Spirituality is not a state of being but is a journey. We are all born ignorant beings that are taken deeply into the ongoings of our society and world. Spirituality is a journey that lets us see beyond what this world has to offer. The relationship between man and God has always been a rocky one.
From the banishment from the garden of Eden, the great flood during Noah’s time, and the current prophecy of the world to end in fire, man has a whole lot to repent for the sins he’s made. But spirituality is God’s way of telling humanity that he loves them no matter what. Despite every sin that man has ever made, God has punished him to teach him a lesson although, never forsaken him.
But as we know, man cannot understand God in all his perfection. This is why through God’s will, he sent down his only son, Jesus Christ, and after he made the most unbelievable sacrifice for all humanity’s sins, he returned to heaven, promising to come back one day soon. Until then, the blessed individuals of God’s will are the bishops and archbishops of the Vatican.
Visit MondoCattolico.com to know more about the Vatican and how to get blessings. The Pope is the human representation of the lord after Jesus. He upholds his will and prays for those in need. So it makes sense that wanting a papal blessing is something that people would cherish.
Therefore, in this article, we will cover all the things you need to know about papal blessings and order one online. But before we get into that, let’s take a small introduction about the Vatican.
The Holiest Christian City
The smallest country in the world. Capital of the Catholic church, place of residence for the catholic leader, and also houses some of the most impressive pieces of art in the world with an ancient library filled with insurmountable knowledge about the history and secrets of the Vatican.
All of this being contained within the territory of such a small country, which you can easily circumnavigate on foot in less than an hour. How did this country come into existence?
The short answer is because Mussolini and the long answer is slightly complicated, so here’s a simplified version. The popes used to rule a country called the papal states, which consisted of most modern Italy.
During this 1000+ year reign, popes through this era constructed the St. Peter’s Basilica, which is the world’s largest church, and built a wall around the base of the hill known as the Vatican, upon which St. Peter’s stood. But the Kingdom of Italy next door thought Rome would make an excellent capital for their country and hence conquered the Papal States.
After continuous refusals by the Pope to recognize Italy as a country, to not risk religious civil war within Italy, the King of Italy tried waiting it out instead, expecting the Pope himself to surrender the papal states. But religion is nothing if not obstinate, and after the reign of various popes, which spanned many decades, nothing changed.
Establishment As A Country
After Benito Mussolini came into the picture as the dictator and inventor of facisicm, he got tired of listening to the Pope complain to catholic representatives about his self-imposed imprisonment, so Mussolini thought he could make the best out of all situations by striking a deal with the Pope.
He promised that Vatican city would be handed to the Pope and money as an apologetic gesture for Italy’s previous actions towards the Vatican. In return, the Pope accepted that Italy existed and had to remain neutral in all politics and wars. This is the country that we know exists today.
Papal Blessings
Papal blessing or Apostolic blessings are those endowed to people by the Pope himself through direct means or indirect means. This means that he can either directly bless people in person or on paper or delegate this blessing through another one of his bishops. A person is entitled to ask for a papal blessing thrice in a year, and for those that are dying, any bishop or priest of the Vatican can do so.
Papal blessings are different from the self-authoritative blessings that any bishop can provide, as the Pope directly sanctions a papal blessing. It is an extension of his will and the highest authority and importance.
Personal blessings are the most famous and common ones. This is when the Pope addresses his followers directly from his balcony or on a procession.
How To Order Papal Blessings Online
1) Note that the procedure for ordering papal blessings online has changed since march of 2019.
2) Any individual of the public can request a papal blessing. There is no need for proof from parishes and church priests to confirm that the person the blessing is intended for is a practicing catholic.
Self-certification is enough to do so.
3) There are various categories and functions for the required blessing. All the ones listed on the website are:
- Baptism
- First Holy Communion
- Confirmation
- Marriage
- Permanent Diaconate Ordination
- Priestly Ordination
- Religious Profession
- Secular Consecration
- Birthdays at ages 18, 50, and every ten years after that
- Anniversaries of Ordination, Marriage, or Religious
- Profession at ten years, 25 years, 40 years, and every further ten years after that
4) The Vatican will not accept any other occasions on which the blessings are requested.
5) An important thing to remember is that the blessings are to be requested at least two months before the occasion of the blessing. If you want to know more, you can visit the website directly for more direct and in-depth details.
6) All donations for the blessings are to be made directly on the website itself.
Conclusion
Getting the blessings from a spiritual leader you love and respect is usually very hard in various countries. But the Vatican has made arrangements for people to attain these blessings online as well as face to face. Although this new modern way of getting blessings might be controversial, remember what they say, it’s the thought that counts.
