This Sunday we remain in the
afterglow of Epiphany, the celebration of the “manifestation” of Jesus’ divine
glory. [Greek epi – phaino = “shine
upon” = “reveal, manifest.”] Epiphany,
which once was its own season (like Advent or Christmas), has often been
associated with three events from the Gospels: the Magi, the Baptism, and the
Wedding at Cana. These are the first
events that reveal or “manifest” Jesus’ glory in the Gospels of Matthew, Mark,
and John, respectively. Certain
well-known Epiphany hymns (e.g. “Songs of Thankfulness and Praise”) make
reference to all three events, and in antiquity the celebration of all three
was clustered around January 6 in many rites.
Eventually, the different rites separated out the liturgical celebration
of the different events and placed them on separate days.
In Year C, the Church quite
consciously offers us the Wedding at Cana for our meditation on the Sunday
immediately following the Baptism. By
happy Providence, this year we are able to ponder the Magi, the Baptism, and
Cana on successive Sundays.
The Readings for this Lord’s
Day highlight Jesus as our spiritual bridegroom.
1. The First Reading is the
same used at the Christmas Vigil, Isaiah 62:1-5: