Throat Blessing

[roseb]

I was just wondering if lay people can give the throat blessing? I went to church today and the priests and also some lay people were giving the blessings. I wasn’t sure but went up and got a blessing from a lay person and now I feel that I shouldn’t have done that.

 

[svid2]

Only a priest or deacon can bless.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

1626 The blessing of throats may be given by a priest, deacon, or a lay minister who follows the rites and prayers designated for a lay minister. If the blessing is conferred during Mass, the blessing follows the homily and general intercessions, or, for pastoral reasons, the prayer of blessing may take the place of the final blessing of the Mass. When the blessing is given outside Mass, it is preceded by a brief celebration of the word of God. If the blessing is to be celebrated at Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer, it is given after the reading and responsory (and homily) and before the gospel canticle. [from http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/liturgicalyear/prayers/view.cfm?id=733]

Roseb, do you normally doubt that your pastor/parish does things right?

 

[paperwight66]

In the same way, lay people can administer ashes on Ash Wednesday, if asked to by the priest because of the crowds.

 

[roseb]

Roseb, do you normally doubt that your pastor/parish does things right?

Thank you for your responses. I didn’t usually doubt these things but since reading and learning things on this forum I started to more often. I also think I overthink things. When I was going up I kept thinking if it was a sin to go up if I knew lay people shouldn’t give the blessing (would it be?) but then I decided to trust the pastor since he was right there so he allowed it.

 

[SuscipeMeDomine]

Thank you for your responses. I didn’t usually doubt these things but since reading and learning things on this forum I started to more often. I also think I overthink things. When I was going up I kept thinking if it was a sin to go up if I knew lay people shouldn’t give the blessing (would it be?) but then I decided to trust the pastor since he was right there so he allowed it.

I think the Internet, for one thing, encourages this. We learn just enough to end up questioning things. We learn, for example, that lay people generally don’t give blessings, but don’t pick up on those times when they’re authorized. It’s probably good for our spiritual lives to learn to work with the assumption that our pastors are right and worry only when we know for sure that they’re not.

 

[ssa_trad_cath]

I was just wondering if lay people can give the throat blessing? I went to church today and the priests and also some lay people were giving the blessings. I wasn’t sure but went up and got a blessing from a lay person and now I feel that I shouldn’t have done that.

Not sure specifically about the throat blessing, but I think that there are some blessings that lay-people can give. I think that in this case the wordings and actions of the blessings may change. For example, it’s possible the lay person may not be allowed to make the Sign of the Cross over something/one and say “I bless you…” etc. Unfortunately I don’t have a reference available for this. But you’ve got me thinking, I’ll have to look it up!

 

[roseb]

Thanks for the responses. Is it scrupulous to worry about it being a sin if one goes up to get the blessing from a layperson while thinking it may be a sin to do that?
I don’t like how I’m starting to question how things are done now. Maybe I should stop reading the forums for a while.

 

[djwright4341]

Thanks for the responses. Is it scrupulous to worry about it being a sin if one goes up to get the blessing from a layperson while thinking it may be a sin to do that?
I don’t like how I’m starting to question how things are done now. Maybe I should stop reading the forums for a while.

Keep reading the forums and everything you can get your hands on. Remember that one of our duties as Christian is to always be ready to defend and explain our faith.

As for worrying about things being sins… One of the requirements for mortal sin is full knowledge. If you don’t know it’s a sin at the time, it’s not a mortal sin.

 

[iloveangels]

Laypeople may not use the same blessing as a priest, so effectively the answer to your question is no, laypeople may not bless throats.

Laypeople may give personal wishes to other people, as they do when they bless their children or wish their friends and relatives blessed by God. When a layperson blesses you, no matter what props they’re using, this is exactly what you’re getting from them.

Laypeople may also bless themselves – by making the sign of the cross on themselves which I’m sure you have done many times, just like we all have. [And in fact, if I want to be blessed by a layperson, I will do it myself. I’m a layperson!]

However, you did nothing wrong in receiving what you were told would be a blessing from a layperson. There is nothing sinful in this on your part. You didn’t know, and at any rate it’s not very serious either way. The blessing of throats is a custom associated with a feast-day and that’s all.