Epiphania Domini, a.k.a., Twelfth Night, Little Christmas, and/or Women's Christmas

 

Why, impious Herod, vainly fear

That Christ the Saviour cometh here?

He takes not earthly realms away,

Who gives the crown that lasts for aye.

To greet His birth the Magi went,

Led by the star before them sent:

Call'd on by light, to Light they press'd,

And by their gifts their God confess'd.

In holy Jordan's purest wave,

The heav'nly Lamb vouchsaf'd to lave;

That He, to whom was sin unknown,

Might cleanse His people from their own.

New miracle of power divine!

The water reddens into wine:

He spake the word, and pour'd the wave

In other streams than nature gave.

All glory, Lord, to Thee we pay,

For Thine Epiphany today;

All glory, as is ever meet,

To Father and to Paraclete. Amen.

I love the old Evensong/Vespers hymn for Epiphany:  Why impious Herod, vainly fear that Christ the Saviour cometh here?  Lovely.   And before you ask, yes, I have failed to post anything for all the  Christmastide feasts until now the almost very end.   Health, don't you know.  Or more accurately, lack of same.   I move a lot slower these days and Mary depends on me more.  And so with one thing and another, there don't seem to be as many hours in the day as once there were.

What's that?  I forgot bone-laziness?  Well, that's pretty rude of you.  But I suppose, in all honesty, there's still a touch of that in play.  Fallen human nature abides . . . .