Chalk was blessed and given out at the end of Mass today. Everyone was invited to take some home to use to pray for, and bless their home. At the beginning of the year, following Catholic tradition, we pray for the homes of the parish and of all our people.
If you would like to join in with this tradition here is what to do:
A marked doorway of one of our family's homes
Using blessed chalk, (or if not blessed any chalk) either above the door, outside, or at the side of the door outside or inside, the markings 20 + C + M + B + 12 are made. 20 and 12 being the year, C, M, B being the intitials of the traditional names of the wise men, Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar, they can also stand for Christus Mansionem Benedicat, the Latin words meaning, May Christ bless this home.
If you prefer you may instead make a simple cross mark with chalk +
These prayers are used in our parish:
God of heaven and earth, you revealed your only Son to every nation by the guidance of a star. Bless this home and all who live in it. Fill us with the light of Christ, that our concern for others may reflect your love. We ask this through Christ who dwells among us. Amen.
Loving God, may all who come to our home this year rejoice to find the love of Christ here; and may we seek and serve, in everyone we meet, that same Jesus who is your incarnate Word, now and forever. Amen.
If you use this to do a blessing of your home we’d love you to send us a photograph of the marked doorway.
(To avoid confusion, this other post be may deleted. This one is accurate.)
We had our priests come and bless our home for Epiphany. How do I send a picture? Perhaps being FSSP (traditional Latin Mass) priests, they write the year in Roman numerals, so the inscrptions over the doors appear as MM+C+M+B+XII.