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On the misuse of the term, 'God bless you'.

SeverusSeverus
edited December 1969 in Personal Issues
Hello to all.

I have made a small observation with regards to this term and its misuse. I notice people throw it around a lot...incorrectly.

If you are sure you have some kind of Godly power that you have attained from constant fasting and prayer, or you have been ordained to a high ecclesiastical rank, then by all means, continue using the term. If not...then you don't really have any blessing to give. Most, it bothers me when people use the term when conversing with priests in a letter or other message. The priest blesses the layman, not the other way around! A simple 'In Christ' would suffice.

Just an FYI.

Please remember me in your prayers.
Severus

Comments

  • joegjoeg
    A good point Severus. But surely, asking God to bless us and other people is well within our "limits" as it were? Do we not say in the Holy Liturgy after the commemoration: "Glory to you o Lord. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord bless us. Lord repose them". By saying "God Bless you", you are not blessing them from your own power, but rather asking the Lord's benefactions to be upon them?

    I'm probably wrong, and I'm highly unsure. Some clarity would be appreciated  :)

    pray for me

    joe
  • SeverusSeverus
    [quote author=josephgabriel link=topic=7331.msg97046#msg97046 date=1226440084]
    A good point Severus. But surely, asking God to bless us and other people is well within our "limits" as it were? Do we not say in the Holy Liturgy after the commemoration: "Glory to you o Lord. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord bless us. Lord repose them". By saying "God Bless you", you are not blessing them from your own power, but rather asking the Lord's benefactions to be upon them?

    I'm probably wrong, and I'm highly unsure. Some clarity would be appreciated  :)

    pray for me

    joe


    "Lord bless us", used in the Liturgy, is surely much different...it is a collected people asking Him for blessing together.

    To say "God bless you" is like saying "Well, God has already given me all of the blessing, I shall now share it with you".

    Also, priests never bless from their own power either...

    Severus
  • LifeinChristLifeinChrist
    yea, and on top of that because I said God bless you, I am not going to hell, I think you are right, when we are speaking to someone with a higher ecclesiastical authority than it is inappropriate to say it, unless they sneeze. And what is the problem with this quick prayer? Asking God for a blessing? I don't see it as a problem in fact, I would take it as a compliment.

    God Bless you. ;-)
  • LifeinChristLifeinChrist
    [quote author=Severus link=topic=7331.msg97047#msg97047 date=1226441181]
    [quote author=josephgabriel link=topic=7331.msg97046#msg97046 date=1226440084]
    A good point Severus. But surely, asking God to bless us and other people is well within our "limits" as it were? Do we not say in the Holy Liturgy after the commemoration: "Glory to you o Lord. Lord have mercy. Lord have mercy. Lord bless us. Lord repose them". By saying "God Bless you", you are not blessing them from your own power, but rather asking the Lord's benefactions to be upon them?

    I'm probably wrong, and I'm highly unsure. Some clarity would be appreciated  :)

    pray for me

    joe


    "Lord bless us", used in the Liturgy, is surely much different...it is a collected people asking Him for blessing together.

    To say "God bless you" is like saying "Well, God has already given me all of the blessing, I shall now share it with you".

    Also, priests never bless from their own power either...

    Severus


    What happens when a priest says Peace be with you all? Does he have all the peace and is now sharing it with us?
    I think your argument is invalid, it can be used for anything...
  • HezekielHezekiel
    [quote author=Severus link=topic=7331.msg97045#msg97045 date=1226439718]
    Hello to all.

    I have made a small observation with regards to this term and its misuse. I notice people throw it around a lot...incorrectly.

    If you are sure you have some kind of Godly power that you have attained from constant fasting and prayer, or you have been ordained to a high ecclesiastical rank, then by all means, continue using the term. If not...then you don't really have any blessing to give.

    When we say "God Bless you", we are not giving any blessings from our own power, but we are praying to God to give you His blessings.It is another way of saying " May God bless you" which is similar to' May the grace of the Lord be with you".The grace and the blessings are God's.

    Sorry, I just read and realised that Joe had similar view to mine.Sorry for the redundancy!
  • joegjoeg
    Nice argument Hisservant. The "peace be with you all" is not from the priests own peace (he is human like us), but from the authority of his priesthood, echoing the words of our Saviour to his disciples (not literally, but symbollically). However, this does not refute Severus' argument, as his point is still valid. Hezekiel's argument is also rather valid.

    Three good arguments. Four participants. One amused but confused teenager.

    It's got the makings of a classic debate :D

    pray for me

    joe

    (PS to Hezekiel: there is no such thing as redundancy here - if it helps emphasise the point then do it  ;D)
  • LifeinChristLifeinChrist
    yea it is a ood argument both of you

    God bless.
  • jydeaconjydeacon
    I agree with points from both sides of the arguement, If you are taking to someone older than you or "higher" rank than you in the church or abroad, its not right for you to say God Bless you, the blessing is always given from the older to younger.

    I see where Severus is coming from, there is a difference between saying May God Bless you and saying God Bless you, One seems as a request to God and another seems as you are giving the Blessing. But I think that is digging deeper than what people really intend. When people say God Bless you, it doesn't mean they are necessarily saying they have the Blessing to give, but that they wish or pray for the Blessing to be given to you. In my conclusion i always say God Bless and Pray for me and my weakness, I in no way feel that i myself am giving Blessing at all but is, for me at least, asking God to Bless you guys for everything and in everything nothing more, nothing less.

    God Bless and Pray for me and my weakness,
  • Unknown
    i have a question..sometimes in tasbeha.  WE say bless the Lord...?

    how is that possible since God blesses us not the other way around?

    +mahraeel+
  • godislove260godislove260
    Sorry Severus, but I really don't see any problem with saying God bless you. I think it's a wonderful thing to say comparable to when you say : Rabbena me3aak, Rabbena ye7meek, Rabbena ye7afez 3aleik...(respectively: God be with you, protect you, take care of you)

    God Bless you, at least the way I use it, is asking the Almighty Lord to bless you and not in any way that I myself am giving any blessing.

    In fact the same (in my opinion wrong) logic you used can be applied to other things:
    For example when someone asks me to pray for them, it's definitly not because I'm any good or because my prayers are worth anything, but I pray for them as they pray for me because that's what we, as members of the Body of Christ are supposed to do for eachother...)

    God bless you, can be looked upon as a simple prayer: I pray that God blesses you

    Btw, NO ONE is worthy, not one of us, we are all sinners who should know that ALL GOOD things come from GOD, not from priests, bishops or popes...

    May the Lord bestow His blessings upon all of you
    Peace

  • LifeinChristLifeinChrist
    I think saying bless the lord, its another way of saying praise
    here is a meaning actually from the dictionary
    4. to extol as holy; glorify: Bless the name of the Lord.
  • Unknown
    [quote author=Hisservant link=topic=7331.msg97077#msg97077 date=1226448164]
    I think saying bless the lord, its another way of saying praise
    here is a meaning actually from the dictionary
    4. to extol as holy; glorify: Bless the name of the Lord.


    ohhh okayy thanksss

    +mahraeel+
  • grace08
    When you say "God bless you" to someone, the blessing is from God to that person, not from you to that person. You are not saying I bless you.  It's pretty straight forward.    In my opinion this statement can come from anyone child, adult, sinner, priest etc. You don't have to have a high spiritual ranking to use it.  I always love it when people say God bless you to me, it shows me that they appreciate me and wish God's blessings on me. 
  • kerestinakerestina
    i always say God bless when i farewell people and i dont ever assume im more holy or above anyone spiritually when i do so, so i find this interesting when you say this..are you then implying only priests and other hegomen can use such a term?
  • Unknown
    Matthew 5
    43 “You have heard that it was said,  ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I say to you, love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, 45 that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the good, and sends rain on the just and on the unjust.

    then... we surely can also pray for the blessing of our beloved if we are even required to bless our enemies, and anybody could bless anybody else

    Barek game3 a3da5na we aheba5na
    marda sha3beka eshfeehom
    .....

    GBU
  • Unknown
    Dear Severus,
    this is quoted from "Teaching Children how to Pray?"

    http://www.suscopts.org/stphilopateerdallas/Teaching_the_children_how_to_pray.doc

          Blessings for others
          1) Bless our church, the priests, and the people
          2) Bless the poor and the needy

    GBU
  • SeverusSeverus
    Interesting.

    Guess I lost  :D
  • Unknown
    In fact you win!

    GBU
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