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 Christmas 2021 The Three Magi (Scott 1783) The Feast of the Epiphany is celebrated in the Catholic Church on the first Sunday of the New Year following January 1. For 2025, the Feast falls on January 5. The Feast of the Epiphany primarily commemorates the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child and represents the physical manifestation of Jesus Christ to humankind. The feast is sometimes called Three Kings' Day or Little Christmas. For some, it represents the end of the “twelve days of Christmas”. In Eastern Christian tradition, “Epiphany” is also referred to as "Theophany", which encompasses three events in which Christ becomes manifest to the world: the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the wedding at Cana. The traditional date for the Feast of the Epiphany is January 6, but since 1970, as mentioned above, the celebration has been held on the Sunday after January 1. The Feast of the Baptism of Jesus Christ is now celebrated as a separate feast on the second Sunday following January 1. The arrival of the Magi is described in Matthew 2:1-3, 7-12: ”After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem and asked, ‘Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.’ When King Herod heard this, he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him…Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem and said, ‘Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.’ After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw the star, they were overjoyed. On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.The Magi and their adoration of the Christ Child have been depicted on many stamps issued by Vatican City for Christmas. Here is a sampling of some of the stamps for today’s Feast: 
 
 Christmas Stamps Depicting The Adoration of the Magi: Top: Scott 268 (1959), Scott 824 (1988), Scott 914 (1992), Scott 1203 (2001) Bottom: Scott 1088 (1998), Scott 1344 (2006), Scott 1399 (2008), Scott 1550 (2013) REFERENCES: |
