Contemplative Haven

Jan 04 2009

The Epiphany House Blessing

14 responses so far

14 Responses to “The Epiphany House Blessing”

1. # Carolon 04 Jan 2009 at 9:54 am

   It sounds a bit familiar, lol. So many years ago, I’d wanted our apartment blessed, but never dared ask a priest. The husband of the time would’ve died laughing to hear anything of it and/or would’ve eaten the chalk. Uh, tell us more..
   
2. # Cathyon 04 Jan 2009 at 10:41 am

   Now, I remember my dad blessing the house. Thought It was just an Irish tradition. Daddy used holy water though instead of Blessed Oils and made the initials over the front door with his hand dipped in the holy water.
3. # Piaon 04 Jan 2009 at 3:44 pm

   Thanks for posting that explanation because I thought it was some kind of joke…I was half expecting to see you in your super sleuth outfit or something…Anyway, I’ve never heard anything of the sort, so you’re not the only one.
4. # gabrielleon 04 Jan 2009 at 4:30 pm

   Carol, we can always bless our homes ourselves, or as a family, with holy water and special prayers anytime we want to, but it would be wonderful to have a blessing done by a priest, wouldn’t it.

   Cathy, I think it’s beautiful when a tradition such as blessing the home is handed down from one generation to the next, and I think either holy water or holy oils are just fine; it was just the Magi part that threw me off!

   Pia, after I went to bed I also thought that I should have put my detective picture up for this one!
5. # Annon 04 Jan 2009 at 4:48 pm

   Well I can’t say I’ve heard of it but it sounds good to me – blessing our homes and those who dwell within, and those who visit all through the coming year – sounds a bit like it might have some Irish hospitality history attached.
6. # Carolon 05 Jan 2009 at 1:29 pm

   Yes, G. True.

   I’m thinking today of just how grateful I am that the Magi went all that way, no matter how many dangers it posed them both ways!, and paid Him homage, and brough Him gifts. There may’ve been 12 kings, but the 3 named are Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. One article said the 3 are now hung in Cologne where their relics are venerated. The marking of doorways was mentioned as a yearly occurence in Czechoslovakia.

   I wouldn’t know who to ask for holy chalk, but I know where to find some holy water.
   
7. # Rebeccaon 05 Jan 2009 at 6:47 pm

   I cantored on Sunday morning and noticed in the binder a hand-written note telling me to announce that before Mass there would be a blessing of the chalk. I turned to the accompanist and said, “Am I reading this right – does this say ‘blessing of chalk?’ What’s that? ” In my 32 years , I’d never heard of such a thing. In his 50+ years, he hadn’t either. So, you’re not the only one. ;o)
8. # gabrielleon 05 Jan 2009 at 7:47 pm

   Well, I guess I should just put a rubber band on my wrist and snap it every time I feel a bout of sarcasm coming on. I mean, I’ve always loved the story of the Magi, and loved that they honoured the baby Jesus in that way, but I just couldn’t imagine it being “Catholic” to name them in the house blessing (having always been told that they were astrologers, magicians, occultists, etc.) Yet here is Carol saying that their relics are venerated, and I just looked in the Catholic encyclopedia online and it says that in the martyrology they are actually saints! I don’t have a clue how that could be so when nobody actually knows who they were, but there you go! My humble apologies to the magi-saints (but I think I’m just going to stick with my holy water font anyway).

   Rebecca, welcome; that is very funny, and timely! I appreciate the support. I’m wondering now if anyone has ever marketed a Catholic trivia game.
9. # Carolon 05 Jan 2009 at 10:00 pm

   Well, I don’t know anything about the Infant of Prague, either–maybe that’ll come up, too! My mom had one always (she stole it), but what is the meaning of having it in one’s home? I suppose I should look it up. No, she didn’t steal it. Borrowed it..for a long time, from my father’s mother’s house when the will was not contested due to a certain father of mine’s month-long bender, so that everything would’ve gone to the 2nd husband’s family; apparently, there was an intervention by the Holy Spirit worked through a 4′11″ woman to retrieve the blessed statue, and 2 holy pineapple beds. That’s really too much information, isn’t it?

   Oh golly, I didn’t think it sarcasm for a second, Gab, honestly. I’m sure none of us did!
10. # Piaon 06 Jan 2009 at 9:08 am

    When I first read Epiphany House, I thought it was like “Madonna House”, meaning part of some kind of association or religious org..Then in the light of the explanation an comments I realized it was a blessing to be done on the Epiphany…Anyway, isn’t Sunday the feast of the Innocent Martyrs? So signing the doors is a remembrance of the Innocent Martyrs of Moses’ time and of the children killed after the Magi came to visit Jesus. Sort of all leads up to this great feast day, that reminds us that the great manifestations of the Lord have always been accompanied by the slaughter of the innocent. Considering the situation with abortion, child abuse, child soldiers, doesn’t that say something about the current times? Not to say the Lord is coming tomorrow (you never know,though) but…it seems that Satan has been getting ready well in advance.
11. # gabrielleon 07 Jan 2009 at 11:44 am

    Carol, thank you, but I know in my heart it was sarcasm, and that is something I have to watch big-time. Notice the improvement already; I’m not going to say anything about pineapple beds or too much information! (oh gawd, you know I want to.)

    Pia, I can see why you thought that, and others may have also; I should have used a hyphen between house and blessing. You make really good points and associations here. You know, when I first read Cathy’s comment, I was visualizing her Dad dipping his hand in the holy water and making the initials over the front door, and it reminded me of the Israelite men dipping their hands in the lamb’s blood and making a sign over the lintel so God would bypass their homes. Everything is so interrelated, isn’t it, foreshadowed, and repeated.
12. # Carolon 07 Jan 2009 at 12:31 pm

    Of course, I am reminded of how, after finding “I love ___” written in pen ink on my best twin bed sheets via the hand of teen daughter, as well as penned on the wall (sometimes to be crossed out and filled with a new name), I handed her some chalk. Not blessed–it was rather threatening chalk.

    Seriously, tho’, yes– interrelated, and I sometimes wonder if these things come out (in whatever way!) because we need an extra blessing. Perhaps it is becoming wise or even crucial to bless our doorways, with blessed blood that looks like chalk or water.
13. # Con 09 Jan 2009 at 8:54 pm

    Just a brief note to pass along some history I just totally stumbled upon as I was about to close out a page’s click, click and click. Apparently, there are many depictions of the Magi in the Christian Catacombs of Rome; some are of two, of three and of four, though the gifts remain 3. And this is only from me, but maybe it’s the gifts we give the newborn king that are to be focused on when we recall the Magi – gold (soul), frankincense (prayer), and myrrh (faith). (Though I like the “Christus mansionem benedicat” very much!)
14. # gabrielleon 10 Jan 2009 at 12:19 am

    That’s beautiful, C; our souls, prayers and faith offered to the Baby Jesus. It reminded me of what I posted last year for the Epiphany, from the revelations of St. Gertrude the Great, but for her the gifts actually represented Jesus and she offered them to God: myrrh, for the Body of Jesus Christ, incense, for the Soul of Jesus Christ, and gold for His Divinity. But I think you’re right; the focus can be on our offerings, and the variations could be infinite, very personal, and change from year to year…

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