Fathers remember to bless your children.
I want to give a few words about blessings and forming a parish council.
I will be offering a blessing for those not receiving communion before general communion recognizing that some people are strongly attached to a blessing at this time. As I said, everyone is blessed at the end of Mass. As I also said, I am happy to offer a blessing for souls that ask for them after Mass, who are well disposed. The difficulty I have found, for example, is some children and adults have come forward scantily clothed or wearing demonic heavy metal tshirts expecting a “never approved” blessing. In order to avoid confrontations with individuals it is better to offer a general blessing. Below I offer a fuller theology of blessings.
I also want to take this opportunity to encourage people to finally consider helping me form a parish council, which I had initially proposed in March with parish group meetings. Canon law describes this group wherein the Christian faithful, “assists in fostering pastoral activity”, which “possesses a consultative vote only.” (c 536). This can be a great help for pastoral ministry.
Let me explain further the theology of “blessings”, which are for persons or things. The Introduction to the Book of Blessings, 1989, explains, they are “meant to declare and to manifest the newness of life in Christ that has its origin and growth in the sacraments.” It further explains as “imitation of the sacraments” they “are signs above all of spiritual effects.” No where are they described as signs of “welcoming” or “communion”.
You should also know that not only priests can confer blessings, with the sign of the cross in a “constitutive way.” A father of a household can offer a blessing, as seen in Abraham, for his children and his wife. According to tradition he can also offer powerful deliverance prayers against demons attacking them. The mother can bless her children and a holy Christian woman blesses her husband by her holy presence (1 Cor. 7:14). She can also offer deliverance prayers against demons attacking her children. I would add a husband who abuses his wife is curse to her and he no longer has spiritual authority. Additionally, any Christian faithful can call out for or “invoke” the blessing of God, which will be effective depending on their holiness.
Priests have a special authority to bless things and people. For example, priests can bless holy water, holy salt, and St. Benedict crosses with exorcism prayers. In my experience with deliverance prayers and witnessing other priests doing an exorcism, truly afflicted souls will physically react to such sacramentals exorcised by a priest, but they will not do so if lay people claim such blessings. I encourage you to ask for the blessing of such sacramentals.