By Lavoisier Fernandes –
Yet again the Holy Father Pope Francis made sensationalised media headlines when he sneezed (I don’t mean literally) replying to a ‘dubium’, or question about blessing same-sex couples.
Reading some of the twisted and concocted news from secular media along with the vitriol against the Holy Father by certain catholic outlets and bloggers I had a few sniffles of sneezes. I was blessed with the phrase ‘God bless you’, something offered intentionally by my friend next to me -as an actual unofficial blessing instead of just a polite response.
What did the Pope say in reply to the dubium?
In his response to the dubium, the pope said that “the Church avoids any kind of rite or sacramental that could contradict” its doctrine regarding marriage, or “give the impression that something that is not marriage is recognized.” But he also urged for pastoral discernment in offering blessings “requested by one or more persons, that do not transmit a mistaken conception of marriage. Because when a blessing is requested, one is expressing a request for help from God, a plea to be able to live better, a trust in a Father who can help us to live better.”
| “As for proposals to place unions between homosexual persons on the same level as marriage, there are absolutely no grounds for the considering homosexual unions to be in any way similar or even remotely analogous to God’s plan for marriage and family” (Pope Francis-Amoris Laetitia, Apostolic Exhortation)
“Let’s think of the nuclear arms, of the possibility to annihilate in a few instants a very high number of human being. Let’s think also of genetic manipulation, of the manipulation of life, or of the gender theory, that does not recognize the order of creation”(Pope Francis on Gender ideology -Feb 2015) |
Before I declutter as it what constitutes as a blessing, let us look at a few of many excerpts on what the Holy Father has already reiterated in various documents, encyclicals, and interviews.
In 2021 Pope Francis personally approved an official reply by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF, now “Dicastery” or DDF) that said that the church does not and cannot bless sin.
| “We come across this reality all the time in the confessional: a father and a mother whose son or daughter is in that situation. We have to find a way to help that father or that mother to stand by their [LGBTQ]son or daughter.”
(Pope Francis message for parents of LGBTQ Children-interview with La Nacionm, leading conservative newspaper in Argentina) |
However, the Holy Father has also cautioned against the victimisation, judgement, slander or one size fits all moral standards against homosexuals suggesting a pastoral approach of loving the sinner and hating the sin. A pastoral approach that goes out in search of the prodigal son or daughter. Is it easy in our secular world? absolutely not! But that is the challenge and a call.
So, what is a blessing?
The English word bless is used to translate the Latin word benedicere and the Greek word eulogein. Both of these mean “to speak good.” To bless is the opposite of to curse (Latin, malidicere, “to speak evil”). A blessing is a type of sacramental – in fact, the preeminent type of sacramental in the Catholic Church. Through blessings, Catholics praise God for the gifts he has given, while also invoking his goodness and grace upon the different events and circumstances of their lives. Scripture regularly depicts blessings both in the Old and New Testaments.
What can be blessed?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1671&1672) says a wide variety of people and things can be blessed and specifically mentions person, meals, objects, and places. We see people bless their cars, pets, homes, different sacramentals. In fact, the Church actually has a Book of Blessings, which includes special prayers to bless all kinds of people and things – rosaries, Christmas trees, church doors, sick individuals, seeds, animals, fishing gear, victims of crime, and athletic fields, just to name a few. I am yet to confirm- but it is said there are 198 blessings including blessing of Beer. But again, blessings don’t have to be formal.
Who can bless? (Unofficial Blessing)
The Catechism teaches that through our baptismal priesthood every baptized person is called to be a ‘blessing,’ and to bless. Lay people can bless things, its sometimes common to have a blessing of a meal before eating it(grace before meals). Some Catholics have the custom of blessing their children, or tracing a cross with holy water in their homes. Till today when I leave home after holiday, I get a blessing from my parents and elders. So, this is a common custom along with other customs like the “God bless you” that one receives if say whilst sneezing.
Blessing concerning the Ecclesial and Sacramental life(Official Blessing)
The Church is not involved in all blessings but only those it has authorized. These may be considered official blessings. Because of its sacramental nature, these blessings are reserved for clerics. The Catechism says that “the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the more is its administration reserved to the ordained ministry (bishops, priests, or deacons).”
What are the classes of blessings ?
God is ultimately the origin of all grace, and it is he who makes it efficacious. However, the Catholic Encyclopedia states that blessings are divided in two classes, invocative and constitutive.
Invocative Blessings– those in which the Divine benignity is invoked on persons or things, to bring down upon them some temporal or spiritual good without changing their former condition.
Constitutive blessings – have the effect of imparting a sacred character upon the person or thing being blessed – as opposed to invocative blessings which invoke God’s goodness upon a person or thing.
Difference between a Sacrament and Sacramental
I know they are similar sounding but there is a difference. So, some other examples of sacramentals include holy water, rosaries, the Stations of the Cross, and blessed candles.
The Catechism says that sacramentals are sacred signs, instituted by the Church, “which bear a resemblance to the sacraments.” Sacramentals don’t bring grace in the same way that seven sacraments do, but the Church says they dispose people to receive and cooperate with the grace of the sacraments more fully. They inspire devotion and assist in prayer.
The Second Vatican Council taught that “for well-disposed members of the faithful, the liturgy of the sacraments and sacramentals sanctifies almost every event in their lives; they are given access to the stream of divine grace which flows from the paschal mystery of the passion, death, the resurrection of Christ, the font from which all sacraments and sacramentals draw their power. There is hardly any proper use of material things which cannot thus be directed toward the sanctification of men and the praise of God.”
What are the effects of a blessing?(efficacy)
Point to note again here is that God is ultimately the origin of all grace, and it is he who makes it efficacious.
The Catholic Encyclopedia states blessings produce the following specific effects: (1) Excitation of pious emotions and affections of the heart and, by means of these, remission of venial sin and of the temporal punishment due to it; (2) freedom from power of evil spirits; (3) preservation and restoration of bodily health. (4) various other benefits, temporal or spiritual. All these effects are not necessarily inherent in any one blessing; some are caused by one formula, and others by another, according to the intentions of the Church.
Lavoisier Fernandes, born and raised in Goa, is currently based in West London. His faith is “work in progress”- and a lifelong journey. He has always been fascinated by the Catholic faith, thanks to his Salesian schooling. He’s passionate about podcasting, theology, the papacy, and volunteering. He has hosted ‘Talking Faith’ series for Heavens Road FM, Catholic Radio, connecting with ordinary men and women within the Catholic faith, other faiths and examining issues affecting both the Church and society. He has also been a host on Shalom World Catholic TV for two episodes of the ‘Heart Talk’ series. He presently contributes for the Goa Diocesan magazine Renevacao.