A Blessing to One Another

Jan 8

Fr. Jack and his family at Maureen’s baptism.

At the beginning of the baptism ceremony, the priest or deacon traces the sign of the cross on the forehead of the baby and then invites the parents and godparents to do the same. Then the minister says, “My child, the Christian community welcomes you with great joy. In His name, I claim you for Christ, our Savior, by the sign of His cross.” This is a symbolic marking that signifies the child belongs to Jesus and the Church.

My youngest sister, Maureen, was born when I was a sophomore in high school. I remember the day of her baptism, when our parish priest followed this ancient ritual. He invited my parents and Maureen’s godparents to sign her with the cross, but he also invited me and my other sisters to make the sign on her forehead.

He said that just as Maureen was a blessing to our family, so we would be a blessing to her. He said we should show this by making the sign of the cross on her forehead and blessing her and suggested we continue to give Maureen a blessing every day, not just her baptism day.

This was the first time I ever heard of people other than priests giving a blessing. I remember a few days after the ceremony I talked to one of the Oblate priests at school. When I asked him about a layperson “blessing” something or someone, he explained that this was done all the time. He talked about the blessing of parents when they hug a child or a husband kissing a wife. He reminded me that ordinary people are always asked to give a blessing when they pray grace before a meal.

As I thought about these examples, I remembered instances in my own life where my family would offer a blessing. When my mother told me and my sisters “Goodnight and God bless you” as she sent us off to bed, she was offering a blessing. When my aunt put holy water on the foreheads of her children whenever they left the house, she too, was blessing her family.

Confident that I was not overstepping any church rules or regulations, I began to make the sign of the cross on the forehead of my baby sister as I went to bed each night. I continued this practice until I went into the seminary.

Today, as a priest, I am privileged to mark many people with the sign of the cross: babies, students, parishioners, the sick, the dying, and even those who have passed away. I can bless my family and friends both formally and informally.

I know that I am blessed when I offer a simple prayer. I am awed at the chance to call to mind God’s presence and ask God to watch over someone.

However, I am most awed when I see everyday people blessing one another. At every baptism that I am privileged to celebrate, I ask parents and godparents to make the sign of the cross on their child. Like my parish priest many years ago, I also invite grandparents, aunts, uncles, siblings, and cousins to do the same.

But the greatest blessings are the informal ones I still witness: a family at prayer in a restaurant, a mother caressing a sick child, a grandson wrapping his arms around his grandfather in the waiting room, a husband touching the hand of his deceased wife in a coffin.

As the Church celebrates the Baptism of the Lord this weekend, my hope is that we recognize that we are all called to be a blessing and to give blessings to one another.