"Chalking of the Doors" Epiphany Home Blessing

It's appropriate to bless the lintel of the home (the horizontal frame above the door) - or any adjoining wall - in January because Janua means "door" and the first month is the door to the new year. In Exodus, the Israelites marked their doors with blood so that the Lord would pass over their homes; but in this service, we mark our doors with blessed chalk and cleanse and guard them with Holy Water as a sign that we have invited God's Presence and Blessing into our homes.

It should be noted that the Blessing of Homes may occur at any time throughout the year. Completing them during the Epiphany/Theophany Season -- and before the beginning of Lent -- is the custom, but not the requirement. (There is also a special blessing when moving into a new home; a home and dinner table blessing on Holy Saturday - or home only during Paschal Tide.)

Saint Alexander 1st (Roman Pontiff: 105 - 115 A.D. during the reign of the Spanish Roman Emperor Trajan. NOT to be confused with his contemporaries St. Alexander the Patriarch [or Coptic Pope] of Alexandria or "St. Alexander the Charcoal-Burner.") initiated the blessing of homes with water mixed with salt. This pious tradition was started in order to purify Christian homes from evil influences. He also introduced the Asperges before Mass and the Qui Pridie prayer that recalls the memory of Christ's Passion said before the Consecration. He was decapitated on May 3rd (his Feast Day, together with that of Sts. Eventius and Theodulus), 115 or 116 A.D. on the Via Nomentana within seven miles of the city of Rome .

Chalk, a common element from the earth, is used by teachers in instruction and by children in their recreation. Fittingly, we utilize blessed chalk in this service as an ordinary substance applied to holy use. Further, chalk will not permanently mar the dwelling. As its image fades from view over time, those who participated in its original inscription will remember it and the purpose for which it was intended. In doing so, they may rededicate themselves to that purpose. After that year passes and a new Epiphany arrives, they would again to celebrate the multiple themes of this Epiphany Season and once again seek God's blessing upon their homes and on those who come and go through it.

The blessing of homes by these holy waters (within the rite as explained below) maintains the spiritual association between the family "church" and the parish, as well as again providing for the sharing of God's spiritual gifts. The service performed by the priest to bless the new dwelling is somewhat similar to the consecration of a church in that holy water, holy oil and incense are used and a lesson from the Holy Gospel is read.

....In representation of St. John the Baptist, who came before Christ, proclaiming His coming and enlightening the world about Him, a family member leads the priest through the house with a candle as he is performing the blessing... All the rooms of the house are sprinkled with holy water and each of the four outer walls are anointed with the sign of the Cross with holy oil, a candle placed before them, and after the censing of the house, the lesson from the Holy Gospel is read. At the conclusion of the blessing, the inhabitants are blessed with holy water: the husband first, followed by the wife and then the children — the oldest first. Relatives and friends present are then blessed.

The blessing of the home is often given by pastors, either individually or if the parish is so large that this is impossible, from the church steeple in the four directions. If there is no blessing of houses in your parish on Epiphany, the father may go through the various rooms of the home sprinkling the Theophany water or with ordinary holy water if the other has not been blessed. If the pastor is going to bless the homes from the church, the father of the family should perform the ceremony for his home at the same time. As the various rooms are sprinkled, the father reads the prayer:

Bless, O Lord, almighty God, this home so that in it there may be health, chastity, victorious strength, humility, goodness and mildness, obedience to God's laws, and acts of thanks to God the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, and may this Blessing remain upon this house, and upon all who dwell in it. Through Christ Our Lord, Amen.

Stay mindful that unless God protects and blesses our homes, "we labor in vain who build it." (Ps. 127:1) If there is no priest available and you are praying for a devotional blessing upon your home yourself* then say this prayer after inscribing your doorway as suggested above:

God of Bethlehem and Cana,
God of Jordan's leaping waters,
in baptism You bring us into Your Family.
You wed us and embrace us as Your Beloved.
May we fill this place with kindness to one another,
with hospitality to guests, and with abundant care
for every stranger.

By the light of a star
guide home all who seek You
on paths of faith, hope and love.
Then we will join the angels in
proclaiming Your praise:

Glory in heaven and peace on earth,
now and forever. AMEN.

* It is wrong to consider commissioned blessings without efficacy when the layman reads them. By our Baptism we have a share in Christ's Priesthood. If we are part of Christ in His Mystical Body, and He is High Priest, we share this with Him. Ours is not the same as the power of the consecrated priest, but it is our right and privilege to ask God's blessing on the things we use in daily life, and we should exercise this privilege often.

"....We are accustomed to hear that the sacramentals work 'ex opere operantis,' which would mean in virtue of the intensity of devotion in those who use them. Yet this is only part of the truth. The thing is cast in an altogether different light when it is stated in full precision, namely, that the sacramentals work 'ex opere operantis Ecclesiae,' which means that their efficacy is in first place dependent on the power of the Church's intercession, and only secondly on the devout dispositions of the subject concerned. Back in the Middle Ages, William of Paris stated: 'The efficacy of the sacramentals is rooted in the nobility of the Church, which is so pleasing to God and so beloved by Him that she never meets with a refusal from Him.' The matter could hardly be expressed better. Owing to the resurgence of the doctrine of the mystical body, it has been granted to our times to view The Church once more in Her true nature as the body of Christ, flesh of His flesh, bone of His bone, more intimate a part of Him than a bride is of her bridegroom. Therefore, it is not exactly improper to speak of an efficacy 'ex opere operato' in the case of sacramentals. For example, an altar that receives the consecration of the Church is consecrated and remains consecrated, no matter how fervent and devout was the bishop who performed the consecration. ....Although we have stressed the truth that the sacramentals derive their efficacy chiefly from the intercessory power of The Church, we may not minimize the role played by man's own subjective dispositions... ("De sacramentis," Translated by Philip T. Weller, S.T.D., 1964)

Traditional Invocative Blessing

of a Home on Epiphany

PRIEST: Peace be to this house.
ALL: And to all who dwell herein.

PRIEST: Let us pray. O 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. R. Amen.

ALL: 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.

PRIEST: 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.

PRIEST: Let us pray: Gracious God, as a shining star once guided the Magi to the birthplace of the infant Jesus, so enable those who dwell here to be Your Light in the world; through Jesus Christ we pray.

READOR: A reading from Proverbs: "By wisdom a house is built, and through understanding it is established; through knowledge its rooms are filled with rare and beautiful treasures ." (PROVERBS 24:3.)

ALL: Antiphon: From the East the Magi came to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their treasures, they offered costly gifts: gold to the great King, incense to the true God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial. Alleluia.

PRIEST: A reading from Isaiah: "The effect of righteousness is peace, and the result of righteousness, quietness and trust forever. My people will abide in a peaceful habitation, in secure dwellings, and quiet places." (ISAIAH 32:17-18.)

Using chalk blessed in Holy Theophany Water, (hence, “Chalking the Door”) the priest and/or family members inscribes the lintel of the home (the horizontal frame above the entry door) with the inscription shown below. The letters C+M+B come from the traditional (9th century) names for the “three kings” — Caspar, Melchior & Balthazar. Some also suggest that it means “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” which translates to “May Christ Bless this House.”

20 + C + M + B + 05

Then, while the home is then being incensed and sprinkled with Holy Water, ALL follow him and read the Canticle of The Magnificat (LUKE 1: 46-55)

And Mary said: My soul doth magnify The Lord.
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
Because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid:
for behold from henceforth
all generations shall call me blessed.
Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me:
and Holy is His Name.
And His Mercy is from generation unto generations,
to them that fear Him.
He hath showed might in His arm:
He hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat
and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things:
and the rich He hath sent away empty.
He hath received Israel His servant,
being mindful of His mercy.
As He spoke to our fathers:
to Abraham and to His seed for ever.

PRIEST: Lord, remember Your children and teach us to pray:
The Our Father is prayed TOGETHER. The laity may join hands or extend their hands outward and upward (orans) for this prayer.

PRIEST: When You in Jordan for Your baptism were come, 0 Lord, then was revealed unto us to worship the Trinity, for lo, the Father's voice spoke to bear witness of You, by Name, declaring You His well beloved Son; and the Spirit in form like a dove appeared to confirm the sure truth of the spoken Word; 0 Lord made manifest and Light of the world, we give glory to You, 0 Christ our God.

O Lord Jesus Christ our God, our True Light and Savior, Who deigned to be baptized in the Jordan by John the Baptist to renew all men by the cleansing water of regeneration (Tit. 3:5) and to enter under the roof of Zacchaeus, the Publican, bringing salvation to him and his house (Lk. 19:9), now, You, O Lord, protect also (NAMES) and all who dwell in this house from all evil, aggression, harm and injury; grant them Jordan’s blessing +, all that is good and beneficial for them, purification of soul and body, and good health; and hear all their supplications, which are for their salvation and life eternal. For blessed are You, O Lord, together with Your Eternal Father and Holy Spirit, now and forever, unto the ages of ages. R. Amen.

ALL:
Be enlightened and shine forth, O Jerusalem, for thy light is come, and upon thee is risen the Glory of The Lord, Jesus Christ born of the Virgin Mary.

V. Nations shall walk in Thy Light, and kings in the splendor of Thy Birth.
R. And the Glory of The Lord is risen upon thee.

PRIEST: Let us pray. Grant, 0 Lord, a prosperous and peaceful life, health and salvation, and the furtherance of all good things to all Your servants (Names) who dwell herein, and preserve them for many years. R. AMEN.

Bless, O Lord, almighty God, this home that it be the shelter of health, chastity, self-conquest, humility, goodness, mildness, obedience to the commandments, and thanksgiving to God the Father, Son +, and Holy Ghost. May the blessing remain for all time upon this dwelling and them that live herein. Through Christ our Lord. R. AMEN.

PRIEST: May the Lord watch + over our going out and our coming in, from this time forth and forevermore. R. AMEN.