Our society throws around the word “blessing” a lot, and many people use this word without any reference to God. Many more people do not understand their primary purpose. So, my hope is that this article will bring some clarity to the subject. Before defining what blessings are, however, we should briefly look at what they are not.
What Blessings Aren’t
Blessings are not things that the “universe” gives us. For whatever reason, our culture has developed a deeply flawed belief that the universe has a mind, and I have heard people speak as if the universe somehow chooses to bless or curse them. This is nonsense. The universe does not have a mind and does not choose anything.
Also, blessings are not things that we use to call attention to ourselves. I’ve heard people say, “I’m so blessed,” while wearing the latest “bling” to show off their ostentatious lifestyle, sense of style, and/or to contribute to their self-aggrandizement. However, God does not give us blessings for these reasons.
Additionally, blessings do not possess power apart from God. The Catechism states, “To attribute the efficacy of prayers and sacramental signs [which include blessings] to their mere external performance…is to fall into superstition” (par. 2111).
Finally, blessings do not and cannot approve sinful behaviors. When the Vatican published Fiducia Supplicans, which clarified the permissibility of blessing same-sex couples, many thought that these blessings were a form of approval for their homosexual behavior. However, a careful reading of this document tells us that the blessings are for people, not their sinful actions.
(By the way, I’m not a papal apologist. I believe that blessing same-sex couples, in anything other than a private setting, gives the wrong appearance. I mention this document because, following its publication, many Catholics [including myself at first] believed that the Vatican had approved blessings for sinful behavior.)
So, what are blessings?
What Blessings Are
Generally, blessings are anything that comes from God and brings us closer to Him. God Himself is the highest blessing and the one from whom all blessings flow. Our acknowledgement of this is a form of praise about which the psalmist writes, “Bless the Lord, oh my soul” (Ps. 103:2). Click here for more on the etymology of the word “blessing.”
Blessings are sacramentals because they prepare us to receive sacramental graces and help us to become more like Christ:
Sacramentals do not confer the grace of the Holy Spirit in the way that the sacraments do, but by the Church’s prayer, they prepare us to receive grace and dispose us to cooperate with it. Among sacramentals, blessings (of persons, meals, objects, and places) come first. Every blessing praises God and prays for his gifts. In Christ, Christians are blessed by God the Father “with every spiritual blessing.” This is why the Church imparts blessings by invoking the name of Jesus, usually while making the holy sign of the cross of Christ. (see CCC par. 1670-1671)
As you can see from the Catechism’s explanation, blessings come from God, not the universe, and they have no power of themselves. Instead, their efficacy has divine origins. Further, since they prepare us for grace, we must never use them for self-aggrandizing purposes. This kind of action would be contrary to both the blessing and the grace toward which it disposes our souls. Finally, no one may use blessings to approve sinful behaviors. This would oppose grace and, therefore, render the blessing ineffective.
Now that we know what blessings are and are not, we should move on to the types of blessings that God gives us.
Types of Blessings
We should see common objects, those things that the Church has not set aside for liturgical use (e.g., homes, cars, jobs, etc.), as gifts from God, and they should prompt us to give Him thanks. We should somehow use them to further the kingdom by carrying out the good works that God gives us.
Blessed objects such as rosaries, prayer cards, and miraculous medals should aid us in our prayers. When blessed, they become ordered toward helping us deepen our prayer lives by preparing our souls for more grace. Please click here for more on how God helps us to grow in grace.
Clerical blessings come from God through the clergyman who imparts the blessing. When receiving one of these blessings, you will hear something along the lines of, “I bless you in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
A clerical blessing, whether it is just before the dismissal at Mass or given upon request, prepares a person’s soul to receive grace. Therefore, when a person asks for a blessing, the person is asking God to align their will with His will and to further dispose their soul to grace.
Suffering Can Be a Blessing
We don’t often think of suffering as a blessing. Instead, we tend to regard it as irritating at best and a curse at worst. However, through Jesus Christ and because of His suffering, death, and resurrection, we can ask God to accept our suffering as penance and to make it an opportunity for growth in holiness. God can use our suffering to purge us of disordered attachments to temporal goods. By doing this, He helps us to make room in our souls for more grace.
Additionally, everything God creates is a blessing for us, and in a state of grace, we are like God. Therefore, God gives us power to turn suffering and many other things into blessings. Please click here and here for more on suffering and holiness.
Blessings Make Us Holy
St. James writes, “Every good endowment and every good gift come from God” (Jas. 1:17). “Therefore, put away all filthiness and rank growth of wickedness, and receive with meekness the implanted word, which is able to save your souls” (Jas. 1: 21). The gifts and endowments are blessings, and meekness is both a blessing and the fruit of blessings. They soften our hearts to make us better temples of God.
Every blessing is an opportunity to cooperate with grace. By using them in accordance with God’s will, they will help us purge all kinds of disordered attractions from our bodies and souls. Accordingly, everything that comes our way can be an occasion for holiness, provided we respond with grace and love guided by truth.
Bless the Lord, oh my soul, and let us be a blessing to others!
Author’s Note: For more recommended reading from this author:
Photo by Thays Orrico on Unsplash
