To Bless

Everyone can bless. It comes with our already-graced humanity.

I remember well the first time I was asked to bless someone, knowing it was a blessing. I was attending my first spiritual retreat in Kerry in July 2012, the sun shone beautifully for 5 days, gloriously blessing us every day. And when the last day came we were asked to bless , in our own words the person who sat beside us for over the previous five days. When I turned to Patrick, the man beside me, tears came…. it felt like such a simple act of humility, of deep reverence, of sharing and of giving ourselves to the other, I thought this is surely a “holy” act. I also thought in that moment we all touched on our own divinity and ability to gift others, just as we were, with the simplicity of our presence - the gift of ourselves in that moment.

But we do not have to be asked to bless, as we bless each other all the time. We bless their children with words of encouragement and a hug, we bless our friends by listening…simple acts of wanting the best for someone is a blessing. We become blessings for each other.

There are people who bless with their being , that of a graced essence. There are those whose hands, eyes and bodies are always like that. There is a memory in every blessing that remains hidden in our souls.The late Irish poet, philosopher and author, John O’ Donoghue described as a blessing as “a circle of light drawn around to protect a person , to heal and strengthen….when a blessing is evoked a window opens in eternal time.

Whom can I bless today?”