Blessings

The Three Magi, Balthasar, Melchior and Gaspar--I'm liking Gaspar's red shoes.


Today, Jan. 6, is a busy day...the Feast of the Epiphany, Day of the Three Kings and day for the Blessing of the Waters. There is a tradition on this day for the Priest to use chalk to write the initials of the Three Magi- Balthasar, Melchior, and Gasper(Casper), over the door of community churches and homes to grant a blessing to the building and its occupants. In many countries, this day is their Christmas gift day. Children would leave their shoes on the doorstep the night before and receive a gift from the Three Kings in their shoes the next morning. In ancient custom, the Priest would also use this date to announce the date of Easter since calendars were not easily available and it was time to plan the celebrations of the liturgical year.

This painting by Polish painter, Teodor Axentowicz, 1893, captures a chilly version of the Blessing of the Waters. A hole is cut in the ice, and the Priest dips a cross three times into the water. In warmer weather, especially in Greek tradition, a cross is thrown into the water and gathered believers jump in to recover the cross. Whoever retrieves it and returns it to the Priest receives a special blessing for themselves and their household. There is a huge celebration of Blessing of the Waters in Tarpon Springs, Florida. Many of the early settlers came there from Greece because of the local proliferation of sponges and the sponge trade.

It's colder right now in the places that are usually warm and therefore have a large homeless population. If you see a homeless person with a pet, chances are that person won't receive protection from the cold weather because homeless shelters are rarely able to accept pets. (last I heard, there were only two in the country willing to do so). If you should encounter this situation, it might be a good time to offer some help. Provide the person and pet with an extra blanket, some food, or better yet, if you live where they have homeless shelters, call your local shelter and volunteer to house the pet for a night so it can be safe and warm and its owner can rest comfortably in a shelter. If I were alone and homeless, I can't think of anything that would bring me more comfort than a pet. Homeless people love their pets just as you and I do. By the way, if you ever want an easy way to glimpse the true character of someone you know, observe how they react to a homeless person. This picture is from the website, Feeding Pets of the Homeless. It pretty much sums it up.