By John Bosio
When I was a young boy living in northern Italy, one morning after Mass my pastor asked me to go with him to bless homes. Early that afternoon we set out. I walked along carrying a container with holy water and a big empty basket. The pastor said, “Today we will visit the farmhouses just outside of town.” At each stop the priest gathered the families living there, whoever was not in the fields, and explained that he had come to bless their homes. This is something he did each year and they were expecting him.
The people living at the farm assembled in the largest room. “Remember that we bless your house each year to rededicate your homes and your families to God. God lives here with you. Let’s make room for him,” the pastor explained.
The message to his flock still resonates with me today, especially as we begin a new year. This year has been a time full of anxieties and heartaches. As we enter 2021, we can make a new start; we can rededicate ourselves and our family to God, who stands by us ready to help with his graces. We need to make room for him in our lives, as my old pastor reminded his flock.
One way to mark a new beginning spiritually in 2021 is with a home blessing. There is a tradition of blessing our home on the twelfth day after Christmas, or on the feast of the Epiphany, or anytime—the “chalking of the door.” Through this simple ritual, we ask God’s blessing on those who live in the home and on all those who visit throughout the year. If you wish to ask for God’s blessing over your home and your family, you can find a simple prayer below.
Gather by your home’s entrance, the front door. Then the head of the family or any member leads this short prayer ritual:
Let us pray! In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Lord our God,
Come and bless this house (apartment) which is our home. Surround this shelter with Your Holy Spirit. Encompass all its four sides with the power of your protection so that no evil or harm will come near.
May the divine blessing shield this home from destruction, storm, sickness, and all that might bring evil to us who shall live within these walls.
Then, using chalk, write on top of the entrance or nearby +20 CMB 21+.
The numbers represent the current year. The letters CMB stand for Christus Mansionem Benedicat a Latin phrase that means “May Christ bless this dwelling.” After writing these numbers and letters continue your prayer:
Blessed be this doorway. May all who come to it be treated with respect and kindness. May all our comings and goings be under the seal of God’s loving care.
Blessed be all the rooms of this home. May each of them be holy and filled with the spirit of happiness. May no dark powers ever be given shelter within any of these rooms but banished as soon as recognized.
Let us pray as our Lord taught us to pray: Our Father…
May God’s holy blessing rest upon us all, In the name of the Father, And the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
My pastor’s blessing of homes ended with a final prayer. Before we left, families brought gifts and my empty basket was filled with eggs, salami, cheese, homemade bread, and many other goods. That summer, I accompanied my pastor on many home visits, and my basket by the end of each day would get quite heavy. Sometimes the pastor had to help me carry it. Fortunately, when we traveled a few miles out of town, the priest would drive.
Questions for reflection: How will you remind yourself during this year that God lives with you in your home? How will you make room for God in your life?
John Bosio is a former marriage and family therapist, director of religious education, and diocesan family life coordinator. He and his wife, Teri, wrote Joined by Grace, a marriage preparation program from Ave Maria Press.
The house blessing prayer was adapted from Prayers for the Domestic Church by Edward Hays. It is used with permission of the publisher, Ave Maria Press.
