What can we learn from the Magi, and from the stars above us?
On the traditional culmination of the Twelve Days of Christmas, Epiphany, here is my meditation posted at Catholic Exchange: What Stars Can Teach Us.
“The three wise men loved nature. We study what we love. It takes much time to begin to understand what is going on in the night sky. Those three men from the East must have spent years in patient observation. They had learned not only about the movement and positions of heavenly bodies, they also realized that the sky speaks of even deeper, hidden realities…”
Husband, father, and professor of Philosophy. LifeCraft springs from one conviction: there is an ancient wisdom about how to live the good life in our homes, with our families; and it is worth our time to hearken to it. Let’s rediscover it together. Learn more.
I realize this isn’t the point of your post, but I’ve been wanting to ask someone knowledgeable about the “twelve days of Christmas”. Specifically, when do they start and when do they end? It’s true that Epiphany is the twelfth day AFTER Christmas. But is it the twelfth day OF Christmas? That could only be the case if we don’t count Christmas itself as one of the twelve days of Christmas. If we do count Christmas Day as the first day, then the twelfth day is January 5, meaning that Epiphany is not the twelfth day of Christmas.
So it seems that either Christmas Day or Epiphany should not be counted as one of the twelve days of Christmas. Do you know which is correct?
Angellius,
The 12 days of Christmas: from Christmas (25 Dec) to the day before Epiphany (Jan 5).
Jan 6 is Epiphany, a Feast all by itself.
Originally (chg 1955 Pius XII) the Baptism of the Lord was on Epiphany, hard date of Jan 13.
12 years later, Paul VI changed it to the first Sunday after Jan 6, so that is today when we formally bring to a conclusion the Christmas “Season” (not the 12 days) and have the first Sunday of Ordinary Time.
In the old days, the Christmas “Season” ended on 2 February, what was then called the Feast of the Purification of the Virgin Mary in the Temple. Today, it is now called The Presentation
of the Lord in the Temple. Everyone used to take down their decor on that day.
Of course, in just a few weeks, we will commence the Holy Season of Lent with Ash
Wednesday (10 February). Wild ride.
Hope that helps.
MK:
Exactly what I wanted to know. Thanks much!