Catholic Prayer: Parental Blessing
Description:
Portuguese children have a deep respect and love for their parents. This is cultivated through their practice of seeking forgiveness from their parents before going to Confession, and obtaining the parental blessing frequently.
Prayer:
The entire training of children in the home is built around a profound respect for parental authority. One of the most noble practices arising from this attitude is the reconciliation of children with their parents prior to receiving the sacrament of Penance. This almost heroic act of humility of a child kneeling before its parents is a beautiful interpretation of Christian Charity and a true comprehension of the forgiveness of sins. Far reaching in its effects, this noble act places before the mind of both parent and child an understanding of the proper dignity of each.
Another display of filial respect and reverence for parental authority is the custom of all children asking the blessing of their parents. This is a universal custom amongst the Portuguese families. A son or daughter, regardless of age or condition, always asks the blessing of its parents when greeting them upon arrival or departure - a gesture that is simple in form, yet extremely rich in significance. There is nothing more beautiful than a parent, at the asking of his child, invoking from Almighty God blessings upon his earthly charge.
Prayer Source: Your Home, A Church in Miniature by Compiled by The Family Life Bureau in the early 1950s, The Neumann Press, Long Prairie, Minnesota, 1994
