Last updated:  November 29, 2023

Happy Epiphany 2019!  Epiphany is the January 6th feast day that is held on the twelfth day of Christmas and that marks the end of the Christmas liturgical season.  This is the feast day where we celebrate the adoration of Jesus by the Magi, who are also called the Three Wise Men or the Three Kings.  These sojourners traveled to Bethlehem from the Far East, following a star and bringing gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, in order to give homage to the baby Jesus, the newborn “King of the Jews.” This is my epiphany art that evokes that star and serves as a retroactive piece of winter solstice art as well.  Even on the longest and darkest night of the year, you can still see the starlight.

The root of the word epiphany is in the Greek word epiphaneia, which means manifestation or appearance.  We normally use the word epiphany to refer to something that is completely remarkable and new – a surprising insight or revelation that leaves us changed entirely.  I have been trying to think of a time in my life that I might characterize as an epiphany.  It seems to me that the trace of my life has been through a number of transitions or thresholds, but these bring movement and change that always seems to be really messy to get through. So I haven’t experienced transformation as some kind of brilliant shaft of epiphany light where everything suddenly is clear.  Instead I just kind of muddle through. 

I suppose my most recent threshold has been moving out of the organization at work that I have spent my entire career in.  I have just come off nine years of doing some really stressful system management jobs at NASA.  I still think this process has been messy, but when I put together my resume, it showed three 3-year jobs always ending in burnout.  So I guess maybe that was a kind of epiphany – a resume manifestation that got my attention and kept me from just switching to yet another difficult and stressful position. So now, even though I am a newbie trying to learn about carbon dioxide removal technologies, my responsibilities are reduced and my email inbox and my stress level are finally actually manageable.  Thank God!

One engaging Epiphany tradition is the blessing of chalk that you can use in the annual blessing of your home.  As part of the house blessing, a formula using the calendar year and the initials C, M, and B can be written using the blessed chalk above the doorway to your home.  This year for 2019, that formula is: 20 + C + M + B + 19.  The initials C, M, and B have at least two meanings associated with them.  The first is that the initials may refer to the traditional names of the Magi: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthazar.  The second possible meaning is that it abbreviates the Latin invocation Christus, Mansionem Benedicat, which translates into English as “May Christ bless this home.”

Usually I am in favor of writing my own blessings and prayers, but I was a little short on time this year.  So I decided to use the traditional Catholic Epiphany blessings.  A lightly edited version of the blessings is given below.  And here are the photos of my chalk pastels that I blessed and of our doorway after I blessed our home.  It’s a little hard to see the chalk inscription over the door, but it is there.  And I must say that I find it extremely interesting that the chalk in the blessing is referred to as “this creature!”  But of course I fully expect it is just another one of those odd Latin to English translation glitches!  For prayers that you can use for blessing your home that may resonate more with you, I came across some blog posts that share alternate prayers and blessings.  Go ahead and check them out using the website links given in the references below.

I especially love Jan Richardson’s Wise Ones artwork and the blessing in which she looks on the upcoming year as a house and asks us how we will inhabit it in the new year. She also asks how we will move through the rooms of the house so that we bring blessings to the world.  Both are excellent questions to ponder as the crazy Christmas season eases back into ordinary time.  Since I am currently on furlough due to the government shutdown, I see tomorrow as a good day for me to journal on just those two questions. 

In case you’re wondering, Andy and I are both affected by the shutdown, but are doing fine.  We are just so incredibly fortunate that we don’t have to live paycheck to paycheck like some of our fellow civil servants.  I also recognize the financial pain for our contractor employees as well as the impact the shutdown is having on services and research projects across the spectrum of the government.  Andy and I are fine, but hopefully the shutdown will be over sooner rather than later.

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Blessing of Chalk on Epiphany – Roman Ritual

Leader: Our help is in the name of the Lord.

All: Who made heaven and earth.

Leader:  The Lord be with you.

All: And also be with you.

Bless, O Lord God, this creature, chalk, and let it be a help to humankind. 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.

All: Amen.

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Blessing of Homes on Epiphany – Roman Ritual

Leader: God’s peace be in this home.

All: And in all who live here.

Leader: Magi from the East came to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasure chests they presented Him with precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial. Alleluia.

Reading: Canticle of the Magnificat – Luke 1:46-55.

Prayer: Our Father.

Leader: Many shall come from Saba.

All: Bearing gold and incense.

Leader: Lord, heed my prayer.

All: And let my cry be heard by you.

Leader: The Lord be with you.

All: And also be with you.

Leader: Let us pray.  God, who on this day revealed your only-begotten Son to all nations by the guidance of a star, grant that we who now know you by faith may finally behold you in your heavenly majesty; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

Leader: Be enlightened and shine forth, O Jerusalem, for your light is come; and upon you is risen the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.  Nations shall walk in your light, and kings in the splendor of your birth.

All: And the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.

Leader: Let us pray.  Lord God almighty, bless this home, and under its shelter let there be health, chastity, self-conquest, humility, goodness, mildness, obedience to your commandments, and thanksgiving to God the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. May your blessing remain always in this home and on those who live here; through Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

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So again – from my home to yours – Happy Epiphany!  I do hope that 2019 is going to be a good year.  I pray in this new year that we may all be blessed with hope, peace, and a sense of wonder and amazement!!

 

UPDATE: This blog post was updated on November 29, 2023 to add two images and to make formatting changes.

Reference 1: Sancta Missa – Rituale Romanum, Chapter II: Blessings for Special Days and Feasts of the Church Year, https://sanctamissa.org/en/resources/books-1962/rituale-romanum/48-blessings-for-special-days-and-feasts.html lightly edited.

Reference 2: “Feast of Epiphany: Blessing of the Homes,” blog post by Jan Richardson, December 31, 2009 at http://paintedprayerbook.com/2009/12/31/epiphany-blessing-the-house/

Reference 3: “Epiphany Chalk House Blessing,” blog post by Bosco Peters, January 3, 2019 at http://liturgy.co.nz/epiphany-chalk-house-blessing-3.

Reference 4: “Happy Epiphany…Almost!,” blog post by Leanna Coyle-Carr, January 4, 2016 at http://www.for-the-birds-blog.com/blog/happy-epiphany-almost

Image 1: “Starlight,” by Julie Henkener, www.juliehenkener.com, 2019.

Image 2: “Wise Ones,” by Jan Richardson, www.janrichardson.com, 2009.

Image 3: “Chalk Pastels,” Julie Henkener, 2019.

Image 4: “The Adoration of the Magi” by Georges Trubert, circa 1480-1490, J. Paul Getty Museum, Los Angeles, CA, Ms. 48, fol. 59, http://www.getty.edu/museum/.

Image 5: “Adoration of the Magi” tapestry by Edward Burne-Jones, Wikimedia Commons, public domain, 1904.

Image 6: “Three Kings Tree Ornament,” Julie Henkener, 2019.

Image 7: “Adoration of the Magi,” by Gerard David, National Gallery, London, public domain, circa 1515.