Does God Bless?

[Deb]

Beats saying, hey! cover your mouth when you sneeze.

[add]

[url="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/09/30/2011-09-30_high_school_teacher_punished_students_for_saying_bless_you.html?r=news/national"]http://www.nydailyne...r=news/national[/url]

[b] California high school teacher punishes students for saying 'God Bless You'[/b]
[left] [/left]

Edited October 1, 2011 by add

[Basilisa Marie]

[quote name='add' timestamp='1317463348' post='2313312']
[url="http://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2011/09/30/2011-09-30_high_school_teacher_punished_students_for_saying_bless_you.html?r=news/national"]http://www.nydailyne...r=news/national[/url]

[b] California high school teacher punishes students for saying 'God Bless You'[/b]
[left] [/left]

[/quote]

Clearly the teacher needs to find a different outlet for his ideas.

[AccountDeleted]

In Australia, they don't say 'God Bless you." when a person sneezes. If anything, the person who sneezes might say 'Excuse me.' as they would for a burp, but most of the time no one says anything. Just a cultural thing I guess, but then Australia is a very secular country too.

As for God's blessings, I like catherinem's reply about how parents treat all children equally but not the same. God blesses each of us every single moment - even suffering can be a blessing if viewed correctly (Jesus' passion for example, was a blessing for Him because it led to His glory, and for all of us because it led to our salvation). It is all a matter of viewing god as He truly is - all goodness - therefore all that comes from Him is a blessing if we can only perceive it.

[Mark of the Cross]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1317476735' post='2313342']
In Australia, they don't say 'God Bless you." when a person sneezes. If anything, the person who sneezes might say 'Excuse me.' as they would for a burp, but most of the time no one says anything. Just a cultural thing I guess, but then Australia is a very secular country too.

As for God's blessings, I like catherinem's reply about how parents treat all children equally but not the same. God blesses each of us every single moment - even suffering can be a blessing if viewed correctly (Jesus' passion for example, was a blessing for Him because it led to His glory, and for all of us because it led to our salvation). It is all a matter of viewing god as He truly is - all goodness - therefore all that comes from Him is a blessing if we can only perceive it.
[/quote]
Unfortunately Oz is in grave danger of paganism (the non religious interpretation, money, power, fame, football!)

I bless people all the time. If God approves then God blesses people because I don't have the power. If he doesn't approve, then it's the thought that counts and that is a blessing. So yes, God blesses.

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='Mark of the Cross' timestamp='1317546866' post='2313806']
Unfortunately Oz is in grave danger of paganism (the non religious interpretation, money, power, fame, football!)

I bless people all the time. If God approves then God blesses people because I don't have the power. If he doesn't approve, then it's the thought that counts and that is a blessing. So yes, God blesses.
[/quote]


Oh yes, Aussies are very secular - I'm not sure paganism is the right word since even that seems to suggest a form of worship - and I think Aussies don't really worship anything.

Pagans did worship idols but I'm not sure that things like money, power, fame and football are really 'idols' in the religious sense, although they are in the sense of being of primary importance. Now footy might be a god to some Australians, but then I think baseball and the super bowl and a few other US sports might also be considered gods in that category .

In fact, I doubt that much of anything is sacred to Aussies unless it is 'time off', for which they have invented things like the 'sickie' from work and annual holidays of 4 weeks per year, and many other special days off for events like the 'Melbourne Cup'; which, believe it or not, is a horse race!! Take away an Aussie's days off, and then you might hear something about 'heresy'!!!

[Luigi]

I've thought a fair amount about the meaning of "bless" for a fairly long time.

I know a lot of people - often of non-Catholic but Christian persuasion - who consider "blessings" to be good things that God bestows on folks. Most people who define "blessing" this way consider each blessing a sign of God's approval (of them or of something they've done). Some people take this definition/approach way too far - it's probably a contributing factor to the "gospel of prosperity" movement.

The Catholic Church "blesses" lots of things - rosaries, medals, houses, fields, food, even dogs (on the feast of St. Roch/San Rocco)! So what's going on in those situations - God's bestowing good things on the rosaries, medals, houses, fields, food, and dogs? I don't think so.

To my mind, the core meaning of "bless" is "to set aside (or designate/dedicate/specify/commit) for God's use." Something that has been blessed is to be used only for God (or religious) purposes.

So then what does it mean for a person to be blessed? The same thing - set aside for God's use, to be dedicated to God, designated as a tool of God, an instrument of God's will, committed to God.

Coming to this conclusion helped me understand Job, who was originally blessed in the "God bestowed good things on him as a sign God's approval" sense, but even when everything had been taken from Job, he still was blessed in the sense that he was an instrument of God's will, an example of faith to his doubting friends, etc.

The idea that blessing means "used by God" also explains - at least more clearly for me - the glory of martyrdom, the countless unknown holy people who have served God throughout the centuries (The Blessed), the Blessed Mother - certainly used by God/dedicated to God/committed to God, the Blessed Sacrament - used by God & shows/increases our instrumentality & commitment & dedication, and lots of other things.

I grew up saying the traditional grace before meals - "Bless us, oh Lord, and these thy gifts..." I said the words, but I didn't understand them. My first change was to get rid of the thees-thys-thous-thines, and that helped some. Eventually I paraphrased the original, and expanded it some. Now (when I eat alone), I say:

Bless me Lord, in spite of my sin. [i]Use[/i] [i]me[/i] as an instrument of your will.[i] Let me serve[/i] you by serving my brothers and sisters.
Bless this food which you've provided and which I'm grateful to have. [i]Use it[/i] to sustain me as I strive to do the work you've called me to.
Bless your children who are hungry and thirsty. Provide for them as generously as you've provided for me and my family.
And in all things, your will be done.

I've italicized the words that express my understanding of blessing.



And I don't think it's necessary to say "God bless you" when someone sneezes. I don't often say.

[Mark of the Cross]

[quote name='Luigi' timestamp='1317705440' post='2315022']
I've thought a fair amount about the meaning of "bless" for a fairly long time.

I know a lot of people - often of non-Catholic but Christian persuasion - who consider "blessings" to be good things that God bestows on folks. Most people who define "blessing" this way consider each blessing a sign of God's approval (of them or of something they've done). Some people take this definition/approach way too far - it's probably a contributing factor to the "gospel of prosperity" movement.

The Catholic Church "blesses" lots of things - rosaries, medals, houses, fields, food, even dogs (on the feast of St. Roch/San Rocco)! So what's going on in those situations - God's bestowing good things on the rosaries, medals, houses, fields, food, and dogs? I don't think so.

To my mind, the core meaning of "bless" is "to set aside (or designate/dedicate/specify/commit) for God's use." Something that has been blessed is to be used only for God (or religious) purposes.

So then what does it mean for a person to be blessed? The same thing - set aside for God's use, to be dedicated to God, designated as a tool of God, an instrument of God's will, committed to God.

Coming to this conclusion helped me understand Job, who was originally blessed in the "God bestowed good things on him as a sign God's approval" sense, but even when everything had been taken from Job, he still was blessed in the sense that he was an instrument of God's will, an example of faith to his doubting friends, etc.

The idea that blessing means "used by God" also explains - at least more clearly for me - the glory of martyrdom, the countless unknown holy people who have served God throughout the centuries (The Blessed), the Blessed Mother - certainly used by God/dedicated to God/committed to God, the Blessed Sacrament - used by God & shows/increases our instrumentality & commitment & dedication, and lots of other things.

I grew up saying the traditional grace before meals - "Bless us, oh Lord, and these thy gifts..." I said the words, but I didn't understand them. My first change was to get rid of the thees-thys-thous-thines, and that helped some. Eventually I paraphrased the original, and expanded it some. Now (when I eat alone), I say:

Bless me Lord, in spite of my sin. [i]Use[/i] [i]me[/i] as an instrument of your will.[i] Let me serve[/i] you by serving my brothers and sisters.
Bless this food which you've provided and which I'm grateful to have. [i]Use it[/i] to sustain me as I strive to do the work you've called me to.
Bless your children who are hungry and thirsty. Provide for them as generously as you've provided for me and my family.
And in all things, your will be done.

I've italicized the words that express my understanding of blessing.



And I don't think it's necessary to say "God bless you" when someone sneezes. I don't often say.
[/quote]
Quite true, blessing children at the Eucharist is a request for God to claim them as his and to bring them in the future to the Eucharist. Many Catholics do not agree with blessings at the Eucharist but I have yet to learn the reason why.
The term 'God bless you!' when someone sneezed originated from a pandemic (my history is poor) where people who sneezed were likely to have caught the flue and may die. The blessing was a request for God to a/ make it not be the flu b/ help them to survive.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

[quote name='Aloysius' timestamp='1211976727' post='1546010']
People annoy me so much when they say God bless you after a sneeze, especially when it's not that big a sneeze and it just ends up calling more attention to it... and especially if it's like, in the middle of a lecture and they say it loudly/noticeably.

I can take it when used sparingly, but the obsessive God bless you-ers get really annoying... there's a time and a place for everything. I guess it's how I was raised cause I don't really automatically respond with one the way some people do and it often sounds really out of place when some people do it.
[/quote]

I say gazoontite, it iz german for may you have good health, but again as far as i'm aware i don't usually say it unless to a close friend or family, i hesitate using god bless you i thought that was like saying fair the well or good bye or god speed, i find it rather crude to say it over a sneeze but in that i understand why people say it, either they somewhere inside them desire to know god and don't yet(as is relatively common tounge) or just love trying to encourage his blessing upon others.

God bless you all

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

thankyou luigi for sucha profound insight into this and thankyou markofthecross for your history lesson, i am all the more better for both, alleluia

God bless you all.

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1317554748' post='2313825']


Oh yes, Aussies are very secular - I'm not sure paganism is the right word since even that seems to suggest a form of worship - and I think Aussies don't really worship anything.

Pagans did worship idols but I'm not sure that things like money, power, fame and football are really 'idols' in the religious sense, although they are in the sense of being of primary importance. Now footy might be a god to some Australians, but then I think baseball and the super bowl and a few other US sports might also be considered gods in that category .

In fact, I doubt that much of anything is sacred to Aussies unless it is 'time off', for which they have invented things like the 'sickie' from work and annual holidays of 4 weeks per year, and many other special days off for events like the 'Melbourne Cup'; which, believe it or not, is a horse race!! Take away an Aussie's days off, and then you might hear something about 'heresy'!!!
[/quote]

what The hell are you talking about ? god bless you both.
i know relatively nothing of australian culture anymore that was zapped out of my head bcoz of american t.v. shows. If your asking for a fight your going to get one. Though in a sense i know australian culture well enough deep down inside my heart signed and sealed australian christian member of the holy roman catholic church, And that money comment is relatively crude coming from a nation that has more billionaires and millionaires per capita and ridicules sums of money in your lotteries, and will only give your poor people food stamps. Anyhow let u.s.a be u.s.a and australia be australian, i do hope you come out of the woods soon miss u.s.a and watch with us while the blazing sun dissapears below the mountain ranges and the stars come out again to play though we too are children of the day. god bless you both and lets not try and scape goat and generalise whole nations ok and start cleaning our own backyards again coz our globe trotting for so long has left the dunny out the back full to over flow and there soon to be s*** everywhere, well i hope not, good to see ewtn making a differance , what is it you two are doing for the kingdom of god at present ? and again god bless you both

Edited October 4, 2011 by Tab'le Du'Bah-Rye

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='Tab'le Du'Bah-Rye' timestamp='1317720073' post='2315061']

what The hell are you talking about ? god bless you both.
i know relatively nothing of australian culture anymore that was zapped out of my head bcoz of american t.v. shows. If your asking for a fight your going to get one. Though in a sense i know australian culture well enough deep down inside my heart signed and sealed australian christian member of the holy roman catholic church, And that money comment is relatively crude coming from a nation that has more billionaires and millionaires per capita and ridicules sums of money in your lotteries, and will only give your poor people food stamps. Anyhow let u.s.a be u.s.a and australia be australian, i do hope you come out of the woods soon miss u.s.a and watch with us while the blazing sun dissapears below the mountain ranges and the stars come out again to play though we too are children of the day. god bless you both and lets not try and scape goat and generalise whole nations ok and start cleaning our own backyards again coz our globe trotting for so long has left the dunny out the back full to over flow and there soon to be s*** everywhere, well i hope not, good to see ewtn making a differance , what is it you two are doing for the kingdom of god at present ? and again god bless you both
[/quote]


I have no idea what you are saying most of the time so I can't even begin to address your comments. I thought I posted a very interesting point of view, whether you agree or not - and since this is the debate table - we are supposed to 'debate', not 'fight, so no, I am not looking for a fight..

And who are these 'two' you keep blessing? Maybe you should not drink alcohol before you post here because your posts are getting harder and harder to understand. I do hope you get to the rehab you talked about in your status because I am sure it will help you to communicate a little better.

[Papist]

Yes He does. Has has blessed me with a wonderful wife and 3 beautiful children...and hopefully more.

[Mark of the Cross]

[quote name='nunsense' timestamp='1317729971' post='2315102']


I have no idea what you are saying most of the time so I can't even begin to address your comments. I thought I posted a very interesting point of view, whether you agree or not - and since this is the debate table - we are supposed to 'debate', not 'fight, so no, I am not looking for a fight..

And who are these 'two' you keep blessing? Maybe you should not drink alcohol before you post here because your posts are getting harder and harder to understand. I do hope you get to the rehab you talked about in your status because I am sure it will help you to communicate a little better.
[/quote]
Yay! We weren't putting down our own country, merely stating what we have been led to believe is fact. We have a priest who has worked for 30 years in Pakistan he comes home often and gives fantastic lectures. My comment was basically what he has said. In Pakistan Good Muslims and Christians live in love and risk death every day, the Christians to practice their faith and the Good Muslims who protect them from evil Islamic fundamentalists. In Oz tell people you're a devout Christian and chances are you will be treated like a person who wears a sign saying the end is near. Everyone knows that Oz Rules football is the true religion. Even our Prime Minister, God bless her 'cause she needs it, is a declared atheist living with a man. Thankfully we don't judge a nation by it's leaders, but it still says something. It has also been commented as ironical how priests went to Africa to evangelise and now we are bringing priests from Nigeria to evangelise to a nation that is generally considered to be irreligious. God bless Oz!

[quote name='Papist' timestamp='1317737918' post='2315148']
Yes He does. Has has blessed me with a wonderful wife and 3 beautiful children...and hopefully more.
[/quote]
Definitely! Especially when they were prayed for in advance and many people have, myself included.

Edited October 4, 2011 by Mark of the Cross

[Tab'le De'Bah-Rye]

Un-Australian iz anti fair go for anyone, Race,color or creed... Your really way off the reality scales of my experience of australians, most(not all) i talk to about god or moralities in accordance with the scriptures are more than willing to chat,even at the bus interchanges? Which australia are you from? I have tea,milk,coffee,sugar,food and net and mobile credit most of the time and thats a great blessing coz i don't have much of anything else. And i always have clothing,hot and cold water,electricity,utensils for cooking,ameneties for cleaning myself and other stuff,and a roof over my head and a bed with a doona and pillows and JESUS. I am well blessed by this nation and God, most other nations i would be on the streets and worse if i was in one of the few remaining pagan nations i would be considered curse and one arm makes more money than two arms in a pagan nation. Can somone please hold me down while i cut off my arm you can have my <blip> first. No you must retract your comments about australia ! I know it's not a perfect nation but is so not pagan!

Advance australia fair go !

God bless you