Today we celebrate the tradition of marking our doors with a blessing:
20+C+M+B+24
The new year is marked with 20 & 24 at the beginning and end. The letters CMB stand for the traditional names of the Magi: Caspar Melchior and Balthazar, but more important, the letters stand for the blessing in Latin: Christus Mansionem Benedicat (Christ bless this house). In between the numbers and letters are crosses.
Of course, Scripture does not say that there were 3 magi, or that they were kings, or give us their names, but they were the first Gentiles to worship Jesus. And so because of them, in the iconography of the apse mosaics in Rome, the town of Bethlehem comes to represent all of us non-Jews who came into the Church.
I'm back, up and running, and ready to go - I should have a new JOURNEY episode within the next week or so - and because you are my loyal peeps, here is an exclusive, just-for-you, behind the scenes SNEAK PEEK into my new office:
This was for March 24th, recorded for the Ascension App
Thanks for your patience - here is our next installment of The Journey - it's session # 96, but I'm also calling it PART 1 of a "miniseries" on John chapter 6.
Whoever watches it first, please let me know if it looks good or if there are any problems with it - I get through the first two sections of the text on the feeding of the 5,000.
Enjoy!
I mentioned in The Journey that I wrote a song based on Isaiah 2, which is one of my favorite OT passages:
In days to come, the mountain of the Lord’s house
shall be established as the highest mountain, and raised above the hills.
All nations shall stream toward it. Many peoples shall come and say:
“Come, let us go up to the Lord’s mountain, to the house of the God of Jacob, That he may instruct us in his ways, and we may walk in his paths.” For from Zion shall go forth instruction, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.
He shall judge between the nations, and set terms for many peoples.
They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks; One nation shall not raise the sword against another, nor shall they train for war again. House of Jacob, come, let us walk in the light of the Lord!
I hope you like the song!
