This is the Year (Epiphany)

 


This is the Year

I will state the obvious.  This has been a challenging year.  We have lost loved ones, jobs, wages, routines, health, dreams and more.  This is the year to mark a new beginning with 2021.  You may not have chalk to mark above the entrance to your home “20+C+M+B+21”.  The 20 and 21 are for the year 2021.  The letters C, M, and B are for the traditional names of the three kings:  Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar.  A prayer is said to bless your house and all who enter your home throughout the year.  You may not have holy water to bless your entrances and rooms in your home.  But your probably have a candle and maybe incense and even without these items you can pray.  Prayer is powerful.  This is the year to look to the future and bless the entrance to your home and the rooms of your home where life is lived for your holy family.  Yes, Pope Saint John Paul II said families should become what they are, holy.  You are a holy family if you are a household of one or a dozen.  Bless your home with the commitment to become what you are, holy.  (Learn more at https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/chalk-it-up-bless-your-door-this-ephiphany or https://www.usccb.org/resources/blessing-home-and-household-epiphany .)

Este es el Año

Estoy ndo lo obvio.  Este ha sido un año difícil.  Hemos perdido a seres queridos, trabajos, salarios, rutinas, salud, sueños y más.  Este es el año para marcar un nuevo comienzo con 2021.  Es posible que no tenga tiza para marcar por encima de la entrada a su casa "20+C+M+B+21".  Los días 20 y 21 son para el año 2021.  Las letras C, M y B son para los nombres tradicionales de los tres reyes: Caspar, Melchior y Baltasar.  Se dice que una oración bendice tu casa y a todos los que entran en tu hogar durante todo el año.  Es posible que no tengas agua bendita para bendecir tus entradas y habitaciones en tu hogar.  Pero su probablemente tiene una vela y tal vez incienso e incluso sin estos artículos se puede orar.  La oración es poderosa.  Este es el año para mirar al futuro y bendecir la entrada a su hogar y las habitaciones de su hogar donde se vive la vida para su santa familia.  Sí, el Papa San Juan Pablo II dijo que las familias deberían convertirse en lo que son, santas.  Eres una familia sagrada si eres una casa de uno o una docena.  Bendice tu hogar con el compromiso de llegar a ser lo que eres, santo.  (Más información en https://bustedhalo.com/ministry-resources/chalk-it-up-bless-your-door-this-ephiphany  o 


https://www.usccb.org/resources/blessing-home-and-household-epiphany  .)

 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

The Holiness Around Us

Image
 Holy Images I want to share holy moments I have seen at Mass. Greeters going beyond the usual “Hello” to check in with parishioners. One parishioner always looks for new faces and introduces herself to them and makes sure they feel welcomed. A wife puts her arm around her husband who has been chronically ill over the past several months. People getting out of their pew to extend the Sign of Peace to particular persons. A woman who looks at the Body of Christ with a warm smile that conveys she is holding the Real Presence of Jesus. During the communion procession, a parishioner with care touches the shoulders of a couple as she passes them. Parents assisting and holding the children of other parents during Mass. Servers who go to their family members to extend the Sign of Peace. I am sure there are many other moments. These moments help me see Christ active and alive in our community and touch my heart. Thank you, holy people!
Read more

The Grotto in the undercroft of St. Clement

Image
If you have not already done so, check out Our Lady of Lourdes Grotto in St. Clement Church basement. It is a beautiful place to spend quiet time, reflect, and pray. Here is information about it from our 150th anniversary document:  The original grotto was constructed in 1899 and was lit by gas light. It is the "Out Lady of Lourdes Grotto.  When it was dedicated in 1900, there was even a song, "Hymn to Our Lady of Lourdes, written to mark the day.  It was much larger.  It was not uncommon for weddings to be celebrated there.  It has undergone several renovations.  It was the renovation in 1993 under the leadership of Fr. Al Hudepohl that made the grotto much smaller to allow for a new heating system as well as central air-conditioning. Artistic ceramic tiles line the walls.  The tiles represent titles of Mary: Our Lady of Perpetual Help, Our Lady of Grace, the Madonna and Child, Our Lady of Fatima, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel, Queen of the Holy Rosary, Quee...
Read more

Master, I Wat to See

Image
  "Master, I want to see."  Do you ever want to see?   I do not mean physically see.   Maybe you want to see the future or see with understanding why things are the way they are.   I feel that way.   Then there is that adage, “Hindsight is 20-20.”   Sometimes, I just don’t want to wait for hindsight, I just want to understand right now.     It in these times that my faith in the goodness of a loving God gets me through my impatience.   My trust in God’s goodness keeps me grounded.   My hope, grounded in the example of Jesus the forgiving Lord, allows me to move forward into the unknown and unsure with blind faith.   May we see with the eyes of hope and trust grounded in the love and mercy of Jesus Christ our Savior.
Read more