Holy Holy meaning

  • Thread starter Thread starter SteveWSJ
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
S

SteveWSJ

Guest
What do we mean when we say “we bless you” during the holy, holy?
 
Do you mean the Sanctus (where it says not “we bless you” but "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord) or do you mean the Gloria where we say “We praise you, we bless you, we adore you, we glorify you?”

Well, it seems funny for mere humans to 'bless" God, but we can only do that because He has blessed us already. We’re kind of reflecting ‘back at him’.
 
I once read a very good answer regarding this, that made a lot of sense, but forgive me, I doubt I’m going to do this justice.

The issue is that we don’t use the word bless in modern English the way it once was.

the word bless has the following meanings:

bless (bls)
tr.v. blessed or blest (blst), bless·ing, bless·es
  1. To make holy by religious rite; sanctify.
  2. To make the sign of the cross over so as to sanctify.
  3. To invoke divine favor upon.
  4. To honor as holy; glorify: Bless the Lord.
  5. To confer well-being or prosperity on.
  6. To endow, as with talent.
(NOTE: I copied the above from some website, not a dictionary)

Also, there are some difference between American and British English. Check out the differences on dictionary.com.


The point is, in older usage of modern English, saying “we bless you” is giving honor and to praise. The word bless was chosen in Old English Bibles to translate Latin benedicere and Greek eulogein, both of which have a ground sense of “to speak well of, to praise,” but were used in Scripture to translate Hebrew brk “to bend (the knee), worship, praise, invoke blessings.”

So basically, as it is with the English word “love”, this is an example of English simply lacking differentiating words for the multiple definitions of the word “bless,” allowing people to become confused regarding which definition is most applicable in the sentence.

I hope this makes sense.

God Bless
 
We actually do this “bless the Lord” or “blessed be God” in many prayers. For example:

Psalm 103: “Bless the Lord, O my soul: O Lord my God, thou art exceedingly great.”

The beginning of the Divine Praises said at Benediction:

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His Most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
…
 
Last edited:
I believe the Gloria and Kyrie are some of the oldest prayers we say during mass.
 
phil - There are indeed HUGE and NUMEROUS differences between American English and English English - we are indeed separated by a ‘common language’.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top