An ancient Catholic custom that today is increasingly disused
We may not be aware of the enormous grace we receive from God when we have priests next to us. Therefore, many times, we end up letting go without realizing, for example, the value of the blessing they can give us, and we forget that custom.
St. John Mary Vianney , proclaimed by the patron church of priests, said: “If I met a priest and an angel, I would greet the priest before greeting the angel. The angel is a friend of God, but the priest takes his place. ”
When they are ordained, the priests assume to act in persona Christi, that is, they are, for us, representatives of Christ himself. Therefore, the saint said that the father “occupies” the place of God, and therefore, was worthy to be greeted first, even before an angel. In addition, the priest receives from God the power to bring Christ into our midst, something that angels can not do.
That is why, during the ordination of every priest , there are two important moments: the imposition of the hands of the bishop and the anointing of the hands of the new priest. Upon receiving the oil on the palms of his hands, the priest assumes four important dimensions: welcome, bless, offer and consecrate.
Today we talk about this second dimension. When we ask a priest to bless us, it is a gesture that says we want to participate in that anointing received by him, we want to be part of this blessing. There are some who also maintain the custom of kissing the hands of priests, precisely because they are what bring us to Christ, they are instruments of God’s grace for the faithful.
Why do not many ask the priests to bless them?
Camilo Júnior, a Redemptorist missionary and member of the Youth Commission of the National Shrine of Brazil, warns that many times, people who do not ask for the blessing of priests, do not ask for it from their own parents.
Do not stop asking for the blessing to the priests, and participate in that anointing given by God. And do not forget to always pray for your parish priest and for the priests you know. They are God’s instruments for us, a wealth that the Church gives us, and they need our prayers as a way to dedicate our gratitude for dedicating their lives to others.
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[…] originalmente publicado por Catolic Digestt, traduzida e adaptada ao português por Nossa Senhora cuida de […]
This is an enlightening explanation. Very often, I am moved to venerate the hands of priests, because Jesus comes to us through his hands. It’s considered “strange” in my culture to kiss the hands of priests, but I mentally offer the kiss to Jesus. I often ask for the priest’s blessing, especially in the first year if I can. One priest’s blessing caused a miracle conversion in me. Before then I was away from the Church but only came sometimes. I traveled for work, and one time I went to Mass the day I was to go on my journey. As I was leaving, I felt inspired to ask the priest for his blessing. He was busy talking to others, so I waited, and then a “kid” asked if there was something he could help me with. I told him I was waiting for the priest’s blessing. The young man offered to bless me, and then I realized he was a priest, fully ordained. I thought he was just a seminarian or deacon. He was in vestments, but deacons wear vestments. I preferred the regular priest to bless me, but I didn’t want to offend the young man, so I allowed him to bless me. After that, one day the scales fell from my eyes, and I saw how I was so far away from the Faith. It didn’t matter to me what church I went to, and I held many beliefs that weren’t Catholic, I thought it didn’t matter. But after this priest blessed me, I felt desire to go to Confession for the first time in almost 30 years. I wanted to confess to the regular priest, but it was this young priest again. He saw into my heart in the confessional, expelled many demons who were oppressing me and I didn’t know it. It was terrible after, I choked and coughed up foam. This priest took special care of me for a time after, until I was fully healed spiritually. One time as I was praying before the Tabernacle, the sweet scent of roses permeated the air. I looked at the window to see if it was open, but of course it was shut because it was winter, and there was snow on the ground. So I thanked Our Lady for being present with her Son in the Tabernacle and for letting me know she was there, and continued praying. When I had to leave, I gathered my things, stood up, turned around, and saw that this priest was sitting in a chair behind me! He was adoring the Blessed Sacrament, reading his Office of Prayers. Immediately I knew that the scent of roses was for him, because Our Lady, Mystical Rose is guarding his priesthood. Since then, when I don’t know he is present, I smell roses, and look for him, and always find him.
blessing