Dear Parishioners,
Today is the Feast of the Epiphany. “Epiphany” means “manifestation,” and it‟s the celebration of Jesus‟ manifesting to all the world His glory as Savior to all nations, symbolically through the Magi.
Epiphany is also a day to share gifts in many cultures, as well as a day to feast. If you have not already done so, place the Magi in the Nativity set and read their story from the Gospel of Mat-thew.
Importantly, what I wanted to impart to you this day is that Epiphany is traditionally a day to bless homes….I have been wonderfully fascinated and moved by the traditional blessing that appears above the doors of homes in many European
countries…in my travels it is so easy to identify the homes of Catholic families, even in the summer as this blessing remains through the year as what it was meant to be but also as a means of witness to the world that the family who lives in a
particular house is trying in every way to live a faith-filled life in Christ.
Part of this blessing involves bracketing the initials of the Magi – Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, crosses in between – with the year above your front door, usually in chalk, like this: 20+C+M+B+10. (Another tradition claims the initials stand for Christus, mansionem benedicat, which means “May Christ bless this home.)
I hope you feel free enough to bless you homes in this way…a pretty neat family tradition.
May Christ Bless your home and all who live in it throughout this New Year!
God Bless,
Fr. Jan
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