01

06 - Harry Covert ('57) of Northern VA
06 - Steve Veazey ('60) of VA - 1942
06 - Diane Sandler Marcus ('69) of MD - 1952
07 - Jimmy Shires ('57) of VA
07 - Bruce Smith Slama ('57)
07 - Page Smith Morahan ('57)
08 - Mrs. Wilma Salmon Robinson of VA - 1934
08 - Joan Burcher Green ('57)
08 - Sonja Settles Allen ('57)
08 - Patricia Branch Coltrane ('57)

Epiphany a gift that is wrapped in varying meanings

In the Western branch of Christianity generally, Epiphany commemorates the visit of the three wise men from the East, who, "following yonder star," as a hymn says, traversed afar to see baby Jesus and to show their adoration with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.

In some Spanish-speaking countries, Jan. 6 is known as El Dia de los Reyes, or the Day of the Kings.

But in the Eastern Church — composed of about 300 million Orthodox Christians worldwide — Epiphany takes on a more complex theological meaning. The focal point is the baptism of Jesus in the Jordan River and the appearance of the Holy Spirit.

"Epiphany means the manifestation of the Trinity," said the Very Rev. Father Michel Najim, dean of St. Nicholas Antiochian Orthodox Christian Cathedral in Los Angeles. Indeed, like many Orthodox, Najim prefers to refer to Epiphany, which means "revelation," as Theophany, which translates as "manifestation of God."

He emphasized that at Jesus' baptism, the three persons in the Christian conception of God — Father, Son and Holy Spirit —were revealed. The Bible says that when Jesus came up from the water after being baptized by John the Baptist, the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit descended like a dove and alighted on Jesus. When this happened, a voice said, "This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased."

Another view of Epiphany is found among Armenian Orthodox Christians. Jan. 6 is the occasion celebrating Jesus' birth, his baptism and the adoration of the Christ child by the Magi.

Thus, they alone continue an ancient tradition of marking all three events Jan. 6 — also known as the "Armenian Christmas."

Today, in a display of ecumenism, a Roman Catholic priest will deliver a homily at the 11 a.m. service at the Armenian Church Western Diocese of North America in Burbank.

"It shows that ecumenical relations are alive and well in Los Angeles," said the Rt. Rev. Alexei Smith, head of interreligious and ecumenical affairs for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles.

"I am sure Christ is pleased. He prayed at the Last Supper that all his followers might be one," Smith said.

The celebration of the Armenian Christmas by the Julian calendar — as opposed to the standard Western, or Gregorian, calendar — represents more than 16 centuries of a difference between the Armenian Church and most other churches over when to observe the birth of Jesus.

And for some Orthodox churches, including the Russian Orthodox, Christmas is celebrated Jan. 7.

Father John Bakas, dean of St. Sophia Cathedral, a Greek Orthodox church in Los Angeles, says the difference in the dates is not an issue.

"The most important thing is the reason for the day," he said. "The reason is Christ in our midst — revelation of Jesus Christ as our Savior. That's the key."

One view of how Jan. 6 came to be Epiphany comes from Father John Roll, priest in charge of Assumption Greek Orthodox Church in Long Beach.

The celebration of Epiphany can be traced to Gnosticism, an ancient religious movement that stressed salvation by knowledge, he said in an e-mail response to a query.

"The 6th of January was designated as the feast day of Epiphany, because on that day was the birthday of Aeon, the patron god of Alexandria," according to Roll.

"The Gnostics had designated Christ as one of the Aeons in their elaborate [religious] system. In opposition to these heretics, it appears that the Orthodox Church acted to protect its followers from this falsification by defining the Theophany of the Holy Trinity, that is, the appearance of God during the baptism of Christ," Roll said.

Appropriately for a day that centers on baptism, water plays a key role in some ceremonies observed by Orthodox churches.

"Our tradition is that starting with Epiphany, the priests go to each parishioner's house and bless their home with the sanctified water consecrated during Epiphany," said Charles Ajalat, a member of St. Nicholas Cathedral. "We also bless many material things, such as a new car, with holy water, because Christ has redeemed the entire material world."

During their annual home visitation, a clergyman "reconsecrates" all the rooms in the house with an ornate gold-plated sprinkler.

"People enjoy it, because every year they have a chance to have their homes and themselves to be blessed," said Najim, a Lebanese-born theologian who has served at St. Nicholas for two decades.

The blessing of homes begins this afternoon, but because his congregation is large — 1,500 families scattered across the region — the visitation process will continue throughout the year, he said.

Parishioners who live too far away to make a priestly visit practical will take home a small bottle of holy water so they can sprinkle their homes themselves, he said.

Najim, an expert in Aramaic, the language Jesus spoke, said the blessing of the home is a practice Christ himself instituted when he visited the home of tax collector Zacchaeus, a short man who climbed up a sycamore tree to get a glimpse of Jesus when Christ was passing through Jericho.

Orthodox hymns of the feast include one that says, in part:

"Lord, when you were baptized in the Jordan, the worship of the Trinity was made manifest. For the voice of the Father gave witness to you, calling you beloved; and the Spirit, in the form of a dove, confirmed the certainty of his words. Glory to you, Christ our God, who appeared and enlightened the world."

Another tradition on Epiphany is tossing a cross into a body of water — river, lake or sea — and retrieving it.

In Long Beach today, Assumption Greek Orthodox Church will continue the tradition.

Hundreds of parishioners will gather at Mother's Beach, where Metropolitan Gerasimos, presiding hierarch of the Metropolis of San Francisco, will throw a cross into the sea.

Teenage volunteers will dive to retrieve the cross and take it to Gerasimos, whose title is roughly equivalent to that of a bishop in the Western church.

"The divers are representatives of humanity and its struggle for salvation," Roll said. "The act of retrieving the cross is illustration that salvation can be attained through the grace of God and man's struggles and desires to be reunited with him. Attaining the cross and giving it back to the hierarch who threw it shows that everything comes from God and is returned to him."

connie.kang@latimes.com

By Earl Vaughan Jr., Staff writer

There was a time when Epiphany, which will be observed in Christian churches this weekend, was a bigger event than Christmas. In fact, history records that it was Epiphany, and not Christmas, that the early church celebrated.

Today, liturgical churches such as the Roman Catholic, Episcopal and Lutheran put more emphasis on Epiphany than other Christian denominations.

“We celebrate it because it’s the end of the 12 days of Christmas,’’ said Pastor Louise Hilbert of Fayetteville’s St. James Lutheran Church. Hilbert said the season of Epiphany stretches from early January until Ash Wednesday and Lent.

The actual day of Epiphany is Saturday. Jan. 6 traditionally marks the date when the Magi, or wise men, visited the newborn Jesus.

The Rev. Louanne Loch of St. John’s Episcopal Church said the visit of the Magi is not the only thing celebrated during the season of Epiphany. Other events include the baptism of Jesus and his first miracle at the wedding in Cana, when he turned water into wine.

At St. Patrick Catholic Church, Father David Brockman said the observance of Epiphany includes a blessing of the home that is connected with the visit of the Magi.

A prayer is read, and the doors to the home are marked with chalk as follows:

The numbers refer to the year. The letters refer to the traditional names of the three Magi, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. In other traditions, Brockman said, it’s an abbreviation of a Latin phrase that is translated “Christ bless the house.”

For Brockman, another important part of Epiphany is the Bible story about the Magi’s visit as recorded in Matthew 2:1-12, especially the final verse.

It instructs them not to return to King Herod, as he had requested, but to travel home by another route.

“I’ve always taken that as symbolic for the fact that once you have come to Christ, your life takes an entirely new direction,’’ he said. “You don’t go back the same way.’’

From Dave Spriggs ('64) of VA - 01/05/07 - "A HOLIDAY OFFER FOR ALL TYPHOONS":

I know that there were many members of the Class of 1964 who were unable to attend the 40th Year Reunion in 2004 and who did not receive a copy of the Old Rustier Anchor (2004). I suspect that there are members of the classes which preceded and followed the Class of 1964, who may be curious about the lives of their friends. For those who may not know, The Old Rustier Anchor is the compilation of photos and remarks by members of the Class of 1964. A version has been published at every reunion (1974, 1984, 1994, 1999, and 2004.)

I am pleased to offer (at no charge) the Microsoft WORD version of the Old Rustier Anchor (2004) to anyone who requests it. This is the Master file from which the printer created the booklets we distributed at the 2004 reunion.

It is a 24 page, 9 MB file (due to images) which I would attach to an e-mail. If anyone is interested, simply send an e-mail to <nnhs64@cox.net>. Please let me know if you are unable to receive large attached files due to spam filters, etc., and I will make other arrangements.

What a wonderful opportunity you've provided for everyone, David!

Thank you so much!

So that no one will miss it, I'll carry this offer in the next several Newsletters, and I've posted it on TYPHOONMART, as well:

From Hunter Todd ('57) of TX - 01/04/07 - "Important News from WorldFest-Houston Film Festival":

Well, actually, as I mentioned to a dear friend yesterday, I'm not doing too well. My mama used to tell me, "When you come to the end of your rope, tie a knot in it and hang on."

That's super! I love to hear of reunions - large and small! Thanks again, Colin!

Colin Faison
Class of 58

   Hi, Brenda!

   I made Tina's Memorial Newsletter earlier:

http://www.nnhs65.00freehost.com/01-02-07-NNHS-Tina-Landes.html

   I saw the brief Merilic announcement this morning, and was afraid it was probably Pat's daddy, but there was not enough information to tell....

   Thanks for telling me. "Happy" New Year (I hate Januarys....)!

		Oh, I love it - "frosting"!!! Actually, I rather miss the snow...... Thanks, Shari!
*Any More Questions?*

Epiphany a gift that is wrapped in varying meanings

By Earl Vaughan Jr., Staff writer