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Show THE EPIPHANY. 4 j On. next Saturday, Jan. 6, Holy Mother church celebrates the feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord. . The word Epiphany means "manifestation," "manifes-tation," and' it has passed into general acceptance throughout the universal church, from the fact that Jesus Christ manifested to the eyes of men His divine di-vine mission on this day first of all, when a miraculous star revealed His birth to the kings of the east, who, in spite of the difficulties and dangers of a long and tedious journey through deserts des-erts and mountains, almost impassable, hastened at once to Bethlehem to adore i Him and to offer Him mystical presents, pres-ents, as to the King of Kings, to the God of Heaven and earth, and to a Man withal feeble and mortal. The second manifestation was .when, going out from the waters of Jordan, after having received Baptism from the hands of St. John, the Holy Ghost descended de-scended on Him in the visible form of a dove, and a voice from Heaven was heard, saying, "This is My Beloved Son. in whom I am wall pleased." The third manifestation was that of His divine power, when at the marriage feast of Canan He changed the water into wine, at the sight whereof His disciples believed be-lieved in Him. The remembrance of these three great events, concurring to the same end, the church has wished to celebrate in one and the same festival. |