Time after Epiphany, Liturgical Note

From the St Andrew Daily Missal.

The Time after Epiphany begins on the day following the Octave day of the feast (Jan. 14) and lasts so far as the Temporal cycle is concerned, until Septuagesima, and in the Sanctoral cycle until the Purification, February 2.

While Christmas and the Epiphany, always falling on December 25th and January 6th respectively, make the Christmas cycle to a large extent fixed in character, the Easter cycle since it is essentially dependent on the Paschal moon is of necessity movable. Further, when Easter which can fall between March 22 and April 25, occurs early, the ninth Sunday preceding it, i.e., Septuagesima, encroaches on the Time after Epiphany which normally including five Sundays, is in this way sometimes reduced to one or two.

Green, the emblem of hope, is the colour for the Time after Epiphany as also for the Time after Pentecost. It is, in fact the ruling colour in Nature. St. Paul says that he that plougheth should plough in hope of gathering the fruits of his labour, and in the same way in this Time after Epiphany, the field of the Church, sown with the doctrine and the mighty works of our Lord, abounds with fresh shoots giving promise of a rich harvest.

An echo of Christmastide, this season has for its characteristic note, a holy joy; that of having in the Person of Christ a God "mighty in work and word." For us also, there is the joy of sharing in His kingdom on earth, while confidently hoping that at His return, He will give us a place for all eternity in His kingdom in heaven.