There are three components to a blessing. To bless someone is to see and admire that person, speak well of him or her, and give away some of your life so that he or she might have more life. Richard Rolheiser develops each of these components in his latest book, Sacred Fire: A Vision for a Deeper Human and Christian Maturity.
Just reading the three components made me start reflecting on the many blessings I have received during my life. When I entered the Society of the Sacred Heart, I discovered that it was the custom for the superior to give a blessing by making a small cross on one's forehead. This was an old monastic custom and one reads about the monks filing past the Abbot after night office to receive a blessing. Anyway, I do remember that the only phrase I managed to learn in Spanish before arriving in Chile straight from profession in Rome was how to ask for my superior's blessing. I think I thought that would solve all problems!
But I digress - it is really good to think of how these components are active in my own life. Who will I bless today?
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