{"id":4052,"date":"2022-01-07T13:08:50","date_gmt":"2022-01-07T19:08:50","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.stphils.com\/church\/?p=4052"},"modified":"2022-01-07T14:20:25","modified_gmt":"2022-01-07T20:20:25","slug":"how-to-bless-your-home-with-epiphany-chalk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.stphils.com\/church\/how-to-bless-your-home-with-epiphany-chalk\/","title":{"rendered":"How to bless your home with Epiphany chalk"},"content":{"rendered":"

The article below was published online on Aleteia.org<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>on 01\/05\/2018 and updated on 01\/02\/2022. Author: Philip Kosloski. This weekend at Mass we will have blessed chalk that each family can take and use to bless their home.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Each year around the feast of the Epiphany many parishes throughout the world participate in an annual blessing of chalk.\u00a0It is an ancient tradition that not only places God at the entrance of your home, it places your entire family under his protection.<\/p>\n

The Epiphany blessing of chalk and homes is a centuries old tradition where priests would visit each home in their parish after the Feast of the Epiphany. Over time it became more difficult to accomplish such a feat as parishes became larger and larger and priests were stretched thin. For this reason it became an accepted tradition that a member of the household is able to lead this blessing in place of the priest.<\/p>\n

The blessing has biblical roots, deeply tied to the\u00a0Passover<\/strong>\u00a0in the book of Exodus.<\/p>\n

The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt \u2026 \u201ctake some of the blood [of the lamb], and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat them. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it \u2026 The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.\u201d (cf. Exodus 12:1-13)<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

It is no coincidence that the Epiphany blessing is traditionally\u00a0written on the lintel of the main doorway<\/strong>\u00a0and even some of the prayers echo God\u2019s words of protection that he gave to Moses. While the Epiphany blessing was not given in the same manner as it was to Moses, the Church provides it for our own spiritual benefit. The Church desires our salvation and so gives us beautiful sacramentals to assist us along the path to Eternal Life.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Traditionally a priest blesses chalk on the Feast of the Epiphany by saying the following prayer (from the\u00a0Roman Ritual<\/em>):<\/p>\n

Bless, + O Lord God, this creature, chalk, and let it be a help to mankind. Grant that those who will use it with faith in your most holy name, and with it inscribe on the doors of their homes the names of your saints, Casper, Melchior, and Baltassar, may through their merits and intercession enjoy health in body and protection of soul; through Christ our Lord.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

<\/div>\n

The chalk is then distributed after Mass. If your local parish does not administer such a blessing, inquire around and see if any neighboring parishes do.\u00a0Parishioners then take the chalk home and use it while invoking God\u2019s blessing upon their home.<\/strong><\/p>\n

It is a beautiful blessing, one that brings many graces upon those who practice it in faith and is an added protection against any spiritual enemies that may be lurking around.<\/p>\n

\n
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
\n

The Blessing<\/h3>\n<\/div>\n

Once you acquire the blessed chalk, either a priest or another member of the household can bless the home in the following\u00a0manner (adapted from the\u00a0Roman Ritual<\/em>):<\/p>\n

Upon entering the house [or at the front door]:<\/em><\/p>\n

Priest\/Head of Household: Peace be to this house.<\/em>
\nAll: And to all who dwell herein.<\/em>
\nPriest: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.<\/em><\/p>\n

During the Magnificat, the room is sprinkled with holy water and incensed.<\/em><\/p>\n

All: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord,
\nmy spirit rejoices in God my Savior
\nfor he has looked with favor on his lowly servant.
\nFrom this day all generations will call me blessed:
\nthe Almighty has done great things for me,
\nand holy is his Name.<\/em><\/p>\n

He has mercy on those who fear him
\nin every generation.
\nHe has shown the strength of his arm,
\nhe has scattered the proud in their conceit.<\/p>\n

He has cast down the mighty from their thrones,
\nand has lifted up the lowly.
\nHe has filled the hungry with good things,
\nand the rich he has sent away empty.<\/p>\n

He has come to the help of his servant Israel
\nfor he remembered his promise of mercy,
\nthe promise he made to our fathers,
\nto Abraham and his children forever.<\/p>\n

After this is completed:<\/em><\/p>\n

All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.<\/em><\/p>\n

Priest: Our Father Who art in Heaven, hallowed be Thy Name. Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead and lead us not into temptation,<\/em>
\nAll: But deliver us from evil.<\/em>
\nPriest: All they from Saba shall come<\/em>
\nAll: Bringing gold and frankincense.<\/em>
\nPriest: O Lord, hear my prayer.<\/em>
\nAll: And let my cry come unto Thee.<\/em><\/p>\n

Priest:<\/em>
\nLet us pray. O God, who by the guidance of a star didst on this day manifest Thine only-begotten Son to the Gentiles, mercifully grant that we who know Thee by faith may also attain the vision of Thy glorious majesty. Through Christ our Lord.<\/em><\/p>\n

All: Amen.<\/em>
\nPriest: Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee\u2013 Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.<\/em>
\nAll: And the Gentiles shall walk in thy light and kings in the splendor of thy rising, and the glory of the Lord has risen upon thee.<\/em><\/p>\n

Priest: Let us pray. Bless, O Lord God almighty, this home, that in it there may be health, purity, the strength of victory, humility, goodness and mercy, the fulfillment of Thy law, the thanksgiving to God the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. And may this blessing remain upon this home and upon all who dwell herein. Through Christ our Lord.<\/em>
\nAll: Amen.<\/em><\/p>\n

After the prayers of the blessing are recited, walk through the house and bless each room by sprinkling with Epiphany\/holy water and incensing it.<\/em><\/p>\n

Take the blessed chalk and first write the initials of the three Wise Men, connected with Crosses, over the inside of your front door (on the lintel, if possible). Then write the year, breaking up the numbers and the year so that they fall on both sides of the initials. It should look like this, for example<\/em><\/p>\n

20 C+M+B 22<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

with the \u201c20 \u201cbeing the millennium and century, the \u201cC\u201d standing for the first Wise Man, Caspar, the \u201cM\u201d standing for Melchior, the \u201cB\u201d standing for Balthasar, and the \u201c22\u201d standing for the decade and year. It is also popularly believed that the Kings\u2019 initials stand for \u201cChristus mansionem benedicat\u201d (\u201cChrist bless this house\u201d).<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The article below was published online on Aleteia.org\u00a0on 01\/05\/2018 and updated on 01\/02\/2022. Author: Philip Kosloski. This weekend at Mass we will have blessed chalk that each family can take and use to bless their home.\u00a0   Each year around the feast of the Epiphany many parishes throughout the world participate in an annual blessing … Continue reading How to bless your home with Epiphany chalk<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":4053,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[148,131,130,63],"class_list":["post-4052","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-faith-formation","tag-priest","tag-catholic","tag-christian","tag-christmas"],"yoast_head":"\nHow to bless your home with Epiphany chalk - St. Philomena Catholic Church<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.stphils.com\/church\/how-to-bless-your-home-with-epiphany-chalk\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"chadmin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stphils.com\/church\/how-to-bless-your-home-with-epiphany-chalk\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stphils.com\/church\/how-to-bless-your-home-with-epiphany-chalk\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"chadmin\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stphils.com\/church\/#\/schema\/person\/5e00f5f2ab9dc0c9672d91f3666e7572\"},\"headline\":\"How to bless your home with Epiphany chalk\",\"datePublished\":\"2022-01-07T19:08:50+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2022-01-07T20:20:25+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stphils.com\/church\/how-to-bless-your-home-with-epiphany-chalk\/\"},\"wordCount\":1195,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stphils.com\/church\/how-to-bless-your-home-with-epiphany-chalk\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/www.stphils.com\/church\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/01\/Epiphany-chalk.jpg\",\"keywords\":[\"priest\",\"Catholic\",\"Christian\",\"Christmas\"],\"articleSection\":[\"Faith Formation\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/www.stphils.com\/church\/how-to-bless-your-home-with-epiphany-chalk\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/www.stphils.com\/church\/how-to-bless-your-home-with-epiphany-chalk\/\",\"name\":\"How to bless your home with Epiphany chalk - 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