Chalking the Door
The ancient Christian custom of chalking the door goes back to the 6th century. The basis for marking the lintel of the house, however, has biblical roots in the Old Testament. The most prominent connection is when the Israelites marked their doors with the lamb’s blood on the night of the Passover:
“The Lord said to Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt … ‘take some of the blood [of the lamb], and put it on the two doorposts and the lintel of the houses in which they eat them. They shall eat the flesh that night, roasted; with unleavened bread and bitter herbs they shall eat it … The blood shall be a sign for you, upon the houses where you are; and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and no plague shall fall upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.’” (cf. Exodus 12:1-13)
The custom is also seen in the Law given to Moses:
“Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God is one Lord. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole strength. And these words which I command thee this day, shall be in thy heart: And thou shalt tell them to thy children, and thou shalt meditate upon them sitting in thy house, and walking on thy journey, sleeping and rising. And thou shalt bind them as a sign on thy hand, and they shall be and shall move between thy eyes. And thou shalt write them in the entry, and on the doors of thy house.” (Deuteronomy 6:4-6, 9)
Why, why would someone mark a perfectly good door frame? I suggest it is because blessings are important. When we think of blessing, perhaps, we think of just nice words, but a blessing is more than that. Blessing is both similar and dissimilar to a consecration. A bishop is consecrated and an abbot is blessed, there is the blessing of a cornerstone and the consecration of a church. In both, the persons or things pass from a common, or profane, order to a new state, and become the subjects or the instruments of Divine protection. However, consecrations are a bit more elaborate, are done by a bishop or as an extension of the bishop, and are final, instantaneous, and efficacious in conveying grace. Both are ways of setting things apart as instruments for God. We bless holy water, wedding rings, animals, etc. asking God to use these things for our benefit and his glory. We bless houses because it is a way of setting the house apart for the glory of God. It asks God to protect it from evil and for it to be blessed for the use of his means.
I once had a friend ask me why we bless animals and inanimate objects when we don't see that in Scripture. I disagreed and argued that we do see it in Scripture, but it was Seminary and semantics were in full swing. However, the argument that finally gave him pause was that we bless animals and inanimate objects because we see the cursing of these things. It was the curse of the Fall that extended to created things. Likewise, in the blessings and curses of the covenant that God made with his people, we are told of the effects that the curse has on the ground and the people. It would be insincere if we recognized the curse of the harvest but would not recognize that the blessings of God didn't also extend to the created world.
The effects of our sin are never just internal, they extend to the world around us.
Remember that the High Priest would splatter the walls of the Holy of Holies with blood to cleanse them from the stain of sin. I don't say this to make you paranoid, quite the opposite. I say this to tell you that Christ, in his death and resurrection, has redeemed and is actualizing his redemption in the created world. We offer ourselves, our lives, and our houses back to God. And that all who we enter and leave your house shall know of the promises and redemption of Christ: "And thou shalt tell them to thy children, and thou shalt meditate upon them sitting in thy house, and walking on thy journey, sleeping and rising."
At the end of the house blessing, there is a prayer read and the inscription "20 C+M+B 24" marked with chalk on the lintel of your main door. The “20” and "24" stands for the millennium, century, and year. The “C” stands for the first Wise Man, Caspar, the “M” stands for Melchior, and the “B” stands for Balthasar. It is also popularly believed that the initials stand for “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” (“Christ bless this house”).
May God bless you this new year,
Fr. Aaron