Spotlight on the Family 3: Blessings

When someone sneezes, we automatically respond, “God bless you.” (Supposedly this practice was begun by Pope Gregory the Great during the plague.) My answering machine message ends with “Have a blessed day!” Just what is a blessing? It is a prayer to call down God’s goodness and protection on someone or something. When Jacob was dying, he gave a special blessing to each of the twelve tribes of Israel. People brought their children to Jesus so that he might bless them. A papal blessing is the gift of the pope’s apostolic blessing on the occasion of a special anniversary or celebration and certified by a beautiful document from Rome. Priests bless us at the end of Mass, and they bless rosaries, pets, and houses. But popes, priests, and deacons are not the only ones who can bless. The catechism states, “Every baptized person is called to be a blessing and to bless.” (2669) We can bestow blessings because our baptism made us a priestly people. It makes sense that family members would want to bless one another. Click to continue