Monday, January 03, 2005

Epiphany

I've prayed morning prayer for Epiphany for years in English. It finally took for me to read it in Latin to appreciate the significance of it:


Hodie caelesti sponso iuncta est Ecclesia, quoniam in Iordane lavit Christus eius crimina; currunt cum muneribus magi ad regales nuptias; et ex aqua facta vino laetantur convivae, alleluia.

I've always known that all three events were celebrated as "epiphanies" on this day, but it is the connection with the heavenly nuptials that is striking in this antiphon.

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