O my Jesus, while I beg You to reveal Yourself to the world, I also beseech You to reveal Yourself more and more to my poor soul. Let Your star shine for me today, and point out to me the road which leads directly to You! May this day be a real Epiphany for me, a new manifestation to my mind and heart of Your great Majesty. He who knows You more, loves You more, O Lord; and I want to know You solely in order to love You, to give myself to You with ever greater generosity.
~Divine Intimacy by Fr. Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene, OCD
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Omnes de Saba venient
aurum et thus deferentes
et laudem Domino annuntiantes.
Alleluja.
Dad marked the lintel of the two main entries into our home with the Epiphany Chalk Blessing on the feast of The Epiphany of Our Lord.
All they from Saba will come,
bringing gold and frankincense,
and announcing the praise of the Lord.
Alleluia.~Gradual for The Feast of the Epiphany. Isaiah 60:6
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Epiphany Chalk Blessing
The lintel of the main door of the house is marked with blessed chalk by the father of the household in the following manner:
20+C+M+B+14 (the suffix of the current year) while saying the following prayer:
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The Three Wise Men
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C Caspar
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M Melchior
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B & Balthasaar, followed the star of God’s Son who became Man
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20 Two-thousand
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14 and fourteen years ago
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+ May Christ
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+ Bless our home
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+ and remain with us
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+ through the new year.
Almighty God, incline Thine ear. Bless us and all who are gathered here. Send Thy holy angel who will defend us, and fill with grace all who dwell here. Amen
~~~
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….O Blessed parents of the Infant Jesus, Mary and Joseph,we humbly and earnestly implore you to beg for us, at the crib of your Infant Son, that like Him and as His true and faithful followers, we may love to live in true humility, disengagement from creatures, contempt of the world and it’s vanities, constant recollection of the holy presence of God, fervour and fidelity in all of our duties, and in the practice of the tenderest charity to all persons. May we never blush at the humility of the crib, nor at the poverty and simplicity of Bethlehem. May we ever rejoice at our happy lot as children of the true Church; ever in tender charity look with a compassionate eye on those who live but for this world; and continually pray that all may come to bless, to praise and to love the Saviour, who comes to redeem them…Amen
~Excerpt from the Litany from Christmas to Epiphany, taken from the MC & LMC Prayer Book.
We love our Epiphany Blessings every year. We normally invite our priests out for dinner and then they bless our home and barn.