I have great news for you. Your to-do list for today just got shorter. That top line - take down the Christmas lights, decorations, ornaments and box them up for next year - ya you can go ahead and cross that one off. Well at least for now. Because we are Catholics and for us the party is just getting started.
If you are like me, you’ve gone years of your life believing that the 12 days of Christmas refer to the days leading up to the 25th. Makes sense based on how we celebrate Christmas in America. But it turns out it’s the exact opposite in the Church. The actual 12 days refer to the time between the nativity of Christ and the Epiphany - the day the 3 Magi came to pay homage to the newborn king.
The Epiphany is one of those hidden gems in the liturgical calendar. Falling on January 6th (this year it will be celebrated on Sunday the 5th), this feast highlights the universality of Jesus’ mission. The three wise men, coming from distant lands, represent all of humanity being drawn to Christ, not just the people of Israel. That’s a big deal! Celebrating the Epiphany reminds us that God’s love knows no boundaries.
And I really can’t think of a better way to start off the new year than with the age old Epiphany tradition of blessing your entrance. The ritual involves the head of the household using blessed chalk to mark the top of the front door with the inscription:
The numbers show the year and the letters both represent the traditional names of the wisemen, Caspar, Melchior and Balthazar, as well as the Latin prayer, which translates to “May Christ bless this home”. If your parish doesn’t offer blessed chalk you can bring your own and have it blessed (don’t skip this part!).
