Epiphany Blessing of Our Home
The Feast of the Epiphany is celebrated on January 6. This feast commemorates the visit of the Wise Men to worship the Infant Jesus. Tradition tells us that their names were Caspar, Melchior and Balthassar. The men were astrologers who were looking for the star that would lead them to the promised Messiah. This was prophesied in the Book of Micah. According to the Gospel narratives, the wise men brought gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh with them: gold for a king; frankincense to be burned in the temple to worship God; myrrh was used by the women to anoint Jesus’ body when he died. By bringing it as a gift to Jesus, the wise men foretold his suffering and death.
20 + C + M + B + 25
The letters have two meanings. They are the initials of the traditional names of
the Three Magi: Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. They also abbreviate the
Latin words “Christus mansionem benedicat.” “May Christ bless the house.”
The letters recall the day on which the inscription is made, as well as the
purpose of blessing.
What to do!
To bless your home this Epiphany, read the Prologue of Saint John’s Gospel (Jn. 1:1-18), followed by the Our Father, and the prayer below. Then (usually the youngest member of the house) write the inscription [20+C+M+B+25] for this year above your front door with blessed chalk.
Father, you revealed your Son to the nations by the guidance of a star.
Your light is strong, Your love is near;
draw us beyond the limits which this world imposes,
to the life where your spirit makes all life complete.
We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Gospel according to John (1:1-18)
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was with God in the beginning. Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
There was a man sent from God whose name was John. He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light. The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.
The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
(John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’’ Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and isin closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.
To the ministers of Holy Communion and parishioners:
I am extremely saddened to inform you that during the Holy Mass last Sunday, December 29, in the church in Moynalvey, someone found the host of the Blessed Sacrament under the pew. In this regard, I would like to remind you of a few important points:
- The Holy Communion is to be received in an open hand and consumed immediately after receiving it in the presence of a priest or minister.
- It is forbidden to go away with Holy Communion and take it to a pew, take it from the church, keep it at home.
- An exception is when someone, with the consent and knowledge of the priest, as a minister of the Eucharist, brings Holy Communion to a sick person.
- Otherwise, we are dealing with the profanation of the Blessed Sacrament, i.e. a mortal sin and a very serious crime in the church, which is punishable by latae sententiae excommunication, i.e. imposed by the law itself (there is no need for a trial, sentence or decree of the bishop). Code of Canon Law art. 1367.
- This means that such a person cannot validly receive the sacraments in the Church or hold any office in the Church.
- ONLY the Holy See can absolve and lift the excommunication from this grave sin.
- I ask parishioners to be aware of the importance of the problem, and ministers of Holy Communion to pay attention to it when distributing Holy Communion during Holy Mass.
Fr Wojciech.