Lenten campaign 2026
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When the pope or a bishop presides over or is present at the Eucharist, he may conclude Mass using a special blessing. Priests typically end Mass with the following blessing:
The Lord be with you.
- And with your spirit.
May almighty God bless you,
the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Pontifical Blessing
The pope, as well as any bishop, can conclude Mass in a very different way:
In a Pontifical Mass, the celebrant receives the miter and, extending his hands, says:
The Lord be with you.
- And with your spirit.
Blessed be the name of the Lord.
- Now and for ever.Our help is in the name of the Lord.
- Who made heaven and earth.Then the celebrant receives the pastoral staff, if he uses it, and says:
May almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
- Amen.
These extra words are taken from the Bible. For example, "Blessed be the name of the Lord" is from Psalm 113:2.
Similarly, "Our help is in the name of the Lord" is from Psalm 124:8.
Fullness of Holy Orders
This special blessing recalls how the bishop is set apart and receives the fullness of the sacrament of Holy Orders. Priests are not allowed to impart this blessing.
Blessings have been part of Christianity since the very beginning, finding their roots in various Bible passages. The phrase "The Lord be with you" is first found in the Book of Ruth, "And behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem; and he said to the reapers, 'The Lord be with you!' And they answered, 'The Lord bless you'" (Ruth 2:4).
According to Christopher Carstens in Mystical Body, Mystical Voice: Encountering Christ in the Words of the Mass, the "greeting ... is the greeting of the landowner Boaz to his harvesters. ... It is a greeting to those who gather their daily bread by working in the field, a greeting to pilgrims like Ruth living off the land as they pass through. It was used by the Hebrews on everyday occasions to express good wishes in the Lord."
The phrase received an even greater symbolism when adopted by the early Christians and used in the context of the Mass, where the true "daily bread" is made present on the altar.
Additionally, a longer version of the phrase can be found in the letters of St. Paul. For example, in 2 Corinthians, Paul writes, "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with you all" (2 Corinthians 13:14). Paul truncates the phrase in his Second Letter to Timothy where he writes, "The Lord be with your spirit. Grace be with you" (2 Timothy 4:22).
As the Church has grown, she has gathered up all of these blessings, making them part of the liturgy and the ministry of her priests.
