Following the controversy raised by the Declaration “Fiducia supplicans” issued by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith and signed by Pope Francis, I have read the nine pages of that Declaration which deals with the meaning and scope of blessings within the Catholic Church.
According to the document, from the most ancient texts (such as Num 6:24-26) to Jesus’ last gesture when he ascended into heaven (Lk 24:50-51), the Bible indicates two types of blessings: ascending and descending.
Ascending blessing is that which is directed by man to God, in the form of prayer and thanksgiving. “Thank God,” that form has no requirements; all of us, righteous and sinners, can bless and thank the Lord for the gifts we have received, beginning with the gift of life and faith.
In turn, the descending blessing is the one that comes from above for people, objects of worship, places of work and suffering, the fruits of the earth, etc.
When my Jesuit friend Mateo Garau went to bless the researchers and the new facilities of the Atmospheric Physics Laboratory, I was convinced that this was not a mere formality but that this ritual would have consequences for the development of the laboratory. And he did! In the same way, the gesture of my priest uncle (a 120 kg giant) kneeling at my grandmother’s feet to receive her blessing before a trip is engraved in my adolescent pupils. In both cases, there were no requirements to receive a blessing that would give relief, confidence, and good omens.
In addition, every Sunday those who participate in Mass receive a collective blessing at the end of the liturgy accompanied, in many cases, by a specific one according to the needs of each one, without requirements or three photocopies of the identity card.
Returning to the document in question, the controversy has arisen within some more conservative Bishops’ Conferences, such as some in Africa, which have seen in this declaration almost a “heresy” and also on the part of some sexual diversity groups, which have branded as “late and insufficient” this concession to homosexual persons and members of “irregular” unions (such as the divorced or “de facto” couples). In reality, the document does not seek to endorse these unions, which are not yet accepted by the Church, but to maintain the evangelical tradition that God rejects no one. Jesus said it with his fine irony: “It is not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick.”
It is the language, pleasing to Pope Francis, that God’s Mercy is above the Law; the same attitude of Thérèse of Lisieux: “sin is immense, but God’s merciful love is infinite.” In fact, the bestowal of blessing is “in exchange for nothing.”
The document strives not to confuse blessing with rites and even less with the sacraments, but it is also true that, in the midst of the cultural diversity of the Church, the circumstances of its application are not the same and good faith is not a very common attitude, even among the hierarchs of the Church.
Personally, because of my upbringing and my culture, I believe that there are greater urgencies in the world than the manifestations of “pride” of homosexuality. However, not only do I tolerate them, but I encourage every measure that restores dignity and inclusion to these brothers and sisters, such as when they ask to be blessed. One last note: the Bible has left us not only blessings, but also a series of “curses” (the “woe to you” of Luke chapter 11), directed not exactly at sinners and outcasts, but at the conceited and hypocritical, who refuse to bless and be blessed.