The Epiphany of Christ and the Communion of Saints
By the Family of Saint Sharbel USA Editorial Team
Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, until the end of the age.”
(Matt. 28:19-20, the Great Commission)
(Matt. 28:19-20, the Great Commission)
Epiphany (January 6th) in the Maronite Church is an interesting feast. In the West, Epiphany is a celebration of the coming of the magi at Christ’s birth, and it is a single day that marks the transition from Christmas into the season of Ordinary Time. In the Maronite Church, however, this same feast is about Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River, and it is the beginning of its own liturgical season; it marks the end of the Season of the Glorious Birth and precedes Great Lent. Though different at face value, both ways of celebrating Christ’s epiphany are just that—ways of celebrating Christ’s manifestation or dawning, theophanies that are not limited to one specific event but, as differing traditions make clear, include many moments that reveal Jesus’ identity, a spiritual reality that Christians—the communion of saints—are united in recognizing and are called to change their lives for.
The word “epiphany” is Greek for “manifestation,” but in Syriac, the term “denho,” meaning “dawning” or “rising of the sun,” is used to name this same feast. Each of these terms reveal what the Church celebrates on January 6th: whether recalling the coming of the magi or Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River, the feast and season of Epiphany are about theophany - God’s manifestations that reveal Jesus’ identity as His only begotten Son. Yet the Maronite season of Epiphany does not end with this important revelation, as the Christian life does not end only with seeing that God is God. Rather, Epiphany concludes with three weeks devoted to remembering deceased Christians: the Sunday of the Deceased Priests, the Sunday of the Righteous and the Just, and the Sunday of the Faithful Departed. What makes these celebrations relevant to this part of the Maronite liturgical year?
Once we recognize Jesus as Lord, we can accept and follow Him; deceased priests, the righteous and the just, and the faithful departed are among those who have done this throughout their lives, bringing the practical purpose of Christ’s epiphany—theosis, or for humanity to follow and become like God--to light. God chose to reveal himself for a reason, and that reason was to invite us to follow Him and to let Him change us for the better. Maronite Epiphany celebrations focus on the specific theophany that occurred at Christ’s baptism, which creates a second connection to deceased Christians and the purpose of God’s self-revelations: all people, whether living or deceased, who share in Jesus’ baptism share in his sonship and receive the grace to become like him. For this reason, all the baptized are part of the body of Christ, also called the communion of saints, but joining Christ in baptism and a new way of life is a fruit of knowing, even to a very limited degree, who He is, which clarifies the invaluable importance of God’s theophanies. Thus, during Epiphany, it is especially helpful to remember the baptized who kept their faith until death because their witness points to Epiphany’s real purpose: calling us to the theosis of sainthood—meaning unity with God in Heaven, the fullness of God's manifestation—and to praying with the hope of Heaven for all people, including the faithful departed.
What does this mean today?
In our own lives, it is often the day-to-day witness of the baptized (the communion of saints)—both living and deceased, canonized and uncanonized—who accepted Christ’s epiphany that bring about our understanding of who Jesus is and make him accessible to us. Today, priests and other Christians baptize us into Christ's baptism, and holy witnesses like St. John the Baptist, St. Sharbel, and all the other baptized who recognize Christ and follow him, in turn, become Jesus’ forerunner to others. Whether through prayer, acts of wholehearted service, or a kind gesture, faithful Christians are, in most cases, other people’s first glimpse of God on earth, and they are the channels through which we receive both knowledge about Jesus and the sacraments that deepen our connection to him. God now works through other people to bring every new generation to experience, in their own way, His epiphany, and this is both the beauty and the wisdom of His loving plan; it is His call to let Him transform us and, in so doing, to let those around us be transformed with us, letting God’s presence shine through us even until the end of time.
Some Questions to Consider:
The word “epiphany” is Greek for “manifestation,” but in Syriac, the term “denho,” meaning “dawning” or “rising of the sun,” is used to name this same feast. Each of these terms reveal what the Church celebrates on January 6th: whether recalling the coming of the magi or Christ’s baptism in the Jordan River, the feast and season of Epiphany are about theophany - God’s manifestations that reveal Jesus’ identity as His only begotten Son. Yet the Maronite season of Epiphany does not end with this important revelation, as the Christian life does not end only with seeing that God is God. Rather, Epiphany concludes with three weeks devoted to remembering deceased Christians: the Sunday of the Deceased Priests, the Sunday of the Righteous and the Just, and the Sunday of the Faithful Departed. What makes these celebrations relevant to this part of the Maronite liturgical year?
Once we recognize Jesus as Lord, we can accept and follow Him; deceased priests, the righteous and the just, and the faithful departed are among those who have done this throughout their lives, bringing the practical purpose of Christ’s epiphany—theosis, or for humanity to follow and become like God--to light. God chose to reveal himself for a reason, and that reason was to invite us to follow Him and to let Him change us for the better. Maronite Epiphany celebrations focus on the specific theophany that occurred at Christ’s baptism, which creates a second connection to deceased Christians and the purpose of God’s self-revelations: all people, whether living or deceased, who share in Jesus’ baptism share in his sonship and receive the grace to become like him. For this reason, all the baptized are part of the body of Christ, also called the communion of saints, but joining Christ in baptism and a new way of life is a fruit of knowing, even to a very limited degree, who He is, which clarifies the invaluable importance of God’s theophanies. Thus, during Epiphany, it is especially helpful to remember the baptized who kept their faith until death because their witness points to Epiphany’s real purpose: calling us to the theosis of sainthood—meaning unity with God in Heaven, the fullness of God's manifestation—and to praying with the hope of Heaven for all people, including the faithful departed.
What does this mean today?
In our own lives, it is often the day-to-day witness of the baptized (the communion of saints)—both living and deceased, canonized and uncanonized—who accepted Christ’s epiphany that bring about our understanding of who Jesus is and make him accessible to us. Today, priests and other Christians baptize us into Christ's baptism, and holy witnesses like St. John the Baptist, St. Sharbel, and all the other baptized who recognize Christ and follow him, in turn, become Jesus’ forerunner to others. Whether through prayer, acts of wholehearted service, or a kind gesture, faithful Christians are, in most cases, other people’s first glimpse of God on earth, and they are the channels through which we receive both knowledge about Jesus and the sacraments that deepen our connection to him. God now works through other people to bring every new generation to experience, in their own way, His epiphany, and this is both the beauty and the wisdom of His loving plan; it is His call to let Him transform us and, in so doing, to let those around us be transformed with us, letting God’s presence shine through us even until the end of time.
Some Questions to Consider:
- Who has been a “forerunner” of Christ in your life? What about them or their actions moved your faith in God to change? What part of their example could you adopt?
