A week before Christmas, Pope Francis (through a document prepared by a Vatican office) called on priests to be generous in responding to all who approach them sincerely seeking a simple blessing from God. The document offers a helpful and expansive view of what it means to seek and invoke God's blessing on people.
More curious than the need for the Church to issue a document calling on priests to bless people is the negative reaction this document has received in many quarters - from some bishops, priests, religious communities and Catholic people.
What's the problem?
The document calls on priests to bless any and all "who come spontaneously to ask for a blessing (and who) show by this request their sincere openness to transcendence, the confidence of their hearts that they do not trust in their own strength alone, their need for God, and their desire to break out of the narrow confines of this world, enclosed in its limitations."
It seems that there are ordained ministers in our Church who deem some of God's children unworthy or undeserving of God's blessing - or somehow beyond such a blessing's reach.
Anyone who reads the document knows how painstakingly it differentiates between simple, pastoral blessings (which it encourages) and any prayer or action that might give the impression or appearance of blessing what the Church cannot sanction. Note: those who actually read the document with an open mind cannot miss its unambiguous and clear intentions.
Let's pray that in 2024, the Church's ministers will be warm and generous to any who come seeking sincerely the blessing of God who loves us all!
The Lord Bless You and Keep You by John Rutter
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the Lord make his face to shine upon you
and be gracious unto you:
the Lord lift up the light of his countenance upon you
and give you peace.
Amen.
I am 87 and so thankful to have had such a blessed Christmas. I sang in our church Christmas Concert, had family for dinner, spent an afternoon with my dearest granddaughter from CA, and received cards from all over the world! We FaceTimed with daughter in Zambia and 2 grands there, all is well. Your posts are the best ending to my day. Oh, and in May, my dear non catholic husband and I will celebrate our 65 year good marriage, 3 children, 8 grands and 2 greats! Thank you, Fr. Fleming!🌟❤️🙏🏻🎼Marie Chaplin
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