There are many of Our Lady’s messages in which She speaks of blessing and emphasizes the power of blessing. Also, in the message of July 18, 1985, Our Lady tells us: „Today I call you to place more blessed objects in your homes and that everyone put some blessed objects on their person. Bless all the objects and thus Satan will attack you less because you will have armour against him.“ On the feast of the Assumption in 1985, She said: „Today I am blessing you and I wish to tell you that I love you and that I urge you to live my messages. Today I am blessing you with the solemn blessing that the Almighty grants me.“

The Church teaches us how “God, from whom every blessing comes,” allows us to bless people in His name and to shower God’s blessings on creatures. When you bless others, you become able to receive blessings yourself. In Peter’s first letter we read: „Do not return evil for evil, or insult for insult; but, on the contrary, a blessing, because to this you were called, that you might inherit a blessing.“ (1 Peter 3:9)

Out of human nature, we envy, speak ill of, even curse those who have successful lives and wealth. People are envious and find it difficult to bless those who have achieved something in life, who have been successful.

Instead, they bow down to criticize and speak ill of them. If God has bestowed visible good on someone, be generous and give thanks for God’s goodness, for your brother, so that your eye may not envy. If you see someone who is blessed by God’s power, bless him and the blessing will come into your life as well. This is God’s promise.

Bless your life circumstances even when they are totally different from your plans and desires. Bless them to change for the good, because it is by what you think, say and expect about people that you change them.

How many gifts, unfortunately, have remained undiscovered because there has been nobody to support and encourage them. How many talents have not been realized because perhaps the parents, with their negative prognoses, have killed in the child the will to live.

We often hear the expressions “you will never become anything” or “you don’t know anything” or “you are good for nothing”. These words begin to act as a curse that kills the will to live and to realize all that is good and noble that is hidden in children as a treasure.

If we nourish people with hope, faith, love, trust, they will thrive. Let us expect and encourage the best, and the best will happen in our lives. To nourish ourselves and others with blessings and positive thoughts and words is to bring to life the treasure that we are and that we carry within us.

From the Gospel of Luke we know the blessing of Zechariah: „Blessed be the Lord, the God of Israel, for he has visited and brought redemption to his people…“ St. Paul begins his magnificent hymn in the letter to the Ephesians with the words: „Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavens“ (Ephesians 1:3). Jesus teaches us how to bless: „Bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you“ (Luke 6:28). If we want good for ourselves, then let us listen to these words of Jesus. 

The blessing protects us from every attack of evil forces that are powerless before God’s blessing and will retreat. The important thing is not to allow them to enter, and in this the power of the blessing protects us.

Let us pray: Blessed Mother of Jesus, when you met Elizabeth, a hymn of praise burst from your heart in which you gloried and praised the Lord God. You yourself felt loved and blessed, therefore you were able to speak in this way, because your words came from a heart touched by the Lord’s grace. I beseech you in a special way, Blessed Mother, to grant us the experience of blessing and love so that we ourselves may bless other people, circumstances and life situations. Bless us with your motherly blessing so that all negative words, thoughts, desires and pessimism may disappear from our hearts. rough our pure speech and words, may God come into our hearts and our families and fill us with the fullness of His blessing and peace. Amen.

By Father Ljubo Kurtović, OFM