The Magi, The Epiphany, Blessing Homes

I am so excited to have found yet more information about the magi, The Feast of the Epiphany and the blessing of houses with chalk. This information comes to you by way of a blog by Father Z called, What Does The Prayer Really Say? His source: The 1962 Missale Romanum Here is part of what I found . . . .

The tokens brought by the Magi, representing the hopes of the nations of the earth, were “types”, foreshadows of the Lord who would offer Himself on the Cross. Fathers of the Church and medieval writers such as Jacobus de Voragine (+1298) wrote with creativity and insight about these symbols.

Gold symbolizes the kingship of God to be mirrored in the purity of our hearts, so precious to Christ the King.

Frankincense, annihilated by burning, symbolizes Christ’s divinity. Only God should receive sacrifices. The burning of something so precious reminds us of the immolation Christ submitted Himself to on our behalf. The total destruction of incense produces smoke, which rises like our prayers upward to God. During a Traditional High Mass as the priest incenses the altar he quietly recites,

“May this incense, which Thou hast blessed, O Lord, ascend to Thee, and may Thy mercy descend upon us. Let my prayer, O Lord, be directed as incense in Thy sight: the lifting up of my hands as an evening sacrifice. Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and a door round about my lips. May my heart not incline to evil words, to make excuses for sins. May the Lord enkindle within us the fire of His love, and the flame of everlasting charity. Amen.”

This prayer was done away with in the Novus Ordo, as were many direct references to sin.

Myrrh, a balm used to prepare the bodies of the dead, underscores Christ’s humanity through which He suffered and rose from death.

You can find my Catholic Notebook saved copy of Father Z's post here. Graphic Credit ~~~~> artist, Wayne Henry from Perth, Western Australia