Blessings and Blessed Objects

See instead: To Curse, Curses.

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A Ciborium, which is a blessed object. Ciborium by Charles Martin (19th century. Gold, vermeil; garnets). Museum of Art and History of Sainte-Menehould.

To bless means "to say Good" (Bene-diction). It is therefore a source from which good and Good flow. It comes from God the Father who thus gives life.- Jesus blesses the bread of the Last Supper which becomes Bread of eternal life. In return, man blessing his Creator signifies his ADoration and thanksgiving: "I will bless the Lord at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth."

There are different types of Blessings:

1. Invocative. Divine goodwill is invoked on people or things, to keep and protect them in the will of the Lord. This applies to the blessing of meals or children. It can also be tools of work. "There is hardly any honorable use of material things that cannot be directed towards this end: the sanctification of man and the praise of God. and
2. Constitutive of a sacred character which becomes permanent and cannot be diverted to profane purposes such as the blessing of Churches or chalices.
3. An intermediate state aims at sacramentals: "Sacred and sensible signs which, while having an analogy with the Sacraments, are not. They bear a spiritual reality. Consecrations and Blessings, but also blessed objects, blessed Water, medals, scapulars are sacramentals."

The blessing is generally delivered by the intercession of the pope, the bishop, priest or deacon, but it can also be given by parents to their Family. Every baptized person is indeed Called to be a "blessing" and to bless, "but the more a blessing concerns ecclesial and sacramental life, the more its presidency is reserved to the ordained ministry (bishops, priests or deacons)."

In "The Gospel as it was revealed to me"

Blessings

1. The blessing remains in the faithful Souls

In the heat of summer 27, Jesus and some Apostles stop at a farmer’s home who exclaims:

"And I am happy to have given you hospitality for one night. I no longer fear misfortune in my house because your blessing has entered it." Jesus replies: "The blessing acts and persists if the Souls remain faithful to the Law of God and to my teaching. Otherwise, the Grace disappears. And that is just. For it is true that God gives sun and air to the good as to the wicked, so that they live, and if they are good they become better, and if they are bad they convert, it is also just that on the other hand, the Father's Protection becomes punishment for the wicked to recall him through sufferings to the memory of God."

2. The Mosaic blessing from Jesus

On Tuesday, September 24, 27 (7 Tishri 3788), all the countryside of Galilee is busy with the cheerful work of the grape harvest. At dusk, the work done, the harvesters stop to listen to Jesus teach about the fear of God and his love.

“Now you are joyful because the year has been good, the harvests rich and the vintage abundant. But in truth I say to you this joy you feel is less than a grain of sand compared to the immeasurable joy you will have when the Father Eternal will say to you: ‘Come my fruitful branches, grafted on the true Vine. You have lent yourselves to all the operations, even when they were painful, to bear much fruit, and now come to Me, rich with the sweet juices of love towards Me and the Neighbor. Flourish in my gardens for eternity.’ Turn yourselves to this eternal joy. Faithfully cling to the pursuit of this Good. With gratitude, bless the Eternal who helps you to reach it. Bless Him for the Grace of his Word, bless Him for the grace of a good harvest. Love the Lord by recognizing his goodness and be without fear. God gives a hundredfold to those who love Him."

Jesus might have finished, but all begin to shout:

“Bless, bless! Your blessing upon us!” Jesus rises, opens his arms and says in a voice like thunder:

“May the Lord bless you and keep you. May He make His Face shine upon you and have mercy on you. May the Lord turn His Face toward you and give you His Peace. May the Name of the Lord be in your hearts, upon your houses and upon your fields.”

This is the Mosaic blessing as the liturgy perpetuates it, notably on January first. It was given by God to Moses (). Jesus adds a blessing proper to him which makes it present in the hearts, houses and fields. Here Jesus is the "priest" intercessor, but it is the Father who is the source of the Blessing.

3. Jesus gives Martha a blessed object

Martha is worried by the very agitated behavior of her sister Mary of Magdala (Magdalene). She seems insane. Jesus reassures her: "she suffers from a demonic possession. It is always a disease. These incoherences, these furies, these tears, these desolations, these outbursts towards Me, are the phases of her illness which, at the moment of healing, experiences the most violent crises. You do well to be good with her, you do well to be patient, you do well to speak of Me! Do not feel disgusted to say my Name in her Presence." Martha remains half reassured. Would she lose her faith? asks Jesus.

"No, Lord, but I think... Oh! give me something I can give to Mary to give her some strength... She suffers so much... and I am so afraid she won’t manage to overcome the demon!" "You are a child! Mary has us, you and Me. Can you not succeed? Yet come and hold. Give Me this hand which has never sinned, which has always been gentle, merciful, active, pious. It has always made gestures of love and prayer. It has never become lazy. It has never been corrupted. Here, I hold it in mine to make it even holier. Raise it Against the demon, and he will not withstand it. And take this belt which belongs to Me. Never part with it, and each time you see it, say to yourself: ‘Stronger than this belt of Jesus is the power of Jesus and with it one overcomes everything: demons and monsters. I must not fear.’ Are you happy now? My Peace be with you. Go in peace."

This belt is linked to the legend of the Tarasque which Martha faced when exiled in Provence after the Ascension. This monster, probably a marine crocodile escaped from a convoy for the circus of Arles nearby, was bound by Martha with a belt.

4. The "blessed" Water for having washed Jesus’ hand

Returning to Giscala in Upper Galilee at the tomb of Hillel, a prominent figure of Judaism, Jesus is attacked by hostile rabbis who drive him away by throwing stones. One of them wounds Jesus’ hand. The wound is serious and the next day, his condition worsens.

"[Jesus] proceeds calmly as if he did not feel the pain. Yet the pain must be noticeable since, when they stop to eat, he must ask Andrew the Apostle to cut his bread and when he removes a sandal, he must ask Matthew to lace it anew... And especially, when going down a steep shortcut, he hits a trunk because his foot slipped, he cannot hold back a complaint and the blood flowing reddens the bandage again. So, at the first house of a village where they arrive around dusk, they stop to ask for Water and oil to care for the hand which, once the bandages are removed, shows very swollen, bluish at the back and with a very red injury in the middle."

A good Woman cares for him with Water and oil. She offers to host the apostolic group for the night and confides her miseries: a deaf-mute. Jesus asks to bring him. The Woman, suddenly recognizing the Nazarene, collapses to her knees shouting:

"Melchias, Sarah, Samuel! Come adore the Messiah! What a day! What a day! And I have Him in my house! And I talk to Him like this! And I brought Him Water to wash his wound... Oh…!"

She chokes with emotion. But then she runs to the basin and sees it empty:

"Why did you throw this Water away? It was holy! Oh! Melchias! The Messiah at our home..."  

5. Exchange of Blessings between Jesus and the father of the apostle Thomas

On Tuesday, March 6, 29 (4 Adar II 3789), Jesus and the Apostles stop at Ramah (Judea) in Judea, near Jerusalem. There lives the twin sister of the apostle Thomas, whose nickname Didymus means twin, as well as his father. The latter asks Jesus: Does Thomas follow the right path? Jesus reassures him.

"Upon you the blessing of Jacob, the blessing of the patriarch for the just among his sons: may the Almighty bless you with Blessings of heaven above us, with Blessings of the abyss below, with Blessings of the breasts and the womb. May the Blessings of your father exceed those he himself received from his father, and may they rest on the head of Thomas until the desire of the eternal hills comes, on the head of the one who is the Nazarene among his brothers!"

And all respond: "So be it."        

"And now, You, O Lord, bless this house and especially those who are blood of my blood," says the old man pointing at the children. Jesus, opening his arms, intones the Mosaic blessing and adds:

"May God, in whose Presence your fathers walked, may God who has nourished me from my youth until this day, may the angel who delivered me from all evil, bless these little ones, may they bear my Name and also the names of my fathers and multiply abundantly on the earth."

And he finishes by taking the youngest from his mother's arms for a Kiss on the forehead saying:

"And in you descend like honey and butter the elite Virtues which have dwelt in the Just whose name was given to you (Joseph), filling him with life for the Heavens and adorned as the palm is with its blonde dates and the cedar with its royal foliage."      

A little later, someone very impressed by the blessing Jesus gave to the children of the hospitable house and what he said about Thomas, asks: "Will they all be just because of your blessing?" Jesus answers:

"No, not because of it, but because of their Actions. I have given them the strength of my blessing to fortify them in their Actions. But it is they who must do the Actions and do only just Actions to have Heaven. I bless everyone... but not all will be saved in Israel."

To answer the questioning raised by his remark, Jesus gives his teaching about the narrow gate reported by Matthew and Luke.-

6. The power of Jesus’ hand

During a vision in which Maria Valtorta is immersed with all five senses, she has the impression of approaching Jesus who has just healed a dying child, and asks him: "Master, what is in your hand that everything is repaired, healed or changes aspect when you touch it?" Jesus’ answer seems very simple, but becomes very profound if pondered:

"Nothing, my daughter, except the fluid of my immense love. Look at my hand, observe it."        

And he stretches out his right hand.  

I take it reverently, at the fingertips, on the fingertips. I do not dare more, because my Heart beats hard. Never have I touched Jesus. I was touched by him, but I never dared. Now, I touch him. I feel the warmth of his fingers. I feel his smooth palm, his very long nails (not because they are badly trimmed, but their shape on the last phalanx is long). I see his long, slender fingers, his strongly concave palm, I notice the metacarpal is much shorter than the fingers, I observe at the beginning of the wrist the lace of veins.

[...] "You see, Soul I love, that there is nothing special. [...] I have nothing else but my love and my power of God."

[...] "I keep the sensation notes Maria Valtorta, of having touched Jesus' hand and look at my hand that writes. It seems as holy to me as if it had been in contact with a relic. May my Jesus be blessed!"

7. Jesus blesses Nicodemus’ fields

On Friday, May 4, 29 (4 Siwan (lyar) 3789), third year of his public life, Jesus arrives unrecognized near the property Nicodemus owns at Emmaus in the plain in a rich agricultural area about thirty kilometers northwest of Jerusalem. It is the end of the wheat harvest which traditionally takes place five weeks after Passover (Pesach), at Pentecost (Shavuot). The accomplished work makes the reapers joyful. Nicodemus gave the order, in the name of the Lord Jesus, to let fall abundantly some ears that gleaners wait to pick up from Ramah (Judea).

Nicodemus, in short clothes, advances meanwhile without spotting the Master and orders the peasants not to pick up a single ear they have cut. "For us, we have bread... Let us give the gift of God to those deprived of it. And give it without fear. We could have had the harvests destroyed by a late frost. Not a grain was lost. Let us return to God his bread by giving it to his poor children unfortunate. And I assure you that it will be even more fruitful, a thousand percent, the harvest of the next year because He said: 'A full measure will be given to the one who has given.'" and   The peasants, respectful and joyful, listen and approve the Master. And Nicodemus, from field to field, from group to group, repeats his good order.       

When the gleaning occurs, Nicodemus and the reapers kneel before Jesus who says:

"Yes. God bless you for this order. What voice told you that this is a year of Grace, and not the coming year, for example?" "...I do not know... and I know... I am not a prophet, answers Nicodemus. But I am not stubborn and to my intelligence has joined a light from Heaven. My Master... I wanted the poor to have gifts from God, while God is still among the poor... And I did not dare hope to have you, to give a sweet confession and a sanctifying power to these wheats, to my olives, and the vines and orchards which will be for the poor children of God, my brothers... But now that you are here, raise your blessed hand and give your blessing, so that, with the food of the flesh, holiness coming from You may descend on those who will feed on it.

The year of Grace Jesus mentions is the Sabbatical year. If the Sabbath imposes rest every seven days, the Sabbatical year (The Shemitah) imposes letting the land rest every seven years. It is the year when the debtor is released from his debts. What grows in the fields is public property (here the gleaners). To the believers who feared dying of hunger during this period, the Eternal promised a blessing generating abundance. All these details underline the depth and authenticity of the scene when Jesus blesses:

Jesus opens his arms and says:

"By the virtue of the Lord, by the desire of his servant, may the Grace of salvation of The Spirit and flesh descend into every seed, every grape, and every olive or every fruit, may it make prosperous and sanctify those who feed on them with a good spirit, pure of concupiscence and hatred, and eager to serve the Lord by obeying his divine and perfect Will."

"So be it" respond Nicodemus, Andrew the Apostle, James and the other Disciples...

"So be it" repeats the small crowd, standing up since they had knelt so that Jesus would bless them.

8. Jesus blesses Creation

Thursday, May 16, 30 (27 Lyar or Ziv 3790) is the day of the Ascension, the last day of Jesus’ earthly life. At Gethsemane where he gathered his faithful for a prayer, Jesus gives his last instructions. Then he blesses them by embracing in Creation and the work of Redemption that the Father gave him to accomplish:

"I bless you all at this moment of prayer, and I ask the Father to grant you the reward of those who have consoled the painful way of the Son of man.        

Blessed be the chosen part of humanity that exists among Jews as well as among pagans, and who has shown itself in the love it had for me.        

Blessed be the earth with its plants and flowers, its fruits which so many times pleased me and restored me. Blessed be it with its waters and its warmth, its Birds and its animals who many times surpassed human beings to comfort the Son of man. Blessed be you, sun, and you, sea, and you, mountains, hills and plains. Blessed be you, stars that have been for me companions in the nocturnal prayer and in the pain. And you also, moon who enlightened me to guide me on my Evangelizing Pilgrimage.        

Be blessed, all the creatures, who are the work of my Father, my companions in this mortal hour, friends of the one who left Heaven to remove from afflicted humanity the tribulations from the Fault which cuts off from God.          

And be blessed, innocent instruments of my torture: thorns, metals, wood, twisted ropes, because you helped me accomplish the will of my Father!"      

What a voice of thunder Jesus has! It spreads in the warm and peaceful air like the sound of a struck bronze, it propagates in waves over the sea of Faces that look at him from all sides.

The non-Blessings

Mary Magdalene and the Adulterous woman

Of these two Women, Mary Magdalene was undoubtedly the most extreme in fault. Indeed, she was delivered from "seven demons", but nevertheless became messenger of the Resurrection because "she had loved much". With the Adulterous woman, Jesus shows infinite mercy: he does not condemn her despite the very harsh words he has in the Gospel towards adultery.

Also, when he reveals to Maria Valtorta that if he did not give her either Peace or a blessing, it was not due to moral rigor, but due to lack of repentance. The Adulterous woman was trapped by her fault by consent and, if one reads the text below, she persisted until her death. Blessing and resulting Peace are the fruit of heart repentance, which is also called Circumcision of the Heart, and expressed by other words in the act of contrition.

Learn, O merciless men. However guilty someone may be, he must always be treated with respect and charity. Do not rejoice in his annihilation, do not persevere Against him, not even with curious looks. Mercy, mercy for those who fall! [...] But man, as good as I said: "Forgive your brother seventy times seven times", does not know how to forgive twice.   I did not give her (the Adulterous woman) Peace and blessing because she did not have in her complete detachment from her sin which is required to be forgiven. In her flesh, and unfortunately in her Heart, she did not have nausea for sin. Mary of Magdala (Magdalene), after tasting the sweetness of my Word, was disgusted by sin and came to Me with the complete will to be another. But she still wavered between the voices of the flesh and those of The Spirit. [...] Do you want to know if she was then saved? I was not Savior for all. For all, I wanted to be, but I was not because not all had the will to be saved. And that was one of the sharpest arrows of my agony at Gethsemane.

The "curses"

Doras and Judas

At first, Jesus blesses the fields of Doras (), to prevent the servants and the shepherd Jonah from suffering the wrath of their cruel master. An exceptional harvest follows:

"Was Doras’ harvest good?"
"Oh! Famous throughout the country. They had to prop the trees because of fruits of miraculous size, and Doras had to have new vats made because the grapes would not fit in those he already had, there were so many."

This does not suffice to soften Doras, who punishes his servants for not having as good a harvest every year. Jesus cursed Doras’ fields as a result of his betrayal of his given word and his inhumanity in treating his servants.. Can God then curse and similarly to blessing, be a source from which evil and bad come? Several Scripture texts would suggest this ^{[Citation needed]}.

But Jesus, in another episode where he confronts a Judas caught stealing, affirms the opposite: "The Savior cannot curse" and adds: "I am the only Power. But my strength is not hatred it is love. And love does not hate and never curses. […] when I come to separate the sheep from the goats, to bless the first and to curse, Yes, to curse the second, to curse because then there will be no more redemption, but glory or condemnation, to curse them again after having already cursed them particularly at their death and at their particular judgment."

Thus when he curses Doras’ fields, Jesus specifies that he entrusts him "to the God of Sinai", to divine Justice, the one we will find at the end of our lives, after Mercy, at the end of our free will.

When Jesus, after the Beatitudes, promises woe to the rich, he does not send them misfortune to punish them and even less to avenge himself, he notes their choice to surrender to the consequences of their acts. God does not deliver evil (bad-saying), he shows evil and warns.

God does not create evil, but allows it. God grants it as a temporary trial which purifies and sanctifies.

• From the earthly paradise God submits Man to freedom to choose, but Adam and Eve fall with their descendants who are not left without help: the promised Redeemer, the Christ.
• Satan asks God to test Job’s faith. God agrees and Job then suffers all misfortunes, but to find better happiness a hundredfold at the end of his act of faith.
• Satan asks to test the Apostles at the hour of the Passion, but the Christ prays for them and no harm reaches them, except for the one who chose his perdition.

The trial is a Purification, not a punishment. "After few sufferings, great Goodworks await them, because God has tested them and found them worthy of himself." At its end the trial includes God's triumph and fills those who hoped. The psalmist affirms it leads to the joy of salvation: "Bless our God, you peoples! Make the voice of his praise to be heard, Who keeps our soul alive, and does not allow our feet to be moved. For you, O God, have tested us; you have tried us, as silver is tried. This Purification is also found in Purgatory, a work of Mercy.

Another permission is the one constrained by Man’s free will. He who lives total evil, plunged into eternal Hell, does so as a result of his own decision, not as a punishment. He is the one who does not want God, who does not want his Goodness and persists in his decision. He who in his life moves away from God moves away from his Protection.

These explanations seem important to understand Jesus’ words on blessing.

In other writings of Maria Valtorta

God’s blessing requires a circumcised Heart

In his catechesis of September 23, 1943, Jesus links the forgiveness of sins to blessing.

"I came to confirm through my life and death the warning given repeatedly by my prophets: what God requires to forgive increasingly guilty children and to bless them is not material Circumcision, but Circumcision of the Hearts, Cf-, of your feelings, your impulses that the germ of the first sin always transforms into impulses of flesh and blood or of the highest lust: that of the spirit."

God's blessing is proposed to our free will

The same year, in his catechesis of December 22, 1943, Jesus delivers his blessing to our free will.

"It is up to you to choose between my blessing and my curse. I respect your will. I only illustrate the Fruits of one and the other. My blessing will bring you Peace and bread, serenity of days and prosperity of your interests. My curse will leave you with your Wars and massacres, and will give you additionally droughts or bad weather, epidemics and famines, since God's punishment cannot provide you what satisfies your two low loves, the belly and the purse. Choose. And do not say that I do not love you because I do not impose Good. Too many among you pray to Satan to perform his wonders for them. You would destroy the Good if I imposed it on you. First, you who worship the Beast must cease to be a people, and those who remember God must be a people. Evil will then be balanced by Good and neutralized by it. And that is not all: the Good you do will attract Good from Heaven increasingly, for God asks nothing else but to pour his love on you, and you will know the era of Peace promised to the just at my birth."