Encyclopedia of Spiritual Theology

The Blessing

If you were to ask for one single request for your life…
Let this one single request be the blessing…
The Blessing

And regarding the sufficiency of blessing for a person, the Scripture says:
“The blessing of the Lord makes one rich, and He adds no sorrow with it.” (Prov. 10:22).

Blessing appeared in the Scripture from the very first story of creation, when God blessed our first parents Adam and Eve: “God blessed them, and God said to them: Be fruitful and multiply; fill the earth and subdue it; have dominion over the fish of the sea, over the birds of the air, and over every living thing that moves on the earth.” (Gen. 1:28).

Here we find that the blessing carried increase, strength, and authority; and with this blessing Adam lived as God’s steward on earth. His awe was upon all the other creatures, and the animals did not harm him. He lived in peace and happiness. And together with blessing, purity existed. But when man sinned, the blessing was no longer with him as before, and the world became corrupt, until God drowned it with the flood. The first person who completely lost the blessing—so much that he was cursed by God—was Cain (Gen. 4:11)… and then came the curse of the flood. Then God returned and was pleased with humanity in the person of Noah, so He blessed him and his sons with the same blessing He gave Adam and Eve (Gen. 9:1).

Among the prominent blessings in Scripture is the blessing of God to our father Abraham:
It was a threefold blessing, for He blessed him, made him a blessing, and also said to him: “I will bless those who bless you… and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Gen. 12:2–3). The blessing carried greatness, breadth, and expansion. He said to him: “I will make you a great nation; I will bless you and make your name great.” (v.2). And after Abraham’s trial, the Lord blessed him and said: “I will bless you, and multiplying I will multiply your descendants as the stars of the heaven and as the sand which is on the seashore.” (Gen. 22:17).

The Meaning and Extent of Blessing

In reality, it is difficult to define a single specific meaning for blessing, for it encompasses goodness—all goodness. Concerning a person, it includes God’s work with him in all his life, in all his work, in everything that belongs to him, and in everything his hand reaches. God’s blessing for his life, his work, his offspring, and all that he owns.

God commanded the tribe of Levi to stand on Mount Gerizim and proclaim the blessings of God, and the people would respond “Amen.” (Deut. 27:12).

And God’s blessings were connected to obedience and keeping His commandments:

The most important and comprehensive chapter in which blessing is mentioned is Deuteronomy 28, where the divine revelation says: “Now it shall come to pass, if you diligently obey the voice of the Lord your God, to observe carefully all His commandments… that all these blessings shall come upon you and overtake you.”

“Blessed shall you be in the city, and blessed shall you be in the field. Blessed shall be the fruit of your body, the produce of your ground, and the increase of your herds… Blessed shall be your basket and your kneading bowl. Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out. The Lord will cause your enemies who rise against you to be defeated before your face… The Lord will command the blessing on you in your storehouses and in all to which you set your hand… And the Lord will grant you plenty of goods… The Lord will open to you His good treasure, the heavens, to give the rain to your land in its season, and to bless all the work of your hand… The Lord will make you the head and not the tail; you shall be above only, and not be beneath… if you heed the commandments of the Lord your God…” (Deut. 28:1–14).
And the opposite of this was said in the curses that befall those who disobey the commandments of God.

The Source of Blessing

Its source is God, and everyone in whom God places blessing:

1. We ask for blessing directly from God. And God grants it to us directly from Himself. And we notice that the blessing the Church gives when dismissing the people at the end of any gathering is: “The love of God the Father, the grace of His Only-Begotten Son, and the communion and gift of the Holy Spirit be with you all.”
   Thus, it is a blessing from God, from the Holy Trinity, carrying God’s love, His grace, His fellowship in our lives, and His gifts to us…

By direct blessing, from His divine mouth, God blessed our fathers Adam, Noah, Abraham, and others. Yet He may also bless us through His servants and His children.

2. A blessing from the priesthood, from clergy, from the stewards of God: “stewards of the mysteries of God” (1 Cor. 4:1), (Titus 1:7), “those to whom God entrusted His house” (Num. 12:7). They take from the treasures of God and grant people blessings… meaning the prophets, apostles, bishops, priests, spiritual fathers… We notice that Abraham, the father of fathers, received blessing from Melchizedek, the priest of God Most High (Gen. 14:18–19), although Abram himself was among the priests of God. But the priesthood of Melchizedek was higher (Heb. 7:7).

And when priests bless, they transfer God’s blessing to the people, or they pray that God may grant them blessing:
They pray saying “Bless them…” or say to a person “The Lord bless you…” And Eli the priest blessed Hannah with a prayer that the Lord give her the request of her heart (1 Sam. 1:17). Even the phrase “Peace be with you all,” which you hear repeatedly in every Liturgy, is a word of blessing. We shall explain later the way priests bestow blessing…

3. A blessing from the Virgin, the martyrs, the saints, the Fathers of the Church, and the men of God:
   Elijah the man of God was a blessing in the house of the widow of Zarephath, for God blessed the jar of flour and the jug of oil in her house throughout the famine. And Elijah’s blessing appeared when her son died and was raised alive through his prayer (1 Kings 17)… Likewise Elisha the prophet was a blessing in the house of the Shunammite woman, for God granted her a son through his supplication, and when he died, the Lord raised him by his prayer (2 Kings 4)… Joseph the Righteous was a blessing in Potiphar’s house, “and the blessing of the Lord was on all that he had in the house and in the field.” (Gen. 39:5). Joseph was also a blessing in the land of Egypt, for God preserved it from famine and made him the cause “to preserve life” (Gen. 45:5).

As for the blessing of the Virgin, the martyrs, and the holy Fathers, it needs no discussion or explanation. We mention all these names in the Liturgy and say afterward: “May their holy blessing be with us. Amen.”

And in the dismissal of the people at the end of our meetings, we ask for them the blessing of the Virgin, the angels, and the saints, and we ask it also in the Synaxarium during its daily reading. We even take blessing from their relics and belongings and all that pertains to them. We take the blessing of their prayers and intercessions.

4. The blessing of parents and of elders and the aged:
   That is why in the Ten Commandments God made honoring parents accompanied by the blessing of long life on earth (Ex. 20:12), which is “the first commandment with a promise” (Eph. 6:2–3). We saw how both Jacob and Esau were eager to receive the blessing of their father Isaac, and how Esau cried with an exceedingly great and bitter cry when he learned he had lost this blessing, and he lifted his voice and wept (Gen. 27:34, 38). He asked his father to bless him also…

And as the fathers said in their blessings, so it happened:
As Noah blessed Shem and Japheth and cursed Canaan, so it happened (Gen. 9:25–27). And “by faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come,” and “by faith Jacob, when he was dying, blessed each of the sons of Joseph” (Heb. 11:20–21).

Thus it happened exactly, and the Lord affirmed the blessing of parents.
So would that every person be eager to receive the blessing of his parents: to love them, serve them, obey them, and honor them in sickness, need, and old age, and thereby receive their blessing. Likewise, he should seek the blessing of elders and the aged, and of relatives of the same status as his parents—uncles, aunts, maternal uncles and aunts, grandparents, and also from non-relatives, as well as the blessing of teachers, receiving the prayers of all on his behalf…

An example in service: homes for elderly men and women. How beautiful it is to take the blessing of all these by caring for them in their old age…

5. We also receive the blessing of serving the hungry, the needy, the poor, and the afflicted:
   The Lord considered every service done to these as done to Him personally: “I was hungry and you gave Me food…” and He said, “Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” (Matt. 25:35–40).
   Job the Righteous said in this regard: “The blessing of him who was ready to perish came upon me” (Job 29:13)… that is, the person who was about to perish and you rescued him—his blessing came upon me…

6. The blessing of holy places and everything consecrated and sanctified:
   Thus we take the blessing of churches, monasteries, the places of the saints, the Holy Land, and all the houses of the Lord, “for there the Lord commanded the blessing—life forevermore.” (Ps. 133:3). Thus the Lord sings, saying: “How lovely is Your dwelling place, O Lord of hosts! My soul longs, yes, even faints for the courts of the Lord… For a day in Your courts is better than a thousand.” (Ps. 84).

Likewise we receive the blessing of all the holy objects, vessels, and icons; we also receive blessing from the Holy Scriptures and kiss them in love and reverence. We receive the blessing of the Cross, remembering the salvation we received through the Cross of the Lord. Even the veil of the sanctuary we take its blessing, and the places where the saints are buried or where their relics are… etc.

7. We also receive the blessing of the Lord’s Day:
   For the Lord blessed it and sanctified it (Gen. 2:3), and it became a blessed day in our lives; the Lord made it for our good: “The Sabbath was made for man, not man for the Sabbath” (Mark 2:27). The blessing of the Lord’s Day applies also to all the feasts and seasons of the Lord (Lev. 23:2,4). They are days we celebrate and take their blessings in our lives.
   St. John the Apostle was “in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day” (Rev. 1:10), and he explained the blessings that came upon him through what he saw and heard on this blessed day…

Means of Blessing

1. Since God is the source of blessing, we receive it through prayer:
   The priest, when granting blessing, prays asking for the descent of blessing from God. We also pray to receive blessing from God. We say in the Psalm: “God be merciful to us and bless us” (Ps. 67:1).
   “The earth has yielded her increase; God, our own God, shall bless us.” And in the Liturgies the priest prays saying: “O You who blessed in that time, now also bless.” And in the Prayer of Absolution he says: “Bless them, purify them, sanctify them.”

Prayer may be at any time and place, or the priest may pray over the head of the one seeking blessing…

2. Blessing also comes through sprinkling water that has been prayed over:
   As the Lord said through Ezekiel the prophet: “Then I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean.” (Ezek. 36:25). We remember that in the beginning of creation “the Spirit of God was hovering over the face of the waters” (Gen. 1:2), and that God Himself said He is “the fountain of living waters” (Jer. 2:13). Water symbolized the Holy Spirit, as the Lord said (John 7:38–39)… Through sprinkling water we also receive the blessing of the prayers said over this water. We notice this in the Church in the Lakan of the Apostles’ Feast, in the Lakan of Covenant Thursday, in the sprinkling of water after the Divine Liturgy… and on Palm Sunday.

3. Blessing also comes through the sign of the Cross:
   For the Cross was the source of all blessings in the New Testament. Food is blessed by prayer and the sign of the Cross; the priestly garments are blessed also by the sign of the Cross. In all ordinations of priestly ranks, the anointings are done with the sign of the Cross, and priests bless the people likewise with the sign of the Cross. You can, before you sleep, sanctify your bed by signing it with the Cross, and also sign yourself to receive its blessing, and sign your house, your books, your papers, and in every occasion.

4. Blessing is also received by speech—by the word of blessing:
   Thus you can receive blessing by hearing a word of blessing, whether from a priest, or from your parents, or from any blessed person. St. Anthony the Great said: “Make everyone bless you”—meaning pray for you… that you hear from him a word of supplication…

5. Blessing is also received by laying on of hands:
   There is laying on of hands for priesthood (2 Tim. 1:6), for healing (Mark 6:5; 16:18), and for blessing (Matt. 19:13,15)… It was said of the Lord Jesus in blessing the children: “He took them up in His arms, laid His hands on them, and blessed them.” (Mark 10:16). Many fathers use laying on of hands for blessing, with prayer and the sign of the Cross…

6. Blessing is also received through holy oil:
   Whether the blessing of healing from illness—as it is said of the disciples of Christ: “They anointed with oil many who were sick, and healed them.” (Mark 6:13)—or the blessing of anointing, as the Lord said to sinful Jerusalem: “I washed you with water… I anointed you with oil.” (Ezek. 16:9).

7. The blessing of spiritual gatherings and of the holy mysteries:
   In every sacrament of the Church there is a special blessing granted by the Holy Spirit. Many, for example, say about the sacrament of marriage that they received “the blessing of the crowning,” meaning they received the Church’s blessing from the holy sacrament. In our hymns we say: “O You who blessed the wedding of Cana of Galilee…” Those who attend Church meetings receive the blessing of the Church, the blessing of the meeting, and the blessing of the words… In the sacrament of repentance it is said that the person received “the blessing of absolution.” For forgiveness is a blessing.

8. Blessing is also received by faith:
   If we say that the priest who grants the blessing gives it to people through laying on of hands, by speech, by the sign of the Cross, by oil… we say that those who receive blessing receive it by faith. He who has no faith does not receive blessing. St. Paul the Apostle speaks of the blessing given to our father Abraham: “In you all nations shall be blessed,” and he says: “Those who are of faith are blessed with believing Abraham.” (Gal. 3:8–9).

9. Blessing is also received by obedience—by keeping the commandments:
   Obedience was the condition for all the blessings mentioned in Deuteronomy 28. Known is the saying of the Fathers: “Upon the child of obedience the blessing rests.” “And the disobedient—his condition is destroyed.” You receive the blessing of God by obeying Him; even the blessing of parents you receive by obeying them in the Lord…

10. There are blessings God grants to those who pay tithes:
    The Lord says: “Bring all the tithes… and try Me now in this,” says the Lord of Hosts, “if I will not open for you the windows of heaven and pour out for you such blessing that there will not be room enough to receive it…” (Mal. 3:10).

Someone may say: “If all my income or salary is not enough for me, how will nine-tenths of it be enough?!”
I say to you: nine-tenths plus blessing is more than the whole salary without blessing… See also Psalm 30:44.

How many people have a very large income, yet it does not suffice them, because there is no blessing in it!!

We have spoken about the importance of blessing, its extent, its source, and its means… Now we speak about another point:

What Should Be Blessed?

1. You ask the Lord to bless your life, your health, and everything around you.

2. You ask Him to bless your children, your offspring, according to His saying: “Blessed shall be the fruit of your body.” (Deut. 28:4).

3. You also ask Him to bless your service, so that it may be a successful service, fruitful for His kingdom, bringing forth thirty, sixty, and a hundredfold (Matt. 13).

4. You likewise ask for the blessing of your work and your production, as He blessed the manna on the sixth day and said: “On the sixth day you shall gather twice as much bread.” (Ex. 16:29). Likewise, the Lord blessed the land in the produce of the sixth year—unlike what He said to Cain: “When you till the ground, it shall no longer yield its strength to you.” (Gen. 4), because God removed all blessing from him and from it…

5. You ask God to bless the place—your dwelling. And the Church has a rite for this called “Blessing of New Homes.” Do not live in a new house except after a prayer is offered in it for its blessing, and the priest sprinkles it with prayed-over water and offers incense in it…

6. You ask God also to bless your time, especially on days when you feel the value and importance of time.

7. You pray also before eating, that God may bless the food.

8. Ask Him also to bless the little you have, that it may become much.

9. Ask also that your life be a blessing to others, as the lives of the saints were a blessing to their generation and to many generations after them…

10. And the most important thing you ask from God is spiritual blessings… In this St. Paul the Apostle said: “Blessed be God… who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.” (Eph. 1:3).

These spiritual blessings include God’s grace, His gifts, and His help in your spiritual life, in your spiritual growth, and in everything related to your eternity…
May the Lord grant us this blessing at all times. Amen.

---

1. An article by His Holiness Pope Shenouda III, published in Watani newspaper on 9-10-1988.

For better translation support, please contact the center.