Thursday, January 05, 2012

Reminder - Epiphany Blessing


Picture source

Just a reminder to have your blessed chalk ready.

0 C + M + B 12
May Christ bless this House…
All who dwell and pray in it…
And All Whom they Welcome in His Name
....................

BLESSING OF A HOME AT EPIPHANY

Let us pray, In the name of + The Father, and The Son, and The Holy Spirit. Amen.

V. On entering the house, the Magi found the Child Jesus with Mary his mother.
R. They did Him homage and presented to Jesus symbolic gifts: gold to the great King, incense to the true God, and myrrh as a foreshadowing of his suffering and death.

Let us pray, God, our Father, by the guidance of a star, You revealed Your only Son as the Savior of all nations. Grant that we who already know You by faith, may be brought to the contemplation of Your glory in our heavenly home. We ask this through Christ your Son, Our Lord. Amen.

All may recite the Canticle of the Blessed Virgin Mary (The MAGNIFICAT) by which Mary praised God at the time of her Visitation to the house of Elizabeth found in St. Luke's Gospel Chapter 1, verses 46-55.

V. Be enlightened, O Jerusalem, and shine forth …for Your light has come!
R. And upon you is risen the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary.
V. All nations shall walk in Your light and kings in the splendor of Your birth.
R. And upon You is risen the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary.
Now, a Reading of the Gospel for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord
from St. Matthew's Gospel, Chapter 2, verses 1 to 12.
V. Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, has appeared and been revealed to the nations.
R. The prophets foretold His coming, and the angels and shepherds adored Him.
V. The Magi rejoiced to find Him and they lay their treasures before Him.
R. All you nations and peoples, …come and adore Him!

All recite The OUR FATHER as all the rooms of the house are sprinkled with holy water …and also if possible with blessed salt.

Let us pray, Blessed are you, Lord, God of all creation. Through Your goodness we have received all benefits. Come, visit and bless + this house so that it may be a shelter of health, chastity, self-conquest, humility, goodness, mildness, obedience to the Commandments, - and thanksgiving to God, + The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit.

May the love and blessings of God, + The Father, and The Son, and The Holy Spirit, descend upon this house, all those who reside within it, and upon all those whom they welcome in the Sacred Name of our Savior, Jesus Christ, and may God's grace and peace remain with all of them forever. Amen.

NOTE: The initials of the names ascribed by tradition to the Magi (Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar), and the numerals of the current year are to be written with the blessed chalk above all the entry doors of the house in the following manner:
20 C + M + B 12

(Some interpret the letters to stand for Christus Mansioni Benedicat! May Christ bless this house!

Source

8 comments:

Barb Szyszkiewicz said...

That's a beautiful blessing! In our parish, we encourage blessing of the home as well. Thanks for the reminder to post about this--I'll be linking back here as well.

EC Gefroh said...

Good idea! Mahalo Barb!

Donna-Marie Cooper O'Boyle said...

Thanks for this, Esther!

EC Gefroh said...

Oh, you're welcome Donna!

helen tilston said...

Thank you for this beautiful blessing.

I love it and shall walk through this evening and bless my home

Helen xx

EC Gefroh said...

Helen, oh, you are doing it on the real date of the Epiphany. We should have done that too...maybe we will.

Mimi said...

This is one of the places where our traditions intersect. Orthodox commemorate Christ's Baptism on January 6th, and the water that is blessed at the feast is used in our annual house blessings.

I love that my priest comes to bless our home once a year.

Enjoy!

EC Gefroh said...

Mimi, nice tradition! Today we celebrated the Baptism of our Lord. My family blessed our home on the traditional date of Epiphany, Jan 6th.