The Priestly Blessing: Rediscovering the Gift

by Stephen J. Rossetti, Donald Wuerl (Foreword)

A bestselling author and leading expert on the Catholic priesthood, Msgr. Stephen J. Rossetti forges a renewed theology of priestly blessing, encouraging his brother priests to embrace the habit of blessing people, objects, and events. In this provocative and inspirational book he shows how the blessing is integral to the identity of priests and crucial to the spiritual wellbeing of all the faithful. Msgr. Stephen Rossetti fears that many priests shy away from blessing people and objects because of a lack of awareness of the rich tradition of Church blessings and a deficit in training for this important pastoral practice. In The Priestly Blessing, Rossetti urges priests to boldly and frequently embrace this ancient practice because of their unique calling. Rossetti traces the history of blessing in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. He also explores the various types of blessing, such as praise of God, the invocation of special benefit from God, and being consecrated to God. The Priestly Blessing also helps priests reflect on what saints and mystics have taught about blessing as a vital activity of the Church, and outlines connections between Catholic sacramental theology, the practice of priestly blessing, and the Catholic understanding of creation that helps make sense of priests blessing objects and animals.

192 pages, Paperback

Published October 26, 2018

Reviews

[David Szatkowski · Rating 2 out of 5]

I did not find this book to be one of his better ones. I have read other works by him, particularly in psychology, that I thought were better.

[Louis R · Rating 2 out of 5]

A definite overview of the long history of blessing. While an important topic for today, this book lacks some serious organization and seems to repeat itself quite a bit. It is definitely a pastoral in nature, not a heavy theological work. One could get by reading the last couple of captors and still getting a good idea what the entire book is about. Even reading just the summary at the end could be enough. I would have liked to see a much more Rich exposition of the sacramental system and the incarnation and how this is distinct from superstition, and how it essentially in forms the church's blessings. That thought definitely comes up multiple times in the book and seems to be Rosetti's thesis, but I think it could have been more precisely expounded.

[DAVID WILSON · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gives a very good scriptural basis for blessings given by clergy and laypersons.

[Michael Vidrine · Rating 3 out of 5]

A good introduction to the history of priestly blessings from Old Testament times all the way up to post Vatican II, and a very general treatment of the theological debates concerning priestly blessings. I would have like to see Monsignor Rossetti distinguish better between the various different uses of the word בְּרָכָה/“blessing,” both in the Judeo-Christian history, and in the prayers used today.