Beyond 12 Days of Christmas: Feasts of the Epiphany and Mary the Mother of God

Last updated on: January 7, 2012 at 2:47 am by Matthew Tan

Beyond 12 Days of Christmas: Feasts of the Epiphany and Mary the Mother of God 2012-01-07T02:47:00+10:00 Matthew Tan

LOGO Patheos Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world.

The combination of a well entrenched secularism and the intensification of consumer culture has led many to forget that the 12 days of Christmas, made famous by the old carol, originally denoted the period in the Christian liturgical calendar between Christmas and the Epiphany, the manifestation of Jesus to the Magi. Many might even forget about the festive cheer of Christmas altogether with the arrival of the New Year and the subsequent collective moan as party-goers return to their workstations.

Yet, the Christian liturgical calendar reminds us that the feasting continues well into January with two important feast days – Mary the Mother of God (1st Jan) and the Epiphany (6th Jan). Why the insistence of feasting? Because in contrast to the wider culture who would have us think that everything returns the same routine after tinsel and mistletoe are down, the Christian liturgical calendar reminds us that things are not the same anymore.

The Incarnation of God, around which these two feasts revolve, draws our attention to the fact that the God who keeps doing “a new thing” as the Scriptures constantly attest, now becomes part of the material structure of the world. Under these conditions, things cannot remain the same. The repetition of old patterns that secular culture institutionalises under a thin veneer of novelty cannot be allowed to persist.

To help better understand the history and significance of these two feasts, the University of Nottingham’s Department of Theology and Religious Studies has provided short interview-format explanations by Dr. Mary Cunningham. These videos are highly enlightening resources and provide some insight not only into how these two feasts link Eastern and Western Christianity, or highlight a growing convergence between Churches with a traditionally strong Marian devotion and those that previously did not. These videos are useful for they also articulate certain differences in emphases that has led to seeming divisions within the Church in relation to some of these feasts, betwen East and West, Catholic and Protestant and also traditional and contemporary.

The first video focuses on the Feast of Mary the Mother of God.

The second focuses on the feast of the Epiphany and the link with the Eastern Feast of the Baptism of Jesus.

Previous Post

January 3, 2012

Sayings of the Saints: Basil of Caesarea

Next Post

January 10, 2012 Pope Benedict XVI and the Future of Capitalism

Browse Our Archives

Select a Category architecture art Augustine Belloc Benedict XVI bible blogs books bourgeois Christianity Campion College Chesterton Christianisation Church and Culture Church Fathers citizen conference conservative consumer culture cybernetics Desert Fathers discipleship distributism drinking ecclesiology economics education environment Evagrius of Pontus formation Foucault George Weigel Girard Graham Ward http://schemas.google.com/blogger/2008/kind#post interfaith Jacques Ellul John Chrysostom Julia Kristeva Latin liturgy mall marriage monasticism Music Narrative news philosophy polis politics pop culture postmodern city postsecular prayer prostestant quote Quotes Radical Orthodoxy resources Rome Rule of St. Benedict saint Saints secular sociology theological anthropology theology transcendance Uncategorized videos William Cavanaugh

Select a Month December 2018 November 2018 October 2018 September 2018 August 2018 July 2018 June 2018 May 2018 April 2018 March 2018 February 2018 January 2018 December 2017 November 2017 October 2017 September 2017 August 2017 July 2017 June 2017 May 2017 April 2017 March 2017 February 2017 January 2017 December 2016 November 2016 October 2016 September 2016 August 2016 July 2016 June 2016 May 2016 April 2016 March 2016 February 2016 January 2016 December 2015 November 2015 October 2015 September 2015 August 2015 July 2015 June 2015 May 2015 April 2015 March 2015 February 2015 January 2015 December 2014 November 2014 October 2014 September 2014 August 2014 July 2014 June 2014 May 2014 April 2014 March 2014 February 2014 January 2014 December 2013 November 2013 October 2013 September 2013 August 2013 July 2013 June 2013 May 2013 April 2013 March 2013 February 2013 January 2013 December 2012 November 2012 October 2012 September 2012 August 2012 July 2012 June 2012 May 2012 April 2012 March 2012 February 2012 January 2012 December 2011 November 2011 October 2011 September 2011 August 2011 July 2011 June 2011 May 2011 April 2011 October 2009 February 2008 December 2007 October 2007 September 2007 August 2007

TAKE THE

Religious Wisdom Quiz

How did God respond to Job’s complaints?

Select your answer to see how you score.

By sending an angel Through a prophet From a whirlwind In a dream