Laudetur Iesus Christus and blessed feast of the Epiphany. As liturgist Dom Prosper Gueranger notes, this is one of the cardinal feasts of the Church; it retains its own season, and like Easter and Pentecost, it has several Sundays named after it and its own octave. Gueranger also notes there are 3 mysteries of Christ celebrated on this day:
The mystery of the Epiphany brings upon us three magnificent rays of the Sun of Justice, our Saviour. In the calendar of pagan Rome, this Sixth day of January was devoted to the celebration of a triple triumph of Augustus, the founder of the Roman Empire: but when Jesus, our Prince of peace, whose empire knows no limits, had secured victory to his Church by the blood of the Martyrs, then did this his Church decree that a triple triumph of the Immortal King should be substituted, in the Christian Calendar, for those other three triumphs which had been won by the adopted son of Cæsar.
The Sixth of January, therefore, restored the celebration of our Lord’s Birth to the Twenty-Fifth of December; but in return, there were united in the one same Epiphany three manifestations of Jesus’ glory: the mystery of the Magi coming from the East, under the guidance of a star, and adoring the Infant of Bethlehem as the divine King; the mystery of the Baptism of Christ, who, whilst standing in the waters of the Jordan, was proclaimed by the Eternal Father as Son of God; and thirdly, the mystery of the divine power of this same Jesus, when he changed the water into wine at the marriage-feast of Cana.
Epiphany Masses and Blessing Tonight at St. Ann
Below is the schedule for this evening. St. Ann Mass is a High Mass at 6pm, and, the Mass in Greensboro is a 6pm Solemn High Mass (not Low)
- Wednesday January 6 (Epiphany):
- St. Ann, 6pm (High Mass) & afterwards the 45 minute blessing of Epiphany holy water, chalk and salt. Attendees are invited to bring your filled water bottles to be blessed. Please arrive a few minutes before Mass to place your bottles on the blessing table (likely in the Church). We hope to have some snacks
- Our Lady of Grace (Greensboro) 6pm (Solemn High Mass) (no blessing afterwards – that was done Sunday)
As noted in prior years, the blessing of Epiphany water is available only in the traditional rite (in the Latin Church) and is a more powerful form of Holy Water as it contains a prayer of exorcism, and the litany of the saints as part of the blessing. This holy water, blessed only during this time of year, so please take advantage of the blessing – especially as we do not know what 2021 holds, spiritually speaking.
Additionally, Fisheaters has a link to the customs surrounding today’s feast day: https://www.fisheaters.com/customschristmas8.html
Charlotte Latin Mass Community 