The Act of Blessing People and Objects

By Rev. Rebecca

The act of blessing is simply a prayer dedicating someone or something to God. This act is powerful. Jesus tells us to “bless those who curse you” (Lk. 6:28) and the Scriptures are full of blessing pronouncements upon God’s people by God’s people. It is clear that Christians are obliged to pronounce blessings on other people.

We also bless objects at times. St. Paul refers to our act of blessing the communion cup in 1 Corinthians 10:16, “The cup of blessing that we bless, is not a sharing in the blood of Christ”? Objects used for worship and devotion are the main items that we bless including baptismal water, vestments, oil, and Communion elements: by blessing them we are asking God to set them aside for his purposes. It is also ancient Jewish & Christian practice to bless our food before a meal, to bless one’s new home, etc. Again, blessing is simply the act of prayer, dedicating someone or something to God in order to set it apart; it is not magical or superstitious. The easiest way to “bless” something is to simply give God thanks for it!