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[9] Here We Quote The Example Of Moses And Aaron The Priests
(Psa 99:6) Moses and Aaron were among His priests, And Samuel was among those who called upon His name; They called upon the LORD, and He answered them.
Moses blessed the workers.
(Exo 39:43) Then Moses looked over all the work, and indeed they had done it; as the LORD had commanded, just so they had done it. And Moses blessed them.
[10] Aaron And His Sons Were Commanded By God To Bless The People.
(Num 6:22-27) And the LORD spoke to Moses, saying: {23} "Speak to Aaron and his sons, saying, 'This is the way you shall bless the children of Israel. Say to them: {24} "The LORD bless you and keep you; {25} The LORD make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; {26} The LORD lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace."' {27} "So they shall put My name on the children of Israel, and I will bless them."
[11] Hence The Priestly Blessing Emanates From God
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From the above verses we conclude that the priests invoked God’s blessings on the people.
So to bless the people, is to pray to God to bestow His blessings on them.
[12] The Priests Work As Channels Communicating God’s Blessings To The Congregation
God chose these channels, He commanded them to bless and He gave them the words of blessing.
So such blessings are from God, exactly as are the words of absolution.
[13] So Is It Fitting To Grumble And Say But They Are Only Human?
Or should we say that God blesses the congregation through them.
We also denote the same, in the blessing of Abraham by Melchizedek.
(Gen 14:18-19) Then Melchizedek king of Salem brought out bread and wine; he was the priest of God Most High. {19} And he blessed him and said: "Blessed be Abram of God Most High, Possessor of heaven and earth;
[14] Saint Paul contemplated on the above verses, deducing the superiority of Melchizedek’s priesthood above Aaron’s.
(Heb 7:1) For this Melchizedek, king of Salem, priest of the Most High God, who met Abraham returning from the slaughter of the kings and blessed him,
(Heb 7:7) Now beyond all contradiction the lesser is blessed by the better.
So Melchizedek was an authorised channel of blessing, emanating from God.
[15] The Clergy Not Only Bless The Laity But Also The Holy Sacraments
(1 Cor 10:16) The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ?
After considering the blessings of the patriarchs and the clergy, let us proceed to the blessing of one another.
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