St. Louis of France gave this powerful blessing to his son that can be a model for all fathers.
Fathers are called by God to set a spiritual example for their family, encouraging and leading family prayer and leading a life of virtue.
One way fathers can incorporate more prayer into their family is to bless their children on a regular basis.
Evidence for this type of blessing runs throughout the Bible, especially in the Old Testament, such as Isaac blessing his son Jacob (cf. Genesis 27).
St. Louis, King of France, took his fatherhood seriously and strove to be not only a good king, but also an exceptional dad.
He wrote a letter to his son that is very beautiful, and at the end of it, he composed a prayer of blessing. This prayer can be adapted and used by any dad, or parent, to call down God’s graces upon their children.
May the three Persons of the Holy Trinity and all the saints protect you from every evil. And may the Lord give you the grace to do his will so that he may be served and honored through you, that in the next life we may together come to see him, love him and praise him unceasingly. Amen.
Read more:
St. Joseph teaches fathers how to lead family prayer
Read more:
Two biblical prayers to bless your children
And today we celebrate...
