ASK FATHER: A Blessing For Guns

[yankeesouth]

ASK FATHER: A blessing for guns

From a reader... QUAERITUR: One of our parishioners posted this image on his facebook page and I commented, "Hey, if you have guns you want blessed, let me know." Low and behold he took me up on the offer. That is why I asked if there was a blessing of guns. This is great! There are

wdtprs.com

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[po18guy]

OK, I’ll go with Fr. Z on this one. We have become a nation of little faith and great fear. From the blog:

“There are blessings for all sort of tools and a gun is just a tool. They are, in themselves, morally indifferent. They can be blessed. We can ask God to be especially mindful of their safekeeping, for their proper function, that they not be used for evil purposes, and, in the case of your guns, bows, trebuchets, etc., that each projectile fired with them may find your intended marks.”

 

[Bithynian]

I don’t have especially strong feelings either way, but as a point of discussion: Russian Orthodox clergy currently bless nuclear ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles).

 

[Tis_Bearself]

Russian Orthodox clergy currently bless nuclear ICBMs (intercontinental ballistic missiles).

It seems like Russian Orthodox pretty much bless everything and anything from the pictures I’ve seen online. I don’t think that’s a bad thing, however, it places a burden on the owner/ user not to use the item for any purpose contrary to God.

I agree with Fr. Z that a gun is just a tool, it can be used for good or for bad depending on the user. Also, there is a school of thought that these blessings actually pertain to the person using the item, since when the item is sold the blessing will disappear. So one can also think of it as Father blessing all the persons who currently possess or will be assigned to use these guns.

 

[Dougbro1]

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At first glance I thought he was performing an exorcism on these rifles

 

[Asinner]

Now I need to find a priest willing to do this!

 

[Welshrabbit]

A blessing or an exorcism?

 

[Asinner]

Haha, blessing.

In the picture, the priest would be wearing violet if it was an exorcism.

 

[Patri]

Not at all pro-gun ownership for all but it is a good idea seeing that they are weapons, to pray for the people that handle them.

 

[Welshrabbit]

Interesting…I did not know that.

I have this little .22 revolver that must be possessed because I can’t hit the side of a barn with it. Either that or I’m just a bad shot…

 

[Asinner]

A good craftsman always blames his tools.

I think I got that saying right.

 

[HomeschoolDad]

This is wonderful. As for myself, I have a blessed medal of St Gabriel Possenti attached to my range bag.

 

[Welshrabbit]

I like the fact that you have a range bag.

 

[do_justly_love_mercy]

Almost seven years ago, America called for the Second Amendment to be repealed. Their arguments now seem more compelling than ever.

Repeal the Second Amendment

Though we cannot create an absolutely safe world, we can create a safer world.

www.americamagazine.org

As for having a gun blessed, I can appreciate the argument that it is only a tool, but it is a tool that has a very specific purpose, namely, to kill. I suppose the purpose of the blessing could be, as suggested by someone already, to deter the owner from ever using it to kill somebody. I feel instinctively uneasy seeing a priest give a blessing to weapons that can be used to kill. We need fewer swords and more plowshares.

 

[Metis1]

Gee, if Jesus was still alive, I wonder if he would prefer to carry an AK-47 or an AR-15? [/sarcasm]

BTW, personally, I will not discuss this topic.

 

[buc_fan33]

I agree, FWIW. And I say this as a gun owner and a priest. Personally, I would never bless a gun. I think it’s incredibly insensitive to those who have lost loved ones at the hand of an individual wielding a firearm.

I certainly agree that a gun is just a tool. And as such, it can be used in a responsible way or in an irresponsible way. I get that. If someone practices the rules of gun safety, a firearm can be, and usually is, perfectly safe. As I said, I’m a gun owner myself. However, we have to consider the optics of things. Public funeral for a convicted pedophile priest who is repentant? It’s permitted, but terrible optics in the current climate. A private ceremony with just family would be much more advisable.

Blessing of guns? In the current climate, the optics are horrid.

 

[on_the_hill]

Maybe you need a bigger barn.

 

[Asinner]

Galil, the most iconic rifle from His home country, Israel!

 

[BlueMaxx]

As a Marine I say “Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition…”

 

[do_justly_love_mercy]

And? Killing is not only licit but can even be morally necessary in certain circumstances. Having tools that are very efficient at this is prudent.

But having those tools publicly blessed? Earlier this year it was reported that the Russian Orthodox Church had banned its priests from blessing missiles. To the best of my knowledge, the US armed forces do not have their missiles blessed by clergy of any denomination. Owning, and even using, weapons is, as you say, licit and morally necessary. That is not to say that the Church should be holding public blessing ceremonies for them.