed in him” (John 2:11). Jesus’ miracle doesn’t just manifest His divine power. It is also connected with His Passion and death. When Mary asks Him to do something about the wine, Jesus at first says, “Woman, my hour has not yet come” (John 2:4). In John’s gospel, Jesus’ “hour” always refers to the time of his Passion. When Jesus performs this miracle, it sets Him on the path that leads to the Cross. It also foreshadows the Eucharist. Jesus changes water into wine, just like He will one day change wine into His blood. The Eucharist is a way for us to share not just in Jesus’ body and blood, but also His sacrifice.
What is it that draws all these epiphanies together? The fact that not only does is Jesus revealed as God through them, but also that they proclaim the salvation that Jesus was to win for us through the Cross! These are not isolated events. Together they announce God’s presence among us and herald His saving sacrifice, which reconciled us to Him after generations of separation and brought light after centuries of darkness.
Andrew Sheedy – St. Joseph Seminary, Edmonton, Alberta
Fot. Tim Umphreysu/Unsplash.com