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Saturday, January 16, 2016

Matthew and the Epiphany


Matthew was really fascinated by the Three Kings over Christmas. He was sorely disappointed that our family manger scene was missing them. I explained to him that we would collect them someday, but he couldn't wait that long and substituted some dinosaur figures of his own for the Wise Men. When we went to Midnight Mass for Christmas, he was very excited to see the baby Jesus, but was ecstatic to find all three Wise Men were clearly in view, camels and all.

Matthew was back in school before the feast of the Epiphany and his teacher discussed it in great depth with her students. I was particularly proud of Matthew when I was told that his teacher was trying to remember the names of all Three Wise Men and clearly named "Balthazar" and "Gaspar" but was completely blanking on the third. My cheeky son raised his hand and said: "It's Melchior!" She was impressed.

On the way home from school on the Feast of the Epiphany, Matthew told me that Father David had come to their classroom to do a "classroom blessing" where he wrote the names of The Three Wise Men in chalk above their door. This "house blessing" is traditional done on the feast of the Epiphany to ask God's grace on the home and all who abide and visit it. Since the classroom is Matthew's home away from home, he was particularly excited and couldn't wait to tell me about it. Well, would you guess his surprise when I informed him that we had had the same blessing done to our house nearly three years ago and the chalked initials of the Three Wise Men is still clearly visible above our front door? As soon as he got home, he ran right over to the door and started squealing with excitement when he saw the letters!

It's so awesome to see him so excited to learn!


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