Ever wondered why we say “Bless you!” when someone sneezes? This saying goes back a long way when people believed that when we sneezed our soul escaped our body.
By saying “bless you” it was believed that protection was given to the soul for fear that the devil would steal it (such imagination!) Then, in the 14th century when the bubonic plague ravaged Europe, a sneeze was often the first symptom of this fatal disease. To say “Bless you” was to protect the potentially ill patient from almost certain death.
I find it fascinating that in today’s tech driven, consumer conscious, secular society we still hear people “blessing” each other. “Oh, bless” is almost a term of endearment when someone does something sweet or kind.
John O’Donohue, in his book Benedictus: A book of Blessings describes a blessing as a circle of light. Its purpose is to protect, heal and strengthen. A blessing is not the same as a greeting, or a hug, it “opens a different door” in human exchange. A blessing shines a circle of light into the way forward. Being blessed, or blessing someone, is to take a step closer to a sense of wholeness that comes from a source of life and light and love. In the Christian tradition we call this source God, in the Islamic tradition, Allah, in the Jewish tradition Yahweh.
Being blessed, or blessing someone, is to take a step closer to a sense of wholeness that comes from a source of life and light and love.
On Sunday June 21 – our longest night – we will be creating circles of light with our candles at an Evensong service at 6pm. Rev Dave Lacey Principal Chaplain of the New Zealand Defence Forces will speak about finding light in the darkness. All are welcome to be blessed, and be a blessing to others.
