A Ritual for Epiphany: The Blessing of Homes

The feast of the Epiphany of Our Lord, traditionally celebrated on January 6th, marks the closing out of the Twelve Days of Christmas. In centuries past, some European countries formulated an annual ritual performed on this day, to bless parishioners’ homes at the start of the New Year. While it is not widely practiced, the Blessing of Homes on Epiphany is still celebrated in many Christian traditions.

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Why Were the Magi Allowed to Use Astrology?

AH asks: “I have a question that keeps coming up in conversations with my friends and I would like to answer them correctly. What is the Authoritative Catholic explanation of what the Magi used when reading the stars? Was it astrology or astronomy? How do we as Catholics defend the teaching of Christ on not to use Astrology if the magi did.”

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