Chalk it up to a new year.In the feast of the Epiphany Epiphany (ĭpĭf`ənē) [Gr.,=showing], a prime Christian feast, celebrated Jan. 6, called also Twelfth Day or Little Christmas. Its eve is Twelfth Night. some lucky church goers collect a stick of chalk. On Epiphany Sunday, celebrated January 8 this year, I'll be there to receive this unusual Catholic sacramental sacramental, in the Roman Catholic Church, aid to devotion that is not a sacrament. Sacramentals are commonly divided into six classes: prayer, anointing, eating, confession, giving, and blessings. . Arriving home, chalk in hand, I'll inscribe in·scribe tr.v. in·scribed, in·scrib·ing, in·scribes 1. a. To write, print, carve, or engrave (words or letters) on or in a surface. b. To mark or engrave (a surface) with words or letters. some symbols over my doorway. This practice, not known to every Christian today, dates to the Middle Ages and seems a bit whimsical in today's world. In this graphically high-tech age, writing on a concrete sidewalk or brick wall with a stump of chalk feels too temporal for religious messaging. A good hosing from a maintenance man or a downpour from Mother Nature quickly obliterates whatever the message, be it carefully crafted or impulsively inscribed in·scribe tr.v. in·scribed, in·scrib·ing, in·scribes 1. a. To write, print, carve, or engrave (words or letters) on or in a surface. b. To mark or engrave (a surface) with words or letters. . Usually people communicating divine messages strive to secure much more permanent footholds than hieroglyphics etched with chalk on outside walks and walls. Before we get our piece of chalk on our way out of church, a little instruction and, of course, a blessing takes place. The priest explains that by writing the inscription "20+C+M+B+06" above one's front door, and reciting a prayer, all who cross the marked threshold will enjoy Christ's goodness. Then the chalk sticks are blessed: "May God, who provided a safe dwelling for the eternal Word, bless this chalk, the homes of the faithful, and the people who live there, through Christ our Lord. Amen." The somewhat mysterious looking cryptograph "20+C+M+B+06" is rather easily decipherable. Together the first and last segments, 20 and 06 indicate the year. The three middle consonants are the initials of the traditional names of the three Wise Men: Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar. (There are multiple spellings of Caspar, including Kasper, which replaces the "C" with a "K" in the cryptograph.) Neither the number nor the names of these mysterious and mystical seers Seers is the plural of Seer Seers may refer to:
The term has several connected meanings. In terms of belief, traditions are generally stories or history that are or were widely accepted without being part of Christian doctrine. . This sacramental chalking extends the church celebration of the 12th day of Christmas into home and family. It connects Jesus' early home with every Christian home. And it contributes to blessing the people who come into and go forth from our homes throughout the year. PETER GILMOUR (Pgilmou@wpo.it.luc.edu) teaches at the Institute of Pastoral Studies of Loyola University Chicago Beginnings and expansions Founded in 1870 as the St Ignatius College on Chicago's West Side. In 1908 the School of Law was established as the first of the professional programs. . |
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