Blessing Gifts

Some say a blessing at meals.   Some ask for a blessing during reconciliation: “Bless me Father, for I have sinned.”  Some offer a blessing every time someone sneezes: “God bless you.”

My favorite occurs before dismissal when our priest calls the children up for a blessing.   After a sign of the cross on their foreheads, I usually say: “May God always be in your heart, keep you safe, and fill you with love.” 

I just finished a book published in 1986: “The Blessing – Giving the Gift of Unconditional Love and Acceptance” written by Trent and Smalley.”  My 2011 edition was another one of my used-bookstore finds.  

They describe five elements of a blessing: meaningful tough; a spoken message; attaching high value; picturing a special future; and an active commitment.   Its primary purpose is to “provide hope and healing for those men and women who may have missed their parents blessing.”

Using many references from the Bible as examples of blessings and their importance, these authors make such points as: “Both people and relationships suffer in the absence of spoken words of love, encouragement, and support – words of blessing...When a spoken blessing is withheld in a marriage, unmet needs for security and acceptance act like sulfuric acid and eat away at a relationship…Without words of  love , acceptance, and encouragement, children often grow up traveling one of two roads that lead to unhealthy extremes.” 

Trent and Smalley provide examples of “100 Homes That Gave the Blessing to Children.”  Two examples are: “My parents would take the time to really listen to me when I talked to them by looking directly into my eyes,” and “My father loved me by loving my mother.”  

So, with hands on the shoulders of our loved ones, or through hand-holding and unbroken eye contact, let’s say something like: “God has given you to me as a blessing I welcome and cherish.  I return the blessing by reminding you that you are valued beyond words, and my love for you is never-ending.   May you always realize that my life is made joyous by your presence.”

Or something like that.

Deacon David Pierce