In the book of Numbers 6:22-27, we can read that Moses received from God the command to inform Aaron and his sons how they should bless as priests.
Since the New Covenant, the blessing of the priest is particularly powerful, since the priest blesses in “persona Christi”. The blessing priest pours out divine holiness. That is why one should open one’s soul and be sanctified by this blessing. Every blessing that effects the soul can become fruitful. With the blessing power, Christ gave priests the power to open the treasure of the divine heart and pour out a rain of graces on the recipients of the blessing.
God wants to fulfill the needs of all humanity through the priestly blessing. Through the priestly blessing, one acquires the power and the will to seek good and avoid evil. The blessing opens the gates to Divine Mercy, which we cannot comprehend. It remains a mystery. That’s why it’s so important not to receive it indifferently and distracted. The more devoutly we receive it, the greater its impact on body and soul.
Unfortunately, both priests and laypeople underestimate and too rarely receive the blessing of the Church. The blessing of the priest springs from the eternal love of the Sacred Heart of Jesus .
At the priestly ordination, the bishop anoints the priest’s hands with holy oil and prays:
“Consecrate and sanctify, o Lord, these hands. What these hands bless, let it be blessed, and what they consecrate, let it be consecrated and sanctified in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.”
The Pastoral Introduction to the German-speaking Benedictionale explains (No. 18):
“Due to the general or special priesthood or a special mandate, every baptized and confirmed person can bless. However, the more a blessing is related to the Church as such and its sacramental center, the more it is assigned to the holder of a service office (bishop, priest, deacon).”
First Blessing
The First Blessing, also known as the “Firstfruits Blessing of the Priest,” is highly esteemed.
At the end of the First Solemn Mass, the general First Blessing replaces the final blessing of the Holy Mass. After the end of the Mass celebration or, the new priest first blesses the present clergy and then the entire community with individual First Blessings. He places his hands on the faithful and blesses each one individually while invoking the saints.
The First Blessing is given in two forms: general and personal. The new priest can give this blessing throughout his first year of service.
Pope Paul VI in the Roman Catholic Church granted every priest receiving their First Blessing the opportunity to give the blessing once as a papal blessing. In connection with this, the faithful, with appropriate disposition, can obtain a complete remission of temporal sins. The First Blessing usually takes advantage of this at his home First Blessing and uses the solemn blessing form of the Papal Blessing.
The usual First Blessing reads:
“May the Almighty God, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, bless and protect you through the spreading of my hands and through the invocation of the blessed Virgin Mary , St. N., and all the saints. Amen.”