Oh, Dearest Mother, Sweetest Virgin of Altagracia, our Patroness. You are our Advocate and to you we recommend our needs. You are our Teacher and like disciples we come to learn from the example of your holy life. You are our Mother, and like children, we come to offer you all of the love of our hearts. Receive, dearest Mother, our offerings and listen attentively to our supplications. Amen.



Active Topics || Favorites || Member List || Search || About Us || Help || Register || Login
Domestic Church
 4Real Forums : Domestic Church
Subject Topic: Holy Innocents and Ephiphany Post ReplyPost New Topic
Author
Message << Prev Topic | Next Topic >>
Waverley
Forum Pro
Forum Pro


Joined: Nov 12 2006
Location: Minnesota
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 476
Posted: Dec 30 2006 at 9:08pm | IP Logged Quote Waverley
This is probably a silly question but ---

Why is the Feast Day of the Holy Innocents recognized BEFORE Ephiphay? I'm trying the explain the sequence of events to my children and I can't explain why we recognize the Holy Innocents before Ephiphany when chronologically the slaughter of the Innocents happened AFTER the Magi visited Bethlehem.

Any enlightenment would be greatly appreciated.

Waverley
Back to Top View Waverley's Profile Search for other posts by Waverley
 
JennGM
Forum Moderator
Forum Moderator
Avatar

Joined: Feb 07 2005
Location: Virginia
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 17702
Posted: Dec 31 2006 at 2:34pm | IP Logged Quote JennGM
Waverley, It's not a silly question at all.

The Church's current liturgical calendar took centuries to evolve, and in some ways still changes somewhat, and within the Eastern and Western rites there are marked differences in the calendar.

Christmas was one of the later feasts to be added to the calendar. The first three centuries there were no feasts except for Sundays celebrating the paschal mystery, and what we now term as Easter.

Not everything is chronological. When the Christmas Octave evolved, the feasts following Christ's birth were added. Here's a great explanation on why from The Liturgical Year by Adolf Adam:

Even the oldest liturgical calendars already havea series of saints' feasts directly following on Christmas. The Middle Ages saw these saints as a crotege of honor accompanying the Christ-child, and gave them the name Comites Christi ("Companions of Christ"). In the Roman liturgy these companions are Stephen the first martyr on December 26, John the Apostle and Evangelist on December 27, and the children whom Herod slew in Bethlehem on December 28 (cf. Mt 2.13-18). These three were regarded as representing the three possible forms of martyrdom: voluntary and executed (Stephen), voluntary but not executed (John), and executed but not voluntary (Holy Innocents).


Another point is both Christmas and Epiphany got fixed on the dates December 25 and January 6th because of former Pagan feasts. In the Western Church, Christmas marking the winter solstice and the feast of the "Unconquered Sun God". In the East January 5-6 Alexandrians celebrated the birthday of the god Aion (god of time and eternity). So in the West, Christ's birthday was Dec. 25, and in the East, January 6 was the Baptism of our Lord.

Over time the West adopted Epiphany, January 6 as the Wise Men and Epiphany, and the East adopted Dec. 25 as the birth of Christ AND the visit of the Magi. It was until after the 4th century that it became closer to current view.

Clear as mud? There's no simple answer except that the calendar wasn't planned to be in chronological order but for other reasons.



__________________
Jennifer G. Miller
Wife to & ds1 '03 & ds2 '07
Family in Feast and Feria
Back to Top View JennGM's Profile Search for other posts by JennGM Visit JennGM's Homepage
 
Waverley
Forum Pro
Forum Pro


Joined: Nov 12 2006
Location: Minnesota
Online Status: Offline
Posts: 476
Posted: Jan 01 2007 at 4:48pm | IP Logged Quote Waverley
Wow, thank you so much for your thoughtful and thorough answer!! I appreciate you giving it so much thought. I think I will use the discussion about Christ companions when explaining it to the children. I think they will understand the idea of friends or companions.

Waverley
Back to Top View Waverley's Profile Search for other posts by Waverley
 

If you wish to post a reply to this topic you must first login
If you are not already registered you must first register

  [Add this topic to My Favorites] Post ReplyPost New Topic
Printable version Printable version

Forum Jump
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot create polls in this forum
You cannot vote in polls in this forum

Hosting and Support provided by theNetSmith.com