Christus Mansionem Benedicat

-
May Christ Bless this Home! Today we celebrate the Epiphany (January 6, traditional). There are many customs that surround Epiphany, but in our home we stick to a very simple and beautiful one, one that I look forward to each new year. This is the day that we, as Catholic Christians, do our annual blessing of our home. We only need holy water, some chalk, and the lyrics to "We Three Kings". My family won't let me sing because I sound like a wounded animal, so we skip the song and sing it at Mass with the entire church instead; then my horrible voice is not heard.
We gather at the front door and with the chalk, mark over the front door:
20 + C + M + B + 11
representing the year, and the blessing Christus mansionem benedicat (May Christ bless this house). The crosses represent each season of the year.The letters represent the traditional names of the Wise Men--Caspar, Melchior and Balthasar.

These Have Been Passed Down in My Family
+JMJ+ Today I am grateful for our home and the shelter that it provides. May God bless it with peace and safety. Bless this house through all the days to come!
JESUS, MARY, JOSEPH, PRAY FOR US.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Another Salad Dressing Post

-
Today I would like to share some really great raw salad dressings. Wait, aren't all salad dressings considered raw? No they are not. Remember, you have to be very careful about the ingredients you use. Raw salad dressings are as unprocessed as possible. Using ingredients that are as close as possible to their natural state. That is why I choose first cold pressed olive oils, unpasteurized apple cider vinegar and coconut vinegar, fresh herbs, vegetables and fruits. You get the picture. But keep in mind sometimes I will use a small amount of ingredients that may not be truly raw. For example, real maple syrup is heated to reduce the amount of water content and to make the syrup into what it is when we purchase it in jars. And I am pretty sure balsamic vinegar is not raw. I still love the taste sometimes in dressings so I don't mind using a tiny amount. I am not an extreme raw foodist . If I choose to eat something that is not raw I am fine with that. Keep it simple or you set you
Read more

My First Post

-
Image
~ JMJ ~ I am happy to start posting on my new blog. I should introduce myself first. I am a wife and a mother of five children. I home school all of my children for religious and academic reasons. I choose to eat a raw living food diet. I love raw food and how this living food makes me feel. I have been eating raw living foods since November, 2009. My goal is to consume foods as close as possible to the way they appear in nature, the way God created them to be. Here I will share my experiences with the raw food lifestyle and great recipes I make/create each day. I will share raw food recipes, my sprouting adventures, square foot gardening and container gardening, favorite raw food book titles, raw food products, kitchen appliances, and tools that have helped me with food preparation. From time-to-time I just might share some homeschooling thoughts, experiences, ideas, and tips. I will also take time to reflect back on my days and find all the ways I can experience gratitude.
Read more

Health Benefits of Sea Vegetables

-
Image
Elizabeth's Sea Vegetable Salad Lunch yesterday was a fabulous salad made with loads of fresh vegetables and  sea vegetables. I used the Creamy Thai Dressing from yesterday's salad dressing post. I decided to use the red pepper flakes instead of the Thai bird chilies. I like things slightly spicy, not overly spicy. The red pepper flakes gave it just the right amount of heat. I enjoyed this salad so much, I was tempted to lick my plate when it was all gone! If you are trying sea vegetables for the first time you may want to use less than I did in my recipe. I really adore them so my recipe has quite a bit. Alter it to your tastes and I'm sure it will be fantastic. Below the recipe I have pasted an excellent article outlining the wonderful health benefits of sea vegetables. It also points out the one sea vegetable you should steer clear of. Please read it and educate yourself. You will be truly amazed at how healthful these plants are. Here is my
Read more