Can Deacons Bless?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Religio71
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
R

Religio71

Guest
So I was reading the orthodox wiki entry on deacons, and it said that deacons cannot bless. Why is this? Is this the case in Eastern Catholic churches as well? It’s interesting, because I’m pretty sure that Roman Catholic deacons can bless (though not in every situation a priest can).

Thanks!
 
That’s the way it is.

One can ask an Orthodox deacon for his personal blessing the same way one would a priest, but in this case he would hold his hand as a layman does. The same applies to abbesses.
 
bpbasilphx said:
That’s the way it is.

One can ask an Orthodox deacon for his personal blessing the same way one would a priest, but in this case he would hold his hand as a layman does. The same applies to abbesses.
Click to expand...
Is there any reasoning behind this given? There must be a theological foundation.

Eastern Catholics I’m also interested in your view, as it would be interesting to see how one part of the role of the deacon varies between churches.
 
Priests normally bless by invocation of the trinity; “I bless ___ in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Deacons, when blessed by their bishop to bless, do so by supplication. “Oh, Lord, we ask you to bless …”

Many Roman blessings, even some reserved to the priest (“Oh, Lord, we ask you to send down your spirit upon these gifts…”) are supplicative rather than invocative.

Therefore, the distinction is reduced in Roman praxis. A few approved for Roman deacons are invocative, specifically a deaconal LOTW or LOTWw/C.
 
Aramis:
Priests normally bless by invocation of the trinity; “I bless ___ in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Deacons, when blessed by their bishop to bless, do so by supplication. “Oh, Lord, we ask you to bless …”
Click to expand...
Many Roman blessings, even some reserved to the priest (“Oh, Lord, we ask you to send down your spirit upon these gifts…”) are supplicative rather than invocative.
Click to expand...
Interesting. So it’s like the reversal of the Latin vs Byzantine absolution situation (where Latin priests say “I absolve…” while Byzantine priests ask God’s forgiveness).
 
bpbasilphx said:
That’s the way it is.

One can ask an Orthodox deacon for his personal blessing the same way one would a priest, but in this case he would hold his hand as a layman does. The same applies to abbesses.
Click to expand...
Can you explain what you mean by," he would hold his hand as a layman does?" I don’t understand and quite frankly can’t visualize what you mean. Thank you. NLM
 
Deacon_Lance said:
Priest’s hand configuration:
http://www.st-george-church.org/ImageFiles/SGeorgeGraphics/Blessing_Hand.jpg

Deacon, non-ordained monastic, and laity hand configuration:
http://wpcontent.answers.com/wikipe...110px-Sign-of-the-cross--fingers-position.jpg
Click to expand...
Deacon Lance, can you provide any insight as to why Roman Catholic deacons can bless, and apparently Eastern Catholic and Orthodox priests cannot?

If you went to a Roman Catholic parish, would you be able to/be allowed to bless, even though you’re Byzantine Catholic?
 
I would not say a Byzantine Catholic deacon cannot bless. I would say he cannot bless the same way a Byzantine Catholic priest does or use the same formula, just as a Byzantine Catholic priest does not bless the same way (with two hands) or use same formula a Byzantine Catholic bishop does.
 
twf said:
Aramis:

Interesting. So it’s like the reversal of the Latin vs Byzantine absolution situation (where Latin priests say “I absolve…” while Byzantine priests ask God’s forgiveness).
Click to expand...
Pretty much.

But also, the deacons giving blessings outside the liturgical praxis is a relatively rare thing until recently, anyway.

There are certain blessings in the Ruthenian praxis that deacons may give; they also happen to be ones that laymen may supplicate for in leading readers versions of the hours, and they are written into the adaptations for Reader’s Vespers and Reader’s Matins.

There are different introit phrases for such depending upon who invokes/supplicates; layman, deacon, priest or bishop. Such distinction is reminder of our role as Christians, different parts, but one body; we can not all be eyes, for then no hands would do work. Nor can we all be hands, for we could not see what is done and to be done.
 
When I was ordained a Deacon, very little was mentioned about where you could bless, when you couldn’t, how to hold your hand (other than the basic finger position of any ordained person), and so forth. It is up to the ordaining Bishop what his priests and deacons can do, within the confines of the office. If the Bishop allows his deacons to preach and teach then they have this authority. The same goes for bestowing a blessing.
Deacons by definition cannot bestow the blessing of absolution, the Eucharistic blessing, or the blessing of the Holy Myron (only the Bishop can bestow this last blessing).
 
Certainly a deacon cannot give a presbyteral blessing; but like any layman he can make the sign of the Cross over food, his children, etc.

In case of need a deacon can recite the prayers (without the invocation of the blessing) and sprinkle holy water that has been previously blessed on occasions when a priest is not present.
 
ok so let’s say I have a medal that I would like blessed. Can a deacon in either rite bless it?
 
I know that a Roman Catholic deacon can bless it. Our deacon usually uses holy water to bless something–that’s what he has done several times when my kids have asked him to bless things (like my little girl’s knotted rosary bracelet).
 
Hi There!
This is Crissanta from Italy!
Priests normally bless by invocation of the trinity; “I bless ___ in the name of the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.”
Deacons, when blessed by their bishop to bless, do so by supplication. “Oh, Lord, we ask you to bless …”

Many Roman blessings, even some reserved to the priest (“Oh, Lord, we ask you to send down your spirit upon these gifts…”) are supplicative rather than invocative.
 
Let me jump in here since I’m a bi-ritual deacon ordained for the Latin Rite but currently serving both the Melkite and Latin Churches.

In the Latin theology of Holy Orders the “fullness of ordination” is present when a man is ordained a deacon and this potential power is released in stages as a man is ordained a priest and again as a bishop. Thus, by virtue of his ordination a deacon can preach and can bless. As has been noted, the deacon generally blesses by invocation – that is, “May God bless…” is the general formula.

In the Eastern theology of Holy Orders each rank of the clergy is specific to itself carrying its own “power.” The deacon is not ordained to the priesthood but rather to the role of service. Thus he assists the bishop or the priest. He leads the people in prayer but the priest, as leader of the community, is the one of specifically blessed objects for the good of the faithful. Of course, a deacon can “bless” in the same sense that a lay person can bless – that is, by praying for another.

So, in my Latin parish I bless religious objects, cars, houses, people, animals and so on. I my Melkite parish I do not do these things. I do pray for people and I do ask God to bless people – but that is something anyone can do.

Hope this helps a little bit.

Deacon Ed
 
Latin Deacons are able to bless objects (as in the Rituale Romanum or De Benedictionibus) but not people, except in special circumstances.

This is based on the traditional theology of Holy Orders. Deacons receive orders for diakonia, or “service”. Their function is to assist the bishops and priests (sacerdos) in their provision for the laity.

Priests (including Bishops) on the other hand primarily offer sacrifice. They are the true intermediaries between God and Man. Thus while a deacon is truly ordained, he does not have the fullness of orders that priest and bishop do, and it is not properly the function of a deacon to bless in the way of a priest or bishop.

Blessing in the priestly sense is to obtain by supplication the graces of God, and then to dispense these upon his people.
 
Toribus said:
Latin Deacons are able to bless objects (as in the Rituale Romanum or De Benedictionibus) but not people, except in special circumstances.
Click to expand...
This is not true. Deacons can and do bless people – for example, deacons can preside and give the blessing at Eucharistic Exposition (benediction). Deacons can and do bless people at the end of baptisms, vigil services and so on.

Deacon Ed
 
Deacon_Ed said:
Let me jump in here since I’m a bi-ritual deacon ordained for the Latin Rite but currently serving both the Melkite and Latin Churches.
So, in my Latin parish I bless religious objects, cars, houses, people, animals and so on. I my Melkite parish I do not do these things. I do pray for people and I do ask God to bless people – but that is something anyone can do.

Hope this helps a little bit.

Deacon Ed
Click to expand...
Deacon Ed,
I’m sorry, but it only confused me. A deacon is a deacon is a deacon, correct?
So how can you be able to bless something as a Latin Rite Deacon but then not be able to bless something as a Melkite Deacon?

It seems to me, that as a Deacon, the blessings that you can do would be the same regardless of Rite.

Perhaps the ecclesiology is different, as you may have tried to explain, but then how does one reconcile the two because they seem to contradict each other? (at least it seems to be a contradiction to me).

Thank you.
 
Dan-Man916 said:
Deacon Ed,
I’m sorry, but it only confused me. A deacon is a deacon is a deacon, correct?
So how can you be able to bless something as a Latin Rite Deacon but then not be able to bless something as a Melkite Deacon?

It seems to me, that as a Deacon, the blessings that you can do would be the same regardless of Rite.

Perhaps the ecclesiology is different, as you may have tried to explain, but then how does one reconcile the two because they seem to contradict each other? (at least it seems to be a contradiction to me).

Thank you.
Click to expand...
Dan,

The problem here is that the theology of the order of deacon is different between the Latin Church and the various Eastern Churches. It’s not that they contradict each other, but that they look at different aspects of the call to diaconia (service) that is fulfilled in the deacon.

In the Eastern tradition the separation between the role of deacon and priest is of long standing and is very clear. This is less so in the Latin church since 1) permanent deacons are relatively recently restored and 2) the diaconate has been viewed as simply a stepping stone to the priesthood. This latter component has resulted in many views of the deacon being expressed in terms of priesthood – even though it is very clear that the deacon is “not ordained to the priesthood.”

So, although I, as a deacon, could bless things in the East because of the faculties I was given by my bishop, I do not do so because of my respect for the traditions of the East.

Does that clarify it?

Deacon Ed
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top