An Epiphany Tradition and Sacramental
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Blessing the Christian Home
The Fatima Center strives to send correspondence to our supporters by mail at least once every month. This month we mailed out a Christmas greeting card and a prayer card with an abbreviated form of the Epiphany Tradition of “Chalking the Doors.” The complete rite for the Epiphany House Blessing can be Downloaded HERE.
The Church encourages us to have our homes blessed at the beginning of each year in a special, powerful ritual connected with the Feast of the Epiphany (January 6th, the Twelfth Day after Christmas). If no priest is available, the head of the household may conduct an abbreviated devotion similar in purpose – invoking the protection of God through the intercession of the Three Wise Men, marking the exterior doorways with chalk specially blessed during the Feast-day Mass, and sprinkling Epiphany water in the four corners of each room of the house. But of course, the priestly blessing is much to be preferred.
Old Testament Roots
This centuries-old Christian tradition of marking the doorways of the homes of the faithful is rooted in the command of God in Old Testament times for the public profession of the true Faith, setting His faithful apart from the unbelieving world:
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength. And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart: And thou shalt write them in the entry, and on the doors of thy house.” (Deut. 6:4-6, 9)
Again, it mirrors the command of God at the first Passover for the faithful Israelites to mark the doorways of their homes with the blood of the paschal lamb as a most powerful and effective sign of God’s protection over that dwelling and its inhabitants against even the most dire evils:
“And they shall take of the blood thereof, and put it upon both the side posts, and on the upper door posts of the houses.” (Ex. 12:7)
Marked doors are a clear witness to the rest of the world that those who live within are Catholics who serve Christ Our Lord and fall under His protection. It is a visual way of echoing the powerful testimony uttered by the great general of God’s people, Joshua:
“You have your choice: choose this day that which pleaseth you, whom you would rather serve [the true God or false gods]: but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 25:15)
The Three Kings
In the early Church the Feast of Epiphany was actually celebrated with far greater pomp and importance than the Feast of Christmas. On this day the Church recalled how the Gentile nations, represented by the Three Kings, came to adore the Christ Child.
“When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod [the Great], behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem. Saying, Where is He that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen His star in the east, and are come to adore Him… And entering into the house, they found the Child with Mary His mother, and falling down they adored Him; and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” (cf. Matthew 2:1-11)
Tradition names these three wise men Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar. The Church Fathers saw them prophesied in such Old Testament passages as Psalm 71:10-11 and Isaias 60:1-6. Indeed, in the person of these magi, “all kings of the earth shall adore Christ and all nations shall serve Him.” Church Tradition maintained that many years later these three kings were baptized by St. Thomas the Apostle. He also ordained them bishops. Today their relics are preserved in the Cathedral in Cologne, Germany.
“Chalking the Doors”
In the Epiphany inscription (e.g., 20 + C + M + B + 25), the letters represent both the names of the Three Wise Men (Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar) and the Christian prayer for God’s blessing, Christus mansionem benedicat (May Christ bless this house); the numbers represent the New Year; and the four crosses represent the four seasons of the year.
Our homes are the seat of our comfort and joy in this world, where as individuals and families, through prayer and the exercise of our daily duties, we experience most profoundly the spiritual growth and blossoming made possible by God’s grace throughout our lifetimes. The annual Epiphany blessing of Christian homes is an important protection against all forms of evil – including evil spirits – which threaten that progress in grace, bringing blessings throughout the coming year to guard, guide, and support those who live therein.
Requesting Blessed Chalk from The Fatima Center
If you are unable to receive a positive response from your parish priest or live too far away, but still want the blessed chalk, then please contact The Fatima Center. We will have a quantity of chalk blessed on the Feast of the Epiphany for our supporters. You can fill out the form below to request one piece of blessed chalk. We will mail out this blessed sacramental as long as our supplies last, on a first-come-first-serve basis. As a blessed sacramental, there is no charge for the chalk. We ask only a small donation to cover shipping expenses.
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We are offering this Blessed Chalk free to you (ONLY accepting US & Canada orders).
If you’d like to support The Fatima Center and/or defray the costs of this effort, please visit: DONATE.
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