Recent changes in the Mass have woken us up to the words said. What caught my attention is that twice we proclaim, “Blessed be God forever!” We do what we were created to do: We recognize God’s greatness and praise him with all the angels and saints. Bless is a two-way word. We bless God at Mass because he has blessed (gifted) us with the bread and wine that become Jesus. But bless also means to wish that God would favor someone.
You don’t have to be ordained to impart a blessing. A friend of mine blessed his two daughters before they went to bed. He made a Sign of the Cross on their foreheads. When a third daughter came along, he started kneeling before her so she could bless him too. He wished he had thought of this earlier. There is a special bond between him and this youngest now.
We call anything good that happens a blessing. Therapists advise people to list the day’s blessings every night. This is a way to avoid depression and help ensure a good sleep.
Most interesting are those blessings that come in disguise! Being sent to the University of Minnesota to get an MA in math (of all things!) made no sense when I was head of a high school English department. But I enjoyed many enjoyable, enriching years in Minnesota…especially after I switched to pursuing a degree in English.
People can be blessings for us. When I was asked to speak at a convention for the first time, my introverted self was alarmed. But then someone remarked, “Well, if you can teach, you can talk.” That gave me the courage to say yes and changed my life.
On the other hand, we can be blessings for other people. Some people in our lives may sorely be in need of a blessing. Who can you be a blessing to today?
What blessing in disguise have you experienced on your life’s journey?
