Burden, Blessing, Catholic, Mission

Word Definitions and Meaning

ver. : 22 February 2008

The meaning of : blessing, burden, catholic, mission ?

(return to churchly word index)

What Is A Blessing ?

blessing (n.) and to bless (v.). [ < Old English bletsian (to consecrate, set apart as sacred) < assumed Indo-European root bhel- ] The verb 'to bless' means to treats as holy, to honor someone or something for its goodness. By extension this came to mean to ask God to give benefits to the person or thing blessed. That kind of benefit is then called a 'blessing'. To Christians, Jesus has made the entire human race holy, as God became a human. Knowing this, all of existence becomes endowed with a sea of blessings. Christ's followers are given charge by Him to love our neighbor. Thus, Christians over the years have prayed that specific people be blessed (that is, given the fruits and achievements they seek). In some circles, the term is used very cheaply, especially in prayer. When done that way, 'to bless' means nothing more than 'to give them what they're after', a meaning noone outside the church gives it nowadays. Meanwhile, many people turn to churches and religious figures or meetings or services for blessings which are material (wealth) or spiritual (ecstatic experiences). Not that God doesn't want to give them blessings, but their plea for blessing is not an act of love so much as a dressed-up display of selfishness in order to gain more stuff. In the Christian tradition, believers do not chase after blessings for themselves, but live such a life of blessing and empowering others so they will want to give benefits in return.

The most well-known Christian gesture of giving a blessing is to trace the sign of the cross in front of the person or object. This is the same motion as crossing oneself. It is generally seen as a Roman Catholic tradition, however Anglicans and Lutherans do it too.

You can find other definitions for 'blessing' in the dictionary.
Also, read this on the prosperity gospel.

What is a Burden ?

burden : A 'burden' is when God makes your soul 'heavy' for someone or something. It is when you share in the sorrow and concern God has about what happens in human life. A 'burden' comes to people who are open to caring about others. The Spirit tells us, from inside of us, that a person, group, event or situation is facing an important spiritual moment and needs prayer or action right now. Don't mess around with this; stop whatever it is you are doing as safely as you can, and start praying. When we respond to the Spirit's leadings in prayer or action, we are sharing someone else's load, and lifting a bit of our own, too. It may not feel like it at first, though. People with strong gifts of empathy or healing can find the 'burden' quite troubling and overpowering. Even without such gifts, people are known to break down in tears from a burden laid on their heart. It encumbers them, makes them feel like they're being weighed down, and gets in the way of whatever else they are doing. The Hebrew prophets would sometimes describe their prophecies as a burden : the behavior of their nation weighed heavily on God's heart, and thus also the heart of the prophet. The most vexing weight was the duty of telling the horrible truth to the people both God and they loved.

What is catholic ?

catholic : of the whole; universal (Greek kath holos ). With a small 'c', it refers to the whole of the Gospel of Christ and the ways of living it out, among Christ's followers of all times, places, races, sexes, social classes and situations of life. When using this word, it is easy to miss that it refers to all that is within the Gospel truth and fitting for the *Kingdom of God* (a very broad thing, meaning the redeemed or completed universe). If it's not, it is not part of the 'kath holos', no matter how much it is present among Christians or church bodies.

With a capital 'C', it refers to the churches which acknowledge the authority of the Bishop of Rome (that is, the Pope), the Roman Catholic Church, and its traditions, structures, and operations. 

You can also find a definition for 'catholic' in the dictionary.

What Is Mission ?

Christian mission is, at its heart, simply to bear Christ and His good news to the world. "Bearing Christ" is more action than talk, more attitude than stance, is service rather than mastery, and is about knowing and telling God's story rather than making one up. It is sometimes said that everything is mission, but that's just the mystifiers doing their thing to every word. Mission is done for and with Christ and by the power of the Spirit He sent to us, or it is not mission. And it is all a noisy gong without love. Related words are calling, goal, purpose, vocation, and lifework.

You can also find a definition of 'mission' in the dictionary.