1. the Magi following the miraculous star to find the newborn Christ child,
2. the changing of water into wine at the wedding feast of Cana,
3. and the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan, when a voice from heaven announced, "This is My beloved Son."
"O my Jesus, while I beg You to reveal Yourself to the world, I also beseech You to reveal Yourself more and more to my poor soul. Let Your star shine for me today, and point out to me the road which leads directly to You! May this day be a real Epiphany for me, a new manifestation to my mind and heart of Your great Majesty. He who knows You ore, loves You more, O Lord; and I want to know You solely in order to love You, to give myself to You with ever greater generosity." (Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of ST. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D., no. 41, published 1964, TAN Books)
Last night we traveled an hour to try the regular four o'clock Sunday at Sacred Heart parish, which is a breathtakingly exquisite building (I wish I had photos). Those who dance through a two-calendar liturgical Catholic world like we do will understand the continuing confusion and frustration, even among academics and priests. The priest announced from the pulpit that he had had to make many phone calls about what to do and, even then, had to make a judgment call of his own. When one attends a traditional Latin Mass, one is following the old calendar with its obligations, not the new one. In the old calendar, Epiphany is never transferred from January 6, as frequent transferring of holy days for the convenience of the faithful is a practice in the new calendar. But we were attending a Sunday Latin Mass at four o'clock. Under canon law, Masses at four o'clock or later can anticipate the subsequent day's liturgy. Of course, anticipatory Masses did not exist in the old calendar, only true vigils, which are actually different things and the distinction between the two leads to fascinating reading. So, the priest decided to offer an anticipatory Mass for Epiphany, which would satisfy both our Sunday obligation and our Epiphany obligation (which happened to fall on Monday this year). But there is much passionate debate about whether one Mass can satisfy two days' obligations (this comes up often concerning those trying to attend a Saturday four o'clock Mass in order to satisfy a First Saturday devotion and a Sunday obligation). It leaves our head spinning in frustration, and those of the priests involved as well.
And that is more than most readers probably ever wanted to know about the integration of the old calendar and the new! Can you believe that Chris and I sit around trying to hammer out these details? Why yes, yes, we do.
We hadn't intended to double-dip in Sunday's Mass, but it was nice that I got to attend an Epiphany Mass nonetheless because we changed our plans so I could keep sick and little kids home from the wonderful Mass Chris attended on Epiphany evening: six thirty at night an hour-and-a-half drive away, a traditional Latin Mass being celebrated on such a special feast day in honor of opening a new parish. So special! But also a big outing for tots, so I kept the home fires burning.
Since Chris wouldn't be home for the dinner hour, I held an Epiphany celebration mid-day on this, our last day of Christmas vacation from school. First we spent the morning doing some artwork and catechesis (I have learned that it is so useful to have the children color while I am reading to them).
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| Coloring print-outs of the magi |
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| Two pictures by Mary (5) |
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| We read the Bible stories of the Magi, Jesus' baptism in the Jordan, and the wedding at Cana. |
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| We sang 'We Three Kings.' |
Then after pausing for lunch, we enjoyed gifts and Three Kings' cake in front of the creche, at which the three magi had 'arrived.'
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| Green for Jesus' virtue, purple for his justice, and gold for his power --thanks to Betty Crocker for both the cake mix and the frosting! |
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| Raising their hands enthusiastically to answer catechism questions about the feast of the Epiphany |
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| Opening gifts from the children's godparents and my devoted auntie |
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| Having wanted these books for years, I am thrilled that we finally own a set of 'Angel Food for Girls and Boys'! Daddy began reading the first story and you can see the joy-filled response from the children. |
I had hidden a chocolate candy in the three kings' cake, but none of us found it. We will find it when we finish the cake!
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| Joseph's first cake |
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| When you're two, eating cake is a contact sport. |
I ran out of steam and couldn't manage doing a craft in which we all made kings' crowns. So, our five-year-old helpfully made a 'king's ring' out of a hair band and a butterfly barrette, which she says the person who finds the candy will get to wear.
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| The king's ring |
But then neither John nor Mary could bear the thought of any siblings being left out, so they declared that whoever finds the chocolate and is 'king' will pronounce the other three children 'kings' and 'queens,' and now four rings like the above have been made so everyone can wear one. Now that is a manifestation of some Epiphany sweetness if I've ever seen any!
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| As the temperatures plummet toward 8 degrees Fahrenheit tonight, we had steaming hot cocoa and buttered popcorn for afternoon snack. |
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| It was a really good call that Chris went alone to the evening Epiphany Mass in Spartanburg, SC, because he wasn't home till midnight! It was a beautiful event. |
On the confusion of having two calendars, I like to think of it this way. I follow both, so for me, the Epiphany falls on the 5th (old calendar) and the 6th (new calendar). I simply get to celebrate it twice! Perhaps a fun way to look at it if one struggles following both :)
ReplyDeleteGod Bless you and your family!
We go to a Traditional Parish where everything is the 1962 Missal. But I always am confused when it comes to obligations. Like Ascension Thursday (moved to a Sunday in the N.O.) If I'm traveling and cannot make it to a E.F on Thursday, am I then 'obligated' to attend a N.O. Parish on Sunday to fulfill my obligation?? But really, we just stick to the Old Calendar, the back and forth between the two is two confusing for me. How do you do it??
ReplyDeleteAnna: We're still figuring it out feast day by feast day. So far, we haven't hit any serious walls. We follow the 1962 calendar because our parish has a Sunday TLM. It seems from what we are learning that the obligation of the calendar attaches to the type of Mass. For example, there was a really interesting one lately when a major feast day (Immaculate Conception, I believe) fell on a Sunday. And, amazingly, it is one holy day which, in the Novus Ordo, cannot be double-satisfied by a regular Sunday, so the Novus Ordo calendar actually moved it to Monday, creating back-to-back holy days of obligation. But in the old calendar, that obligation can be satisfied on a Sunday. So, our pastor announced that if one attended the N.O. Mass at our parish, one had to go Sunday and Monday, but if one attended the TLM at our parish, one had to attend only on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteIf we were traveling, as you said, and couldn't find a TLM to match the old calendar obligation day, I think we'd be obliged to attend an N.O. Mass on the new calendar obligation day.