We recently celebrated the Feast of The Epiphany of the Lord (I grew up calling it 3 Kings Day). What is The Epiphany?
Epiphany means manifestation. What the Church celebrates today is the manifestation of our Lord to the whole world; after being made known to the shepherds of Bethlehem He is revealed to the Magi who have come from the East to adore Him. ~ Catholic Culture
One way to celebrate this important feast day is to bless your house, specifically write out the blessing at the top of your door on your house (we did both front and back).
The Church extends itself on Epiphany to the homes of the faithful. The custom of blessing the home on this day probably originated from these words in the Gospel, "And entering into the house, they found the Child with Mary, His Mother, and falling down they adored Him." The priest blesses the house if he can be present, but if not, the father of the family may do so.
Our parish priest had blessed pieces of chalk for all of the faithful to take home after Mass along with a house blessing.
You write out the millennial (20) + C (for Caspar) + M (for Melchior) + B (for Balthasar) + 21 (new year). Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar were the names of the three wise men. This weekend, we celebrated the Feast of The Baptism of the Lord. At this Mass, the congregation renewed their Baptismal vows. It's such a beautiful Mass!
As we celebrate the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord, know that Jesus did not have to be baptized because he had original sin. No. "Jesus does not enter the water to be sanctified. No, the Holy One enters the water to sanctify. He makes this humble, ordinary element extraordinary, empowering it to become a channel of the Holy Spirit bringing inner cleansing, rebirth, and transformation to those who be be bathed in it. Here, Jesus institutes the Sacrament of Christmas Baptism, something essentially different and greater than the baptism of John, which foreshadowed it." ~ Dr. D' Ambrosio Ph D, Catholic Exchange
May the loving God bless your household. May you be blessed with health, goodness of heart, gentleness, and abiding in His will.
Patty