Feast of the Epiphany
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"If the Magi had come in search of an earthly King, they would have been disconcerted at finding that they had taken the trouble to come such a long way for nothing. Consequently they would have neither adored nor offered gifts. But since they sought a heavenly King, though they found in Him no signs of royal pre-eminence, yet, content with the testimony of the star alone, they adored: for they saw a man, and they acknowledged a God."
~St. John Chrysostom
Dear Parishioners,
Today we celebrate the Solemnity of the Epiphany of Our Lord Jesus Christ, which is traditionally celebrated on the 12th day after Christmas. In the dioceses of the United States this feast has been moved to the Sunday between January 2nd and January 8th. This feast is one of the oldest Christian celebrations. Epiphany comes from a Greek verb meaning - to reveal. It commemorates the visit of the Three Kings to worship the baby Jesus. 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 Three Kings, also known as the Magi or the Wise Men, brought with them very meaningful gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh – gold signifying that Jesus is King; frankincense, the symbol of prayer, signifying that Jesus is the Son of God; and myrrh, which was used to anoint the dead, signifying that Jesus would die for the salvation of all.
There is a wonderful custom of blessing of our homes on Epiphany that commemorates the time the three Kings visited the home of Jesus, Mary, and Joseph. Traditionally after the blessing, the initials of their names were written in chalk on the back of the door. They were enclosed by the year and connected by a cross in this way: 20+C+M+B+25. The “20” stands for the millennium and century, the "C" standing for the first Wise Man, Caspar, the "M" standing for Melchior, the "B" standing for Balthasar, and the "25" standing for the decade and year. It is also popularly believed that the Kings’ initials also stand for Latin words - "Christus mansionem benedicat" ("Christ bless this house").
I invite you to adopt this custom once again in your family this year to ask God’s blessing on your home and on all those who live in or visit it. It is an invitation for Jesus to be a daily guest in our home, to bless our comings and goings, our conversations, our work and play, our joys and sorrows. Take a piece of blessed chalk today with you after Mass, gather your family and as you are marking the lintel of your front door, say this prayer:“Lord our God, bless this household. May we be blessed with health, goodness of heart, gentleness, and the keeping of your law. May all who come to our home this year rejoice to find Christ living among us, and may we seek and serve, in everyone we meet, that same Jesus who is Lord, forever and ever. Amen.”
God bless,
Fr. Gregg