Continue through Christmastide with the Epiphany, the manifestation of Christ to the nations, and the final mysteries of the Christmas season.

Volume 3 of Dom Prosper Guéranger’s monumental The Liturgical Year is Christmas, Book II, continuing the Church’s celebration of the Incarnation beyond Christmas Day and into the great feasts that reveal more fully who the Christ Child is.

At the heart of this volume is the Epiphany of Our Lord—the manifestation of Christ to the Gentiles and one of the most ancient and profound feasts of the Christian year. Dom Guéranger explores the rich theology of the Epiphany, its liturgical history, and the three great manifestations traditionally associated with the feast: the adoration of the Magi, the Baptism of Christ in the Jordan, and Our Lord’s first miracle at the wedding feast of Cana.

Rather than treating these mysteries as isolated events, Dom Guéranger shows how the Church weaves them together into a single proclamation: Jesus Christ is the promised Messiah, the Son of God, and the Savior revealed to the whole world.

Readers will encounter:

• The history and mystery of the Epiphany
• The visit and adoration of the Magi
• Christ’s manifestation to the Gentile nations
• The Baptism of Our Lord
• The wedding feast at Cana
• The liturgy and prayers of the Epiphany and its Octave
• The saints and feasts of the latter Christmas season
• The continuing spiritual meaning of Christmastide
• The Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary and the Presentation of Our Lord in the Temple

The volume culminates in the Purification of the Blessed Virgin Mary, when Mary and Joseph bring the Infant Jesus to the Temple and the aged Simeon recognizes Him as the promised salvation and “a light to the revelation of the Gentiles.” This feast brings the long Christmas cycle toward its conclusion while looking forward to the saving mission Christ has come to accomplish.

Throughout the book, Dom Guéranger combines Scripture, Catholic doctrine, Church history, ancient liturgical texts, hymns, prayers, and the lives of the saints to help the reader enter into the Church’s worship from within.

The Liturgical Year is more than a commentary on feast days. It is a guide to living according to the rhythm of the Church, allowing her liturgy to shape one’s prayer, understanding of the Faith, and spiritual life throughout the year.

Volume 3: Christmas II is an ideal companion for Catholics who want to rediscover the often-overlooked riches of Epiphany and experience the full breadth of the traditional Christmas season.

By: Dom Prosper Guéranger, O.S.B.
Translated by: Dom Laurence Shepherd, O.S.B.
Series: The Liturgical Year, Volume 3 of 15
Season: Christmas — Book II