Blessed Be
According to the Online Entomology Dictionary, the word Bless is derived from the “Old English bletsian, bledsian, Northumbrian bloedsian "to consecrate, make holy, give thanks," from Proto-Germanic *blodison "hallow with blood, mark with blood," from *blotham "blood"…. Originally a blood sprinkling on pagan altars.” The word Blessed is noted to have come into common use in the 12th century, meaning to be “supremely happy” or “consecrated”. Used interchangeably with the word blest, blessed is used in describing something that is holy, revered, or worthy of worship.
Blessed Be is a term offered as a way to grant the blessing of the deity onto a person by inviting them to enter into that person’s body and become one with the person.
Holiness can be
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described or achieved in various religions in all sorts of ways. In the Catholic faith, Jesus’ mother Mary is referred to as the “Blessed Virgin Mary” as a distinguished title of holy reverence. In the Bible, there are several instances where the term blessed be occurs. For example, in Ephesians chapter one, verse three, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, “. In this section, the word blessed occurs twice: once to “give reverence” to God, and the second to refer to the speaker’s state of being in a lucky, or positive way. Examples of the intended meaning of the word blessed appear throughout the Bible. In Matthew 5:1-48, The Beatitudes list all manner of instances or conditions of life that would qualify a person to be blessed. The term “Blessed Be” originates from the Fivefold Kiss, in the first part of the “Drawing Down the Moon” ritual. This ritual occurs during the time of the full moon and is intended as a Rite of Initiation. Written by Gerald Gardner, the Fivefold Kiss is a part of ceremonial worship and invocation of the Goddess. (kissing feet) "Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways"; (kissing knees) "Blessed be thy knees, that shall kneel at the sacred altar"; (kissing womb) "Blessed be thy womb, without which we would not be"; (kissing breasts) "Blessed be thy breasts, formed in beauty and in strength"; (kissing lips) "Blessed be thy lips, that shall speak the sacred names." According to Janet and Stewart Farrar in the book, Eight Sabbats for Witches: and Rites for Birth, Marriage and Death, the term appears in the Legend of the Descent of the Goddess into the Underworld, “…and kissed her feet, saying: ‘Blessed be thy feet, that have brought thee in these ways.
Abide with me; but let me place my cold hands on thy heart.’ “. In this instance, the term seems to be conveying that the feet of the Goddess are indeed holy, and how happy Death is that they found their way to him.
Use of the term Blessed Be seems to be most appropriate during ritual practice during the invocation of the Goddess, specifically enacting the Fivefold kiss. With that specific set of circumstances in mind, I can’t imagine another time that I would use the term. I do use a short hand of the phrase, “BB” in The Magic Circle School during online rituals as a more venerable way of saying that you have completed the required action and are ready to move on to the next step or
phase. When someone offers blessings or wishes for you to have a “blessed day” the idea is that it comes from a desire that your life be filled with all that is holy and brings happiness. Over time, saying Blessed Be to another Wiccan or Neopagan has garnered the same kind of meaning. The phrase Bright Blessings is another that tends to be used interchangeably with Blessed Be and tends to be used as a flowery way of saying goodbye. It is important to note the oddness in using this “holy” kind of phrase in such a casual manner. To me, it is simply inappropriate to use a phrase designed to invoke the Goddess into another as a replacement for saying “bye-bye” or “have a great day”; and, I will not be using it casual conversation. While there are many variations, the general understanding of being blessed is a lovely sentiment to bestow on another, and perhaps the wish of an individual; however, the phrase Blessed Be is crafted to be a part of a serious ritual. Just as we pagans should not take the act of invoking an entity lightly, using the terminology associated with that act should be used with discretion and proper intent.
Why should I bless His name? The Eternal, lord of the Universe, the All-Powerful and Terrible, was silent. What had I to thank Him for? (Wiesel 31)
· Thanks – this is when we say thank you to God and Jesus in prayer
The Blessing and Invocation of God over Baptismal Water evokes the history of baptism. The sacred scripture of the Bible is the etymology of the prayer, as it accentuates the purpose; it illustrates the new birth and death the newly baptized are involved in. The prayer is structured in stanzas of four sections. The first section makes reference to God’s power and amplifies the faithful’s gratitude to God’s grace that is received, the second section relates to the Old Testament and portrays the power and role of water that baptised and immersed the evil to reveal the virtuous
In the great song of praise to God for his triumph over the Whore of Babylon[5] in chapter 19 of the New Testament Book of Revelation, the Greek word ἀλληλούϊα (allēluia), a transliteration of the same Hebrew word, appears four times, as an expression of praise rather than an exhortation to praise.[6] In English translations this is mostly rendered as "Hallelujah",[7] but as "Alleluia" in several translations,[8] while a few have "Praise the Lord",[9] "Praise God",[10] "Praise our God",[11] or "Thanks to our God".[12]
Many prayers these days include a blessing for the soldiers. It really does not matter where the plea for the troops comes in a prayer; it may be in the middle or tacked on to the end, but it sounds something like the following: “Lord bless our troops, and bring them home safely.” Yes, bless the troops, and every one wants each one to come home safely. However, this is a very general prayer. People use the verb “bless” because they really do not know what to say. What does it mean to “bless?” Some people can relate to the soldiers but most cannot. Some know what it is like to be away and under the pressures of combat, but most do not. An unknown soldier has said, “For those who have fought for it, freedom has a flavor the protected will never know." Christians with admirable intentions, lift up prayers to the Heavenly Father, knowing the Lord said in Luke 11:9, “And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you.” Claiming this promise, it is Christians’ hope to aid born-again soldiers in the battles fought and waged by laying their petitions of their heart at the feet of the Lord.
“The magical time of childhood stood still, and the pulse of the living earth pressed its mystery into my living blood” (Anaya 1). The transition from childhood to adolescence is dotted with self discovery, and the experiences that the earth provides shape individuals in this search. In Rudolfo Anaya’s novel “Bless Me, Ultima,” the protagonist Antonio is faced with the challenge of growing up, and through his key experiences, he finds out a lot about himself. Author Rudolfo Anaya uses dueling allusions from Catholicism and traditional Chicano culture to demonstrate how his novel “Bless Me, Ultima” is an example of a religious bildungsroman.
If one was to consider "Awesome God" a praise chorus they would only sing the chorus. The chorus goes like this;
God's bounty is limited only by us, not my His resources, power, or willingness to give. Jabez was blessed simply because he refused to let any obstacle, person, or opinion, loom larger than God's nature. And God's nature is to bless.
Line six indicates, “On all fours / I am imitating a totemic animal / but she is not my totem or the totem / of my people, this is not my magic oven.”
This would be the way in which the writing reflects the time period the poet himself lived in. throughout the epic, many comments are made about God and him “Who will be given to death’s cold grip” (Beowulf ll 174-175). The writer’s faith and beliefs are exposed when Beowulf thanks his “Father in Heaven, Ruler of the Earth” for the life he was able to live and the people he was able to lead (Beowulf l. 201). Another example of the poet expressing his religious beliefs would be when the Geats “Thanked God that their leader had come back unharmed,” the poet is giving God recognition for allowing Beowulf to have returned safely (Beowulf l. 582). With that being said, the poet also throws in there the view point of Beowulf when it comes to his destiny: “Fate will unwind as it must!” (Beowulf l.
... some way adhere that “blessed is he / who after death can approach the Lord / and find friendship in the Father’s embrace” (Beowulf, lines 186-188). However different each era of literature designates man’s way of approach to God, nevertheless, the promise is the same: either by works and right living, or by grace alone apart from action, blessed is he who acknowledges the everlasting presence of God in the created world.
BEHOLDING HIS GLORY (2Cor.3:18) But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as from the Lord, the Spirit.
Up until this point I had never known about the concept of a new heaven. I had heard about the new earth, but new heaven was foreign. I had wondered before this class what would happen to everyone in heaven when Jesus came again. I guess I just thought that whoever was in heaven at that time would stay there, and all the believers on earth would live on the new earth separately. Now that I think about it, that logic sounds odd. It does not really make sense that everyone would be separated for eternity. It seems more reasonable that heaven would come down to earth and together they would be new. It does not really matter where heaven is because it is wherever God is, so when God decides to renew the earth, he is coming down to dwell on it
Praise Him above, ye heavenly host. Praise Father, Son, and Holy Ghost. Praising God for His blessings can be found in Ephesians 1:3, and ascribing to Him all glory can be found in Romans 11:36 and also Ephesians 3:21, and affirming the Trinity comes from Matthew 28:19, have always been integral parts of
It is used in the ordination of priests and bishops, in the consecration of altars and churches, and, traditionally, in the anointing of monarchs at their coronation.