Happy New Year!
Welcome to the new 2017 year. We pray and hope that it will be one of peace, good will, and great things. May this New Year of 2017 find you happy and in good spiritual health, and may you Be Bold, Be Holy, and Be Catholic.  May you experience and add to the experience of our great Sunday gatherings for the Eucharistic meal.  On behalf of the entire St. Clare Staff we wish you a wonder-filled year.
 
Epiphany of the Lord
Today we celebrate the manifestation (epiphany) revelation of God. Christ is revealed in many ways: as Lord, as King, as the one in whom God is present and acts. All of these manifestations are signs and wonders that we see in Christ, revealing a deeper meaning of who he really is. Traditionally three events in the life of Jesus are remembered as his manifestations: the visit of the Magi, the wedding feast in Cana, and the Baptism of the Lord. Due to calendar regulations, the feast of the Baptism of the Lord will be celebrated tomorrow at 8 a.m. Mass.
 
Blessing of our Homes
It is an Eastern tradition to mark the doors of our homes with chalk and this inscription: 20+C+M+B+17. The number of the New Year is split at the beginning and end. The initials C, M, and B represent Caspar, Melchior, and Balthasar and the three crosses stand for "saint." The letters also abbreviate the prayer: "Christus Mansionem Benedicat" which means May Christ Bless this House. So today you may take the chalk home, gather around the inside of the front door, and use it to inscribe the numbers and letters on the frame while saying: "May Christ bless this house.” Throughout the year those who come and go through that door will enjoy the blessing of Christ. This ritual casts a Christian interpretation on the threshold we cross at the beginning of the calendar year. Chalk is available at the Christmas manger site.