Bishop's Blog

Wednesday, April 10, 2013

Blessings

In Catholic Christianity without any apologies whatsoever we intentionally bless things.  We designate and dedicate elements of the material creation, in order to effect a spiritual recreation.  The Lord Himself in His ministry of healing used what today we might call a sacramental, when He rubbed a kind of paste made of spittle and mud on the eyes of a blind man.  In the Acts of the Apostles it is recorded, that the faithful were cured, by means of hand cloths touched by the Holy Apostles.  Throughout the history of the Church, there have always been blessings for sacred images, for food and drink, for horses and farm animals, for houses and barns for bells and swords, for wells, bridges and roads.  Our Catholic Book of Blessings has hundreds and hundreds of individual blessings, to sanctify all manner of persons, places and things.  Mundane things are blessed, to daily remind us of heavenly things.  By means of these blessings a sense of the sacred, should permeate not only our liturgy, but really every aspect of our lives.  We were created by God, to live in relationship with God, to hear His voice and to savor His presence.  As the Apostle Paul once urged, whether you eat or drink or whatsoever else you do, do all for the glory of God.  Everything we say and do should be filled with the blessing, and unction of the Holy Spirit.