A FAMILY PARALITURGY FOR THE SOLEMNITY OF THE EPIPHANY OF THE LORD

Papa: In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.
All: Amen.

Papa: On this day, we remember the Magi who, guided by the star shining in the heavens,
came to the house where Jesus rested in the arms of the Virgin Mary, His mother, and
Saint Joseph, His foster father. They were blessed as they brought their gifts to that
holy place.
All: We have seen His star in the East and have come with gifts to adore the Lord!

Papa: The star burned like a flame, pointing the way to God, the King of kings; the wise
men saw the sign and brought their gifts in homage to their great King. We ask that
we may also become like that star, ever ready to lead others to Jesus our King.
All: We have seen His star in the East and have come with gifts to adore the Lord!

Papa: As the Magi were led by that great star to the greatest source of eternal light, Christ
our Lord, we invoke and ask God’s blessings on our house, our doors, and our
thresholds, so that our home may truly be a new Bethlehem, a new Nazareth, where
peace, love, and joy reign, and where we may find and encounter the same Jesus, born
ever anew, in the hearts and faces of the people who enter and leave our premises.
All: We have seen His star in the East and have come with gifts to adore the Lord!

Papa: Let us pray.

O God, who on this day revealed Your Only Begotten Son to the nations by the
guidance of a star, grant in Your mercy that we, who know You already by faith, may
be brought to behold the beauty of Your sublime glory. Through our Lord Jesus
Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one
God, forever and ever.
All: Amen.

Russel: Listen to the words of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah:

Rise up in splendor, Jerusalem! Your light has come, the glory of the Lord shines upon you. See,
darkness covers the earth, and thick clouds cover the peoples; but upon you the Lord shines, and
over you appears His glory. Nations shall walk by your light, and kings by your shining radiance.
Raise your eyes and look about; they all gather and come to you: your sons come from afar, and
your daughters in the arms of their nurses.

Then you shall be radiant at what you see, your heart shall throb and over flow, for the riches of
the sea shall be emptied out before you, the wealth of nations shall be brought to you. Caravans
of camels shall fill you, dromedaries from Midian and Ephah; all from Sheba shall come bearing
gold and frankincense, and proclaiming the praises of the Lord.

The Word of the Lord.

All: Thanks be to God!

All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their
treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true
God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

Ladies: My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God, my Savior.
A Family Paraliturgy for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
Gentlemen: For He has looked with favour on His lowly servant, and from this day all generations
will call me blessed.

Ladies: The Almighty has done great things for me: holy is His Name.

Gentlemen: He has mercy on those who fear Him in every generation.

Ladies: He has shown the strength of His arm, He has scattered the proud in their conceit.

Gentlemen: He has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has lifted up the lowly.

Ladies: He has filled the hungry with good things, and has sent the rich away empty.

Gentlemen: He has come to the help of His servant Israel for He has remembered His promise of mercy.

Ladies: The promise He made to our fathers, to Abraham and his children forever.

Gentlemen: Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Ladies: As it was in the beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

All: From the east came the Magi to Bethlehem to adore the Lord; and opening their
treasures they offered precious gifts: gold for the great King, incense for the true
God, and myrrh in symbol of His burial.

Mama: A proclamation from the Holy Gospel according to Saint Matthew.

All: Glory to you, O Lord.

Mama: When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea,

in the days of King Herod,
behold, magi from the east arrived in Jerusalem, saying,
"Where is the newborn king of the Jews?
We saw his star at its rising
and have come to do him homage."
When King Herod heard this,
he was greatly troubled,
and all Jerusalem with him.
Assembling all the chief priests and the scribes of the people,
He inquired of them where the Christ was to be born.
They said to him, "In Bethlehem of Judea,
for thus it has been written through the prophet:
And you, Bethlehem, land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
since from you shall come a ruler,
who is to shepherd my people Israel."
Then Herod called the magi secretly
and ascertained from them the time of the star's appearance.
He sent them to Bethlehem and said,
"Go and search diligently for the child.
When you have found him, bring me word,
that I too may go and do him homage."
A Family Paraliturgy for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
 After their audience with the king they set out.
And behold, the star that they had seen at its rising preceded them,
until it came and stopped over the place where the child was.
They were overjoyed at seeing the star,
and on entering the house
they saw the child with Mary his mother.
They prostrated themselves and did him homage.
Then they opened their treasures
and offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod,
they departed for their country by another way.

The Gospel of the Lord.

All: Praise to You, Lord Jesus Christ!

Leader: Many shall come from Sheba, alleluia, alleluia!

All: bearing gold and frankincense, alleluia, alleluia!
Leader: O Lord, hear my prayer.
All: And let my cry come unto you.

Papa: Let us pray.

Bless, O Lord God, this creature, chalk, and let it be a help to mankind. Grant that
those who will use it with faith in your most holy name, and with it inscribe on the
doors of their homes the names of your saints, Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar, may
through their merits and intercession enjoy health in body and protection of soul;
through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

Papa: Let us pray.

O Lord, Almighty God, bless this house that it may become a shelter of health,
chastity, self-conquest, humility, goodness, mildness, obedience to the
commandments, and thanksgiving to God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. Upon this
house and those who dwell herein may Your blessing remain forever, through Christ
our Lord.
All: Amen.

The father of the family and all other family members proceed to the front door. While all look on, the father
reads the corresponding words as the kings inscribe their initials onto the lintel. (The initials CMB also stand
for Christus mansionem benedicat: May Christ bless this house.)
Final inscription on lintel should read: 2 0 + C + M + B + 1 7:
The three wise men, Caspar, C
Melchior, M
and Balthasar B
followed the star of God’s Son who became man two thousand [inscribe the ‘2 0’ on left] 20
seventeen years ago. [inscribe ‘1 6’ on right] 1 6
May Christ bless our dwelling, [places + after ‘2 0’] +
and remain with us throughout the new year, [ + after ‘C’] +
and grant that our comings and goings [ + after ‘M’] +
will be in search of truth. [ + after ‘B’] +
A Family Paraliturgy for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord
Papa: Almighty God, incline your ear. May you bless us and all who are gathered here. Send
your holy angel who will defend us and fill with grace all who live here. We ask this
through Christ our Lord.
All: Amen.

Papa: Encouraged by the example of the Magi, we present our gifts and petitions to the Lord
saying: Lord, lead us by Your light!
All: Lord, lead us by Your light!

Papa: For the Church, the new Jerusalem to which the Lord calls all the peoples of the
world: May she always be a resplendent sign of God’s universal love. Let us pray to
the Lord!
All: Lord, lead us by Your light!

Mama: For the Holy Father and all other spiritual leaders: May their teaching and example be
like bright stars that lead people to Jesus. Let us pray to the Lord!
All: Lord, lead us by Your light!

Kuya Ryan: For our missionaries who endeavor to bring the light of the Christian faith to those
who do not know it: May they succeed in integrating the Gospel values with the local
cultures. Let us pray to the Lord!
All: Lord, lead us by Your light!

Ate Ning: For all Filipino families, especially those whose members are no longer at peace with
one another: May the grace of this season help them overcome the present difficulties.
Let us pray to the Lord!
All: Lord, lead us by Your light!

Yani: For our own family: may the peace of Christ reign in each member of our family, and
may selfless love keep us united in mutual forgiveness and solidarity. Let us pray to
the Lord.
All: Lord, lead us by Your light!

Natalie: For our family members who have gone ahead of us, especially Marciano and
Lourdes, may they find peace in the loving embrace of Christ. Let us pray to the Lord.
All: Lord, lead us by Your light!

Papa: Lord Jesus, like Jerusalem, we rise up in splendor because your light has come. May
our behavior become like a star that leads others to you who live and reign for ever
and ever.
All: Amen.

Papa: Let us pray that God’s Kingdom may come and may His will be done in our family, on earth,
as it is in heaven, as we together say:
All: Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy Name.
Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
Give us this day, our daily bread, and forgive us our trespasses,
As we forgive those who trespass against us.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen.

A Family Paraliturgy for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord

Papa: Let us pray.
All: O God, by Your heavenly star, You guided those who were wise to Your beloved
Son, Jesus Christ. May Your blessing come to rest on our home and all of us.
Make our lives wise with Your wisdom, true to Your teaching, and enlivened by
Your love. May Your Word made Flesh make His home among us. Amen.

Papa: All the ends of the earth have seen, alleluia!

All: The salvation of our God, alleluia!
Papa: The Lord is God, and He has shone upon us.
All: Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.
Papa: Bless us, O Lord,
All: And these, Thy gifts, which we are about to receive from Thy bounty. Through
Christ our Lord. Amen.

Papa: Be enlightened and shine forth, O Jerusalem, for Your light has come, and upon You
has risen the glory of the Lord Jesus Christ, born of the Virgin Mary.
All: And all nations shall walk in your light, and ings in the brilliance of Your rising,
and the glory of the Lord has risen upon you.
Papa: A holy day has dawned upon us, alleluia!
All: Come, you nations, and adore the Lord, alleluia!

Papa: And may the blessing of Almighty God, the Father, (+) the Son, and the Holy Spirit,
come upon us and remain with us always.
All: Amen.

Papa: Let us bless the Lord!

All: Thanks be to God!

A Family Paraliturgy for the Solemnity of the Epiphany of the Lord