What are the biggest blessings you have received in life? Who have been the biggest blessings for you? Are you a blessing for others?
All of us have heard (and used) expressions like, “God bless you!” “Bless me, Father,” “Please bless me; I am sick (or: I have an exam today, or: I have an important appointment coming up, ….).
We seek someone’s blessing, because we believe it is a sign of good will, and that it can bring us something good.
Many people got healed of diseases after being blessed by Don Bosco. One day, someone came looking for him. He asked him, “You are the healer, Don Bosco?” The saint replied: “I am not a doctor. I don’t heal anyone. It is Mother Mary who heals.” He attributed all the healing that followed his blessing to Our Lady, not to himself.
We can not only bless; we can BE a blessing for others. How?
A cousin of mine has often told me, “A very big blessing God has given me is my daughter-in-law. She is such a loving young woman. Her family is very loving, too. God could not have given me a bigger blessing.”
To have a loving parent or spouse or sibling or in-law is certainly one of life’s most precious blessings.
Each of us can be a blessing to those around us—or become a curse.
It is good to remember that a blessing—or a curse—lands on the giver more than on the receiver. If I wish others good, I will be happier. If I wish them evil, I will be the first to be affected by my evil desires.
Blessings and curses land first of all on the head of the one giving them.
What we wish for others is what is most likely to land on our lap.
What do we mean when we say, “God bless you”?
God can only wish us good. God wills evil for no one.
God needs no reminders from us to help anyone.
When we say phrases like “God bless you,” we are expressing our positive and loving desires for the person we bless. Thus, a mother or father can bless their children—that is, wish for them all the good God desires for the child.
Fr Joe Mannath SDB
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