This Sunday we celebrate the completion of the twelve days of Christmas with the Epiphany, the revelation that the child born in the stable is in fact the Son of God. Whereas on Christmas Day we saw the shepherds come to visit him, now the child is visited by the magi from the east bearing their symbolic gifts. Look in the Christmas crib at the back of the church – the kings have arrived.

One of the ancient traditions for this day was to announce to the people the important liturgical dates for the coming year. The Proclamation of the Date of Easter on Epiphany comes from a time when calendars were not readily available. It was necessary to make known the date of Easter in advance, since many celebrations of the liturgical year depend on its date. The number of Sundays that follow Epiphany, the date of Ash Wednesday, and the number of Sundays that follow Pentecost are all computed in relation to Easter. Although calendars now give the date of Easter and the other feasts in the liturgical year in advance, the Epiphany proclamation still has value. It is a reminder of the centrality of the resurrection of the Lord in the liturgical year and the importance of the great mysteries of faith which are celebrated each year. Here are the words of the Proclamation for this year.

Dear brothers and sisters, the glory of the Lord has shone upon us,
and shall ever be manifest among us, until the day of his return.

Through the rhythms of times and seasons
let us celebrate the mysteries of salvation.

Let us recall the year’s culmination, the Easter Triduum of the Lord:
his last supper, his crucifixion, his burial, and his rising
celebrated between the evening of the first of April (Holy Thursday)
and the evening of the fourth of April (Easter Sunday).

Each Easter – as on each Sunday -
the Holy Church makes present the great and saving deed
by which Christ has for ever conquered sin and death.
From Easter are reckoned all the days we keep holy.

Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent,
will occur on the seventeenth of February.

The Ascension of the Lord will be commemorated on
the sixteenth of May.

Pentecost, the joyful conclusion of the season of Easter,
will be celebrated on the twenty-third of May.

Likewise the pilgrim Church proclaims the Passover of Christ
in the feasts of the holy Mother of God,
in the feasts of the Apostles and Saints,
and in the commemoration of the faithful departed.

To Jesus Christ, who was, who is, and who is to come,
Lord of time and history, be endless praise, for ever and ever.

R. Amen.

“Mark you calendars” – especially if they are secular calendars which omit religious dates. Try to be at Saint Charles for these days so that we can celebrate the great mysteries of our faith together.