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MEDITATION:

Written by V. Gilbert Beers, a contemporary author of biblical reference books.

I’m a father of five wonderful grown children, one now already in heaven, and the grandfather of eleven awesome grandchildren. For more than half a century, my wife Arlie and I have made it a crusade to bless our children, their mates, and their children. It is the Christian thing to do, isn’t it? We always expected the blessings to flow “downward” through the generations. But increasingly we have discovered a reverse flow of blessings. The more we try to bless the next generations, the more we discover greater blessings from them. We who thought we were the “blessers” suddenly become the blessed, and those we expected to be the blessed have become the “blessers.” Those we blessed with wise counsel, love, generosity, role modeling and a hundred other gifts, now bless us with wise counsel, love, generosity, role modeling and a hundred other gifts. Perhaps we can carry this thought upward a bit. We expect that God is always the “blesser” and we are always the blessed. But is it not true that when we return our gifts to God we bless God? What an awesome thought that we, those blessed by God, can return blessing to Him?

PRAYER:

Written byFrancis of Assisi (c1181-1226), an Italian Catholic friar, deacon and preacher. He founded the men’s Order of Friars Minor, the women’s Order of Saint Claire, the Third Order of Saint Francis and the Custody of the Holy Land.

Whoever shall observe these things may he be filled in heaven with the blessing of the most high Father, and may he be filled on earth with the blessing of his beloved son, together with the Holy Spirit, the Consoler, and all the powers of heaven and all the saints. And I, brother Francis, your worthless servant, as far as I am able, approve this most holy blessing both internally and externally. We adore You, O Lord Jesus Christ, in this Church and all the Churches of the world, and we bless You, because, by Your holy Cross You have redeemed the world.