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Epiphany! A House Blessing and Some Thoughts

Sr. JosephMary f.t.i. — Sat, 03 Jan 2009 22:00:59 +0000

Ave Maria Mediations:

“And going into the dwelling, they found the Child there

with His Mother, Mary, and fell down to worship Him.” (Mt. 2:11)

We also kneel down before Jesus,

most especially our God ‘hidden’ in the most Holy Eucharist.

It is often mentioned that ‘wise men still seek Him’. We do not need to leave home and country and journey afar but we may need to leave some things behind: those things that keep us separated from God. Whatever causes us not to be in a state of grace must be left behind on our journey to God. We need to see what are the areas of sin in our lives and these are what we must be divested of.

God will always help us with His grace! And just as the Three Kings had a star, so we also have Mary, Stella Maris, to be a star and guide for us. Jesus is still found with His Mother and the vocation of Mary for all time is to lead souls to Him.

Are we adoring Christ now in His Eucharistic Presence? Are we reverent in the Church building and show this in our silence, demeanor, and dress and by genuflections to the Tabernacle? Our Lord is only physically as far away as that nearest Tabernacle yet for a soul in a state of grace, He is within.

+ AN EPIPHANY BLESSING OF A HOME +

(one form):

All make the Sign of the Cross.

Head of Household: “Peace be to this house and: to all who dwell here, in the name of tfie Lord.

All: Blessed be God forever.

Reader: In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. He was in the beginning with God. All things cme to be through him, and without him nothing came to be….. And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we saw his glory, the glory as of the Fahter’s only Son, full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3.14)

After the prayers of the blessing are recited, each room of the home is sprinkled with holy water. The initials of the Magi are inscribed above the doors with the blessed chalk.

+

(Casper, Melchior and Balthesar with the first two numerals of the year preceding the

C and the last two numerals of the year placed after the B)

+ 20 + C + M + B + 09 +

(The initials, C, M, B, can also be interpreted as the Latin phrase

“Christus mansionem benedicat” which means “Christ bless this house”.)

All: Lord God of heaven and earth, you revealed your only begotten Son to every nation by the guidance of a star. Bless this house and all who inhabit it. May we be blessed with health, goodness of heart, gentleness and the keeping of your law. Fill us with the light of Christ, that our love for each other may go out to all. We ask this through Christ our Lord. Amen.

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A Prayer for Epiphany:

O Lord, reveal Your divinity to all mankind, and just as once You drew the Magi from the East to You, now in like manner unite all peoples and all nations around Your manger. You have shown me that You want my poor cooperation in order to bring about the coming of Your Kingdom. You wish me to pray, suffer, and work for the conversion of those who are near and of those who are far away. You wish that I, too, place before the manger the gifts of the Wise Men : the incense of prayer, the myrrh of mortification and of suffering borne with generosity out of love for You. And finally, the gold of charity, charity which will make my heart wholly and exclusively Yours, charity which will spur me on to work, to spend myself for the conversion of ‘sinners and infidels, and for the greater sanctification of Your elect.

O my loving King, create in me the heart of an apost1e. If only Icould lay at Y our feet today the praise and adoration of everyone on earth!

Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalene OCD

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Jan 04 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: Epiphany of the Christ Child

apostolate — Sun, 04 Jan 2009 19:21:33 +0000

Homily #090104 ( 08min) Play – On this Epiphany Sunday Fr. Ignatius explains that the Our Lord manifests himself on this day as he does on the Feast of Cana and at His Baptism by John in the Jordan. And so all naturalistic ways to salvation now cease as is symbolized by the Magi, the gentile astrologers, coming to seek Christ under a new star at Bethlehem.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
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Jan 03 – Homily – Fr Angelo: Every King will Adore Him

apostolate — Sun, 03 Jan 2010 17:04:43 +0000

Homily #100103 ( 13min) Play – Epiphany of Our Lord marks the second part of Christmas which is the manifestation of Christ to the whole world as an introduction to His public ministry as an adult. Fr Angelo explains who the Magi were and why God lead them with the star first to King Herod in Jerusalem and only then to Bethlehem and the Christ Child. He contrasts the response of the Magi to that of Herod when they receive the message of the coming of the Messiah.
Ave Maria! Mass readings
1: Isa 60:1-6
R: Ps 72:1-2,7-8,10-13
2: Eph 3:2-3,5-6
G: Mt 2:1-12

Audio (MP3)

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Jan 02 – Homily – Fr Bonaventure: Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh

apostolate — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 15:49:34 +0000

Homily #110102 ( 15min) Play – In today’s Gospel on this Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord we have the story of the three Magi or wise men from the east who, following the star, come to the newborn Savior with the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Fr Bonaventure explains the significance of these gifts as well as the three wise men in the public manifestation (epiphany) of the newborn Christ, fulfilling the ancient prophecies and pointing to the events of His life, especially the other epiphany events, His Baptism, the Miracle at Cana and the Transfiguration.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Epiphany of the Lord – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: isa 60:1-6
Resp: psa 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
2nd: eph 3:2-3, 5-6
Gsp: mat 2:1-12

Audio (MP3)

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Jan 02 – Homily – Fr Angelo: Humility of the Magi

apostolate — Sun, 02 Jan 2011 18:26:41 +0000

Homily #110102s ( 10min) Play – Fr. Angelo has the second Mass for today which is a special Mass for the drawing of the Epiphany Cards that takes place after Mass. It also the occasion of the unveiling of our new icon for our Pro-life Shine which is Our Lady Helper in Childbirth that has an ancient tradition attached to it. Fr. Angelo preaches on how it is important to focus on the three Magi because they were coming to Christ, the source of light, from the darkness of their paganism. This display of humility (to look beyond what they were masters of) should be imitated by us modern men who are such masters of science and so move from our new paganism to find the true light.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Epiphany of the Lord – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: isa 60:1-6
Resp: psa 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
2nd: eph 3:2-3, 5-6
Gsp: mat 2:1-12

Audio (MP3)

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Jan 02 – Homily – Fr Tito: Two World Views

apostolate — Mon, 03 Jan 2011 15:59:14 +0000

Homily #110102t ( 10min) Play – You have the false point of view which looks at Christ with fear of the loss of what they posses (authority/goods) and you have the point of view from the Magi; honoring God and bring to Him what he has given to them.

Ave Maria!
Mass: Epiphany of the Lord – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: isa 60:1-6
Resp: psa 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
2nd: eph 3:2-3, 5-6
Gsp: mat 2:1-12

Audio (MP3)

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Jan 05 – Homily – Fr Elias: Mary Star of the New Evangelization

apostolate — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 15:50:10 +0000

Homily #140105b ( 19min) Play – Fr. Elias preaches on the Epiphany of the Lord, explaining the meaning of this feast where the divinity of Our Lord is manifested by the Star that draws the adoration of the Magi. He relates this to Our Lady as the Star of the New Evangelization where the Messiah is meant for all peoples.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Epiphany of the Lord – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: isa 60:1-6
Resp: psa 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
2nd: eph 3:2-3, 5-6
Gsp: mat 2:1-12

Audio (MP3)

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Jan 05 – Homily – Fr Maximilian W: Priest, King, God

apostolate — Sun, 05 Jan 2014 17:23:17 +0000

Homily #140105n ( 13min) Play – Fr. Maximilian explains for us today’s Gospel when the Wise Men gave gifts to the Baby Jesus, and he explains the three gifts—Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh— as testifying to Our Lord as King, Priest, and God. Finally, Father reminds us that the Son of God became the Son of Mary, and as the Wise Men “saw the child with Mary his mother” we too will find Jesus with Mary, His Mother and ours.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Epiphany of the Lord – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: isa 60:1-6
Resp: psa 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
2nd: eph 3:2-3, 5-6
Gsp: mat 2:1-12

Audio (MP3)

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Jan 05 – Homily – Fr Ignatius: Eucharistic Adoration and the Magi

Griswold Friars — Mon, 06 Jan 2014 12:04:45 +0000

Homily #140105 ( 08min) Play – In Eucharistic adoration, we imitate the Magi by offering our worship (gold), prayers (frankincense), and sacrifices (myrrh). When we leave we don’t return to our sins (Herod), but go another route.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Epiphany of the Lord – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: isa 60:1-6
Resp: psa 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
2nd: eph 3:2-3, 5-6
Gsp: mat 2:1-12

Audio (MP3)

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Jan 04 – Homily – Fr Elias: Faith of the Magi

apostolate — Sun, 04 Jan 2015 22:26:48 +0000

Homily #150104b ( 26min) Play – On the Solemnity of Epiphany, Fr. Elias exhorts us to keep the Christmas Spirit alive since Christ remains with us in the Eucharist. This is exemplified at the Epiphany which is one of the great miraculous manifestations of Christ’s coming when the three Magi are guided by the star in faith to come to Bethlehem to adore the newborn King and take this good news to their homelands beyond Judea to the gentiles. Father highlights the great faith needed on their part to make this great, difficult and dangerous journey, to adore this humble child laid in a manger and how much we need to embrace that same faith today when there is so much despair regarding God’s presence and His willingness to bless us.
Ave Maria!
Mass: Epiphany of the Lord – Solemnity – Form: OF
Readings:
1st: isa 60:1-6
Resp: psa 72:1-2, 7-8, 10-11, 12-13
2nd: eph 3:2-3, 5-6
Gsp: mat 2:1-12

Audio (MP3)

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