St Matthew tells us that when the wise men arrived in Bethlehem to visit Jesus, they found him and his mother in a house, not the stable where they had found their first temporary shelter. This is a cue that our Epiphany celebration should focus on our own houses, and it is a very old custom to bless houses on Epiphany. In the East, in particular, it is the custom for the parish priest to go through the parish blessing houses-not the elaborate blessing of a new home, but a special blessing that is also often given at Easter, a renewal of the homes in which the people of God dwell and live out the mystery of faith day by day. In recent years, this custom has been revived in some places in the West, and The Book of Occasional Services of the Episcopal Church provides forms for this blessing. However, there is another way of blessing homes at Epiphany that begins in church, but does not require the priest to go from house to house-something that would be quite impossible in many non-geographical parishes in the modern world. This custom involves chalk that is blessed by the priest and taken home by families to mark the doors of their homes.

On this Sunday, we will bless chalk during the 9:00 Mass to be used to hallow all our homes throughout our parish and our city. The chalk will be available at the back of the Church, so please take some home with you. The initials of the legendary names of the wise men are written with blessed chalk on the lintel above the front door of the house, framed by the numbers of the new year, in this way:

20 + G + M + B + 18

After making the inscription, the following prayer is offered:

Leader: The Lord be with you.

People: And with thy spirit.

Leader: Let us pray. O Lord, holy Father, Almighty, everlasting God, we beseech you to hear us and vouchsafe to send your holy Angel from heaven to guard and cherish, protect and visit, and evermore defend all that dwell in this home. I call upon your Saints Gaspar, Melchior and Balthasar, to protect my family, friends and all who enter here from every harm and danger, and I place this mark over my door to remain as a reminder to us that my home is truly the house of the Lord. O God, make the door of my house the gateway to your eternal Kingdom. Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

All: Amen.

A Hopeful Path Forward:   A Christian Approach to Challenging Conversations, with Robert Bordone - Saturday, January 20, 10 am to 2 pm - A renowned professional facilitator and conflict resolution consultant, Bordone specializes in assisting individuals and groups seeking to manage conflicts in highly sensitive, emotional, or difficult situations in corporate, nonprofit, educational, governmental, and cultural institutions.  His clients have included Fidelity Investments, Nestlé, Coca-Cola, Delta Air Lines, Microsoft, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, Massachusetts General Hospital, Dartmouth College, the US Department of Justice, the United Way, the International Criminal Court at The Hague, and the Vienna School of Economics and Business Administration.

Bob has served as faculty adviser to the Harvard Mediation Program, the Harvard Negotiation Law Review, Harvard Negotiators, HLS LAMBDA and the Harvard Catholic Student Organization.  He serves on the Board of Visitors for the Center for Social Impact at Dartmouth College, on the Board of Advisors for the Center for Empathy in International Affairs, and on the Board of Advisors for The Systemic Justice Project at Harvard Law School.  His writings and commentary have appeared in The Boston Globe, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, The Washington Post, CNN's The Situation Room, WBUR's Congnoscenti, and BBC Radio.

The four-hour seminar includes lunch; the fee is $10; space is limited so early registration is recommended.  For more information or to register, please email Deacon Daphne ( [email protected]).