Exiit qui seminat

Since December 18th, 2023, the Catholic world has been more than vocal about a declaration given by the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith, Fiducia Supplicans - On the Pastoral Meaning of Blessings. Before we get to the heart of the mater, it's important to understand the background of the document itself. Fiducia Supplicans was issued in response to questions from bishops and diocese throughout the Universal Church regarding who can receive a blessing. It was also spurred by Dubia (Latin for "doubts") asked by some Cardinals. Dubia are questions given by bishops or cardinals to the Holy Father asking for clarification regarding an issue in particular, in this case, the blessing of same-sex couples. According to Fiducia Supplicans, the declaration from the Dicastery of the Doctrine of the Faith DOES NOT change the Church's theology and teaching on marriage. Rather, it focuses on a pastoral understanding of blessings, as shepherds caring for the flock entrusted to their care. The declaration is not very long and is pretty straightforward in what it means to say. However, as with all things like this in the life of the Church, different groups interpret what is or what isn't said according to their particular goals and points of view. First, the Catholic Church IS NOT taking "something that is not marriage" and saying that it can be "recognized as marriage" (cf. Fiducia Supplicans 4). What it DOES say, is that anyone, in any given situaton, can be blessed. One who asks for a blessing show himself to be in need of God’s saving presence in his life and one who asks for a blessing from the Church recognizes the later as a sacrament of the salvation that God offers. To seek a blessing in the Church is to acknowledge that the life of the Church springs from the womb of God’s mercy and helps us to move forward, to live better, and to respond to the Lord’s will. In order to help us understand the value of a more pastoral approach to blessings, Pope Francis urges us to contemplate, with an attitude of faith and fatherly mercy, the fact that “when one asks for a blessing, one is expressing a petition for God’s assistance, a plea to live better, and confidence in a Father who can help us live better.” This request should, in every way, be valued, accompanied, and received with gratitude. People who come spontaneously to ask for a blessing show by this request their sincere openness to transcendence, the confidence of their hearts that they do not trust in their own strength alone, their need for God, and their desire to break out of the narrow confines of this world, enclosed in its limitations (Fiducia Supplicans 20-21). This is not a radical innovation to Church teaching that I frst feared when the declaration came out. Just like when a priest blesses a congregation at the end of Mass, just like a priest can bless someone who comes up and asks for healing or a blessing and prayer for a particular intention, God's blessing can be bestowed on anyone - saint and sinner alike. The crux of the issue is the disposition and the attude of the one being blessed. The Lord's grace, mercy and blessing are infinite. Once we receive them, do we allow God's presence in our lives to be an impetus for conversion and to grow in holiness? This is what, according to this parish priest, Fiducia Supplicans is all about. The only thing revolutionary about this declaration is the infnite mercy, goodness and love of the Lord from whom all blessings flow.