Participants from across the United States gather for the National Eucharistic Congress, a momentous event in the history of the Catholic Church in the country. The congregation, united in gratitude and worship, celebrates the Eucharist, sharing stories of renewal, conversion, and faith-affirmation–extraordinary blessings that resonate deeply. The US 10th National Eucharistic Congress, July 17-21, will remain a significant blessed moment in the history of the Catholic Church in America.
Imagine feeling burdened and struggling with life’s challenges. Then, through God’s power, a profound transformation occurs within you. Leaving the confessional, you feel a change reminiscent of Ezekiel 36:26: “And I will give you a new heart and a new spirit I will put within you.” Over time, you realize that God is beginning something new in you–a real blessing. This transformation mirrors the renewal in 2 Corinthians 5:17: “Therefore if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold the new has come.” This is the transformative power of God’s blessings, inspiring hope and renewal.
It’s a blessing when a person changes from a life that doesn’t glorify God to a gracious new way of living, for change is grace, and grace is a blessing.
Men and Women Doing Incredible Works of Blessing in the World
Saint Pio of Pietrelcina, known as Padre Pio, offers another remarkable example. As a teenager, he is enlisted in the Italian army but is discharged due to poor health. The world doesn’t yet know that God has a different plan for him–not as a soldier on the battlefield, but as a powerful figure in the spiritual realm. On one occasion, after commanding a devil to leave with just a word, the enemy remarks, “You are mightier than Archangel Michael.” While this statement may be an exaggeration, it is a testament to what God can achieve through those He chooses. Jesus once said, “Those who believe in me will do even greater things than these, for I am going to the Father” (John 14:12). Truly a remarkable blessing.
Although there are numerous examples across the world, following are a few examples from the United States.
Consider the journey of Mother Angelica, the founder of EWTN. Listening to God, she and four other nuns move from Ohio to a rural place in Alabama in 1962, a place that feels like no man’s land. There, they establish Our Lady of the Angels monastery. A few years later, she responds to God’s call to start a television ministry. She reminds me of Abram in Genesis 12. Over four decades, the gospel message her network shares reaches people worldwide through the largest Catholic TV network, EWTN–a clear sign of God’s blessing.
Think about St. Frances Xavier Cabrini, who, guided by God, comes to the United States instead of heading East to China. This redirection is comparable to Paul’s experience in Acts 16:6-10– “Come over to Macedonia and help us.” Despite her poor health, she establishes schools, hospitals, and orphanages. By the end of her life, she has founded over 70 institutions worldwide, impacting countless lives–a true blessing indeed.
Just a Tip of Countless Witnesses of Divine Blessings Today
Consider Patrick Reis and Fr. Mathias Thelen, who are doing a fantastic job at the Encounter Ministries, mentoring discipleship and using spiritual gifts. Isn’t it a blessing? And what about Bishop Robert Barron and the Word on Fire Ministries and Institute? In response to the call to evangelize the culture, they embrace the discerning invitation of the late Cardinal George and wholeheartedly say yes to God. Witness the tremendous impact his ministry and team are making in America.
You Are Part of It Too
The list goes on with Ralph Martin, whose gentle spirit and quiet obedience to God in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement have consistently inspired many to delve into a deeper spiritual life. All these examples are undeniably blessings.
Then there’s you, feeling a strong urge from the Holy Spirit to pray for someone you don’t know. Even though you’re unaware of their struggles, you pray as God leads you. Later, you discover your prayers saved them from harm–a moment where you became a blessing.
Or consider a child or spouse whose life was a struggle for the family. But God, rich in mercy, touches their life, renewing it from within. Old things give way to new beginnings, as Scripture says in 2 Corinthians 5:17–a tremendous blessing.
It could also be the testimony of your prayer life. You’ve prayed persistently for something, even when things seemed challenging. Doors seemed firmly closed. You fasted, attended Masses, and faced fears. When you feel like giving up, God answers in an amazing way, filling your heart with joy and praise–a true blessing.
These stories and many more show how blessings touch our lives. From material to visionary spiritual leadership, prayer, parental, spousal, and ministry, blessings are everywhere. What then is a blessing? I would draw from Scripture for “God’s Word is a lamp to our feet and light to our path” (Psalm 119:105).
Biblical Understanding
God’s final words to Abram before changing his name to Abraham are, “I will bless you and make your name great so that you will be a blessing” (Genesis 12:2-3). I might describe Abraham’s blessing in this simple phrase: faithful obedience to God–faith. It is trust in God’s word and promises.
Scripture confirms this a second time, emphasizing that through Abraham’s offspring, all the nations of the earth will be blessed because he obeyed God’s voice (Genesis 22:18). This obedience means listening and following–another way of describing faith. Hence, Genesis 15:6 tells us that because Abraham believed God, it was credited to him as righteousness, a theme reiterated in Romans 4:3.
Further Biblical Confirmation
The story of Obed-edom in 2 Samuel 6 provides further context to understand blessing. When David moves the Ark of the Lord to Jerusalem, God’s presence in Obed-edom’s house brings an incredible blessing to his family. God’s presence transforms their home into a wealth of blessings, known far and wide, even reaching David’s ears. The impact of God’s presence in Obed-edom’s house is profound, highlighting the depth of divine blessings.
Blessing is God’s dwelling within us and divine impartation. It is also God’s affirmation or marking upon us. This aspect is sometimes misunderstood, as if God approves everything we do, even if it does not glorify Him. God does not approve of things that do not glorify Him. Instead, blessing is the marking that brings with it the touch of transforming grace. “I make all things new” (Revelation 21:5).
We see the meaning of blessing as divine impartation prefaced in Numbers 6:22, where God directs Moses on how to bless His people. In Jewish tradition, Numbers 6:22 is the Birkat Kohanim, a deeply religious and vital text in Jewish culture. It follows a specific divine instruction about spreading hands upon the people with fingers shaped like the Hebrew letter shin (ש), signifying Shaddai, the Host High. This invocation suggests a blessing from the God of heaven (Shaddai).
In other words, God looks compassionately at His people, giving them blessings from His transcendent presence. The mark or impartation of God through the hands of His anointed is also a confirmation of God’s blessing.
Blessing is a Gift, Divine Presence, and Being Marked by God
From 2 Samuel 6 and Numbers 6, and several other biblical passages, we can say that a blessing is a gift given, a presence embraced, or something (or someone) being marked by God. Blessing, in biblical terms, refers to God. When we bless others, we are agents through whom God blesses, using what God has given to share with others.
What of Our Blessing Others and God?
What about when Scripture says, we bless God? Blessing God means responding to Him, who is our blessing, in gratitude. In theological terms, we can’t bless God in the sense of adding value to Him since He is blessing itself. Texts such as “Bless the LORD O my soul and do not forget all his benefits” (Psalm 103:2), mean our return to God in gratitude and praise for our blessings. It is a return of His blessings to Him who is the source of our blessings. Additionally, the Church’s liturgy is replete with themes and prayers that echo this reality. In Eucharistic worship, for example, we repeatedly bless God, praising Him for His gifts.
The idea is that whatever we have is God’s gift and grace (1 Corinthians 4:17). This sense is consistent in many writings of the Church Fathers, and Saint Augustine emphasized this in his book On Grace and Freewill, noting how all our gifts or blessings come from God. They are the fruit of divine grace.
How about when we say, “someone has blessed us” or “we blessed someone”? Anytime we bless someone with our gifts and talents, we bless God in praise of what He has given us. Our blessings to others are our witness, serving as agents of divine blessings through what we give, whether they be our spiritual gifts, talents, or treasures.
Blessing is an Act of Praise and Worship
Thus, blessing is an act of worship, and our blessing of others is an act of charity and holiness, which serves as a witness of praise and worship to God, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens. The goal is for us to be made holy before Him through whom we have received all things (Ephesians 1:3-6).
The Hebrew and Greek usages of the term support this understanding. The Hebrew word for blessing, bÄrak (verb), means “to kneel or praise,” or the noun berÄḵáh. The Greek eulogia (blessing) means “to praise.”
On the other hand, Ranesha’s “The Etymology of Bless” suggests that the Germanic languages and Old English usage express the idea of “consecration” in religious settings where blood is used. Such consecration involves the sprinkling of the blood of the sacrifice, as was done in the Old Testament as a mark of imparting a blessing.
The Oxford English Dictionary offers various meanings of the term from Old English to Middle English and the current day. The common theme is “To make ‘sacred’ or ‘holy’ with blood.” These meanings are consistent in various ways in the Bible as well.
God is holy (1 Samuel 2:2; 1 Peter 1:16), and blessing is being made holy; it is the process of becoming part of the God-life. This becoming, in the Old Testament sense, could be done through consecrating one to God, a ritual exercise. This idea is deepened in the New Testament, as God dwells among us.
Blessing is Emmanuel
Hence, blessing is God being with or endorsing people or their actions, divine approval. It is also a consecration to God. The ultimate blessing for us is Emmanuel–God with us. Emmanuel is the depth of our understanding of divine dwelling in the New Testament.
In other words, God taking human form in the womb of a woman and being born to us (incarnation) is the highest form of blessing on earth. The woman (Blessed Virgin Mary) through whom God chose, at the fullness of time, to become like us (Galatians 4:4-5) is indeed the most blessed (Luke 1:42). “All generations will call me blessed.”
How to Get Blessed
Finally, how do we receive blessings? It takes us back to the roots–believe, kneel, praise.
We get blessed by responding to the blessing that is God in faith, with praise and adoration. This praise and adoration go beyond ritual praises; it encompasses the entirety of life lived in gratitude and offering to God, the giver of all blessings, and to one another as a witness of God’s gracious offering through us to the world.
Our hearts are in constant worship toward Him, the Lord who is our blessing. In divine praise, we experience the blessing; we tap into all we need. The consequence of our worship is that our lives glow with heavenly gifts. Those around us witness this glow, which may manifest in acts of charity, gracious words and smiles, and the service of our gifts and talents.
Consider praise as stepping into the ocean of divine love and life, renewing us and benefiting those around us.
What about Those Who Feel Not Blessed?
Before I wrap up this meditation, I want to share a few words for those who feel they aren’t blessed. There are many reasons we might feel this way. It could be because things aren’t working out as we thought they would. We may not have inner peace or joy, or perhaps the world around us feels like it’s crashing down. We might be carrying burdens that weigh us down, or the pains of life may be tearing deep within us. It could be due to poverty, a life completely messed up by addiction or abuse, or anything else. These are real experiences. But do they mean God hasn’t blessed us?
Only if God ceases to dwell in the broken world, only when God no longer comes for the weary-hearted, only when God no longer cares for these ‘little ones’ should we feel this way. The truth is, God is always there, even if you don’t feel His blessing. You bear the mark of His presence, and while the storms may come and go, He lives within your broken self and raises you up in due time. Peace!
Final Thoughts
Do you desire an unimaginable blessing? Align your heart and life in praise and adoration to the Lord. In good times and in bad, praise God. Your blessing is God glorified, and it is you being fully alive (Saint Irenaeus) and in return, you become more and more what God intended for you. People will see how much you have become the best version of yourself in God. They will bless God because of you, and your good work (Matthew 5:16).
The best version of yourself comes with attributes–qualities, competencies, spiritual and material gifts–that others will see and thank God for blessing you. These also flow to those around you.
Soak yourself in praise of God, who is your blessing, so your gifts–talents and spiritual gifts–will bloom to His praise and become a blessing to others.
The following song sometimes moves me. Perhaps, singing might: “Bless the Lord Oh My Soul,” a song by Matt Redman and Steve Angrisano, as we celebrate the blessings in our lives.
