EPIPHANY
WELCOME
AN EPIPHANY RETREAT
I’m delighted you are joining the C21 Center community in prayer this January The dawn of a new year is the perfect time to reflect and retreat from daily life to re-center ourselves in faith
Epiphany is a fitting feast to pause and pray for illumination for God’s light to shine on our callings, challenges, and questions Now is a moment to ask, “What comes next?” My prayer is that this retreat will help you begin a year of peace and prayer as you journey with God
ABOUT THIS RETREAT GUIDE
The Epiphany Retreat guide is designed to accompany you through this virtual retreat from the comfort of your own home You'll find the Scripture passages for each day of the retreat, space for your own notes, and additional reflections Please bring this guide with you when we meet virtually (or when you watch the recordings later)
A word about the Word: the Scripture translation found throughout this ebook is the New Revised Standard Version (NRSV) a widely used translation by many Christian traditions. You likely have a favorite Bible at home, so I encourage you to use that translation as well When we are praying with Scripture, it can be fascinating to see how different words or phrases call to us from the Word, based on the translation we read. Feel free to bring your own Bible to our retreat time as well
E P I P H A N Y
A WORD AND A WONDER
Definitions:
from the Greek “epiphaneia”: to manifest or show forth
a usually sudden manifestation or perception of the essential nature or meaning of something
when you grasp a core truth
an illuminating discovery, realization, or disclosure
when you see something amazing you ’ ve never seen before
a revealing scene or moment in which you suddenly see or understand something in a new or clear way
when you discover there’s no turning back from what you know now
a Christian festival held on January 6 in honor of the coming of the Magi to the infant Jesus Christ
when you remember the revelation of God
S E S S I O N O N E
• E p i p h a n y •
S C R I P T U R E F O R T O D A Y
Matthew 1:18-25 • The Birth of Jesus
N o w t h e b i r t h o f J e s u s t h e M e s s i a h t o o k p l a c e i n t h i s w a y
W h e n h i s m o t h e r M a r y h a d b e e n e n g a g e d t o J o s e p h , b u t b e f o r e t h e y l i v e d
t o g e t h e r , s h e w a s f o u n d t o b e w i t h c h i l d f r o m t h e H o l y S p i r i t . H e r h u s b a n d
J o s e p h , b e i n g a r i g h t e o u s m a n a n d u n w i l l i n g t o e x p o s e h e r t o p u b l i c
d i s g r a c e , p l a n n e d t o d i s m i s s h e r q u i e t l y
B u t j u s t w h e n h e h a d r e s o l v e d t o d o t h i s , a n a n g e l o f t h e L o r d a p p e a r e d t o
h i m i n a d r e a m a n d s a i d , ‘ J o s e p h , s o n o f D a v i d , d o n o t b e a f r a i d t o t a k e
M a r y a s y o u r w i f e , f o r t h e c h i l d c o n c e i v e d i n h e r i s f r o m t h e H o l y S p i r i t S h e
w i l l b e a r a s o n , a n d y o u a r e t o n a m e h i m J e s u s , f o r h e w i l l s a v e h i s p e o p l e
f r o m t h e i r s i n s . ’
A l l t h i s t o o k p l a c e t o f u l f i l w h a t h a d b e e n s p o k e n b y t h e L o r d t h r o u g h t h e
p r o p h e t :
‘ L o o k , t h e v i r g i n s h a l l c o n c e i v e a n d b e a r a s o n ,
a n d t h e y s h a l l n a m e h i m E m m a n u e l ’ ,
w h i c h m e a n s , ‘ G o d i s w i t h u s ’
W h e n J o s e p h a w o k e f r o m s l e e p , h e d i d a s t h e a n g e l o f t h e L o r d
c o m m a n d e d h i m ; h e t o o k h e r a s h i s w i f e , b u t h a d n o m a r i t a l r e l a t i o n s w i t h
h e r u n t i l s h e h a d b o r n e a s o n ; a n d h e n a m e d h i m J e s u s
S
E S S I O N O N E
• y o u r r e f l e c t i o n s •
Q U E S T I O N S T O P O N D E R
N O T E S & T H O U G H T S
T H E B I R T H O F
J E S U S
QUESTIONS TO PONDER
As you pray with this Scripture, choose one of these reflection questions, looking back on the past year:
Now turn to the new year, looking ahead to what may come:
S C R I P T U R E F O R T O D A Y
• E p i p h a n y •
Matthew 2:1-12 • The Visit of the Magi
I n t h e t i m e o f K i n g H e r o d , a f t e r J e s u s w a s b o r n i n B e t h l e h e m o f J u d e a , w i s e
m e n f r o m t h e E a s t c a m e t o J e r u s a l e m , a s k i n g , ‘ W h e r e i s t h e c h i l d w h o h a s
b e e n b o r n k i n g o f t h e J e w s ? F o r w e o b s e r v e d h i s s t a r a t i t s r i s i n g , a n d h a v e
c o m e t o p a y h i m h o m a g e . ’ W h e n K i n g H e r o d h e a r d t h i s , h e w a s f r i g h t e n e d ,
a n d a l l J e r u s a l e m w i t h h i m ; a n d c a l l i n g t o g e t h e r a l l t h e c h i e f p r i e s t s a n d
s c r i b e s o f t h e p e o p l e , h e i n q u i r e d o f t h e m w h e r e t h e M e s s i a h w a s t o b e
b o r n T h e y t o l d h i m , ‘ I n B e t h l e h e m o f J u d e a ; f o r s o i t h a s b e e n w r i t t e n b y
t h e p r o p h e t :
“ A n d y o u , B e t h l e h e m , i n t h e l a n d o f J u d a h ,
a r e b y n o m e a n s l e a s t a m o n g t h e r u l e r s o f J u d a h ;
f o r f r o m y o u s h a l l c o m e a r u l e r
w h o i s t o s h e p h e r d m y p e o p l e I s r a e l . ” ’
T h e n H e r o d s e c r e t l y c a l l e d f o r t h e w i s e m e n a n d l e a r n e d f r o m t h e m t h e
e x a c t t i m e w h e n t h e s t a r h a d a p p e a r e d T h e n h e s e n t t h e m t o B e t h l e h e m ,
s a y i n g , ‘ G o a n d s e a r c h d i l i g e n t l y f o r t h e c h i l d ; a n d w h e n y o u h a v e f o u n d
h i m , b r i n g m e w o r d s o t h a t I m a y a l s o g o a n d p a y h i m h o m a g e . ’ W h e n t h e y
h a d h e a r d t h e k i n g , t h e y s e t o u t ; a n d t h e r e , a h e a d o f t h e m , w e n t t h e s t a r
t h a t t h e y h a d s e e n a t i t s r i s i n g , u n t i l i t s t o p p e d o v e r t h e p l a c e w h e r e t h e
c h i l d w a s W h e n t h e y s a w t h a t t h e s t a r h a d s t o p p e d , t h e y w e r e
o v e r w h e l m e d w i t h j o y . O n e n t e r i n g t h e h o u s e , t h e y s a w t h e c h i l d w i t h M a r y
h i s m o t h e r ; a n d t h e y k n e l t d o w n a n d p a i d h i m h o m a g e . T h e n , o p e n i n g t h e i r
t r e a s u r e - c h e s t s , t h e y o f f e r e d h i m g i f t s o f g o l d , f r a n k i n c e n s e , a n d m y r r h A n d
h a v i n g b e e n w a r n e d i n a d r e a m n o t t o r e t u r n t o H e r o d , t h e y l e f t f o r t h e i r
o w n c o u n t r y b y a n o t h e r r o a d
S E S S I O N T W O
• y o u r r e f l e c t i o n s •
Q U E S T I O N S T O P O N D E R
N O T E S & T H O U G H T S
Q U E S T I O N S F O R
D I S C E R N M E N T
AN INVITATION FOR A NEW YEAR
Where is God at work moving in my life? How have I experienced God in unexpected ways over the past year?
What are the signs of the times that I’m called to notice? What issue or need in the world is tugging at my attention?
What voices do I need to listen to more closely or more often? What voices do I need to quiet or ignore?
What is my vision of what I could become in the new year? What is God’s vision for what I could become?
What parts of this calling can I do on my own? What parts need partners to help me carry out God’s dreams?
What knowledge or wisdom do I need to draw from my past to help me move into the future with hope?
What is God asking me to let go of, whether internally or externally, in order to move forward?
What prayer or words from Scripture might guide me as I continue to discern God’s calling?
THE EPIPHANY RETREAT IS OFFERED IN
PARTNERSHIP WITH THE C21 CENTER
The Church in the 21st Century (C21) Center at Boston College has been a catalyst and resource for the renewal of the Catholic Church in the United States for the past 20 years.
Drawing from both the Boston College community and others, the C21 Center engages in critical conversations facing the Catholic community and creates innovative resources that focus on four critical issues: handing on the faith, roles and relationships in the Church, sexuality in the Catholic tradition, and the Catholic intellectual tradition
Discover more of the C21 Center's resources at bc.edu/c21
Epiphany e-book Copyright © 2025 Laura Kelly Fanucci.
Scripture quotations are from New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989 National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America Used by permission All rights reserved worldwide
The Epiphanye-book is provided as a companion resource for registrants of the Epiphany retreat Contents may not be shared or reprinted without express permission of the author. As a registered participant in the Epiphany retreat, you may have permission to print one (1) version of the e-book for your personal use.