Bless and Do Not Curse

The Spiritual Truths behind Romans 12:14.

Every time we celebrate Mass, we are invited to offer each other a sign of peace. It's a perfect opportunity to communicate our desire that everyone around us will know the peace of Jesus—the peace of his love, of his salvation, and of his mercy. Many families have the tradition of praying before meals, asking God to bless them, to bless the food, and to bless their time together.

How many of us, when someone does something to help us, respond by saying, “God bless you”?

These examples are all ways that we ask God to pour blessings upon the people in our lives. But there is another side to this equation.

How many times, after we feel we’ve been wronged, do we wish evil upon someone? It’s probably not a specific curse, as a Satanist or a witch doctor would use. Nor is it the classical understanding of a curse, as if we were really wishing that someone would “go to hell.” But we are using the term curse in a way similar to St. Paul when he told the Romans “bless and do not curse” (Romans 12:14). In this sense, these “curses” tend to involve thoughts or words that are negative and hurtful toward another person.

Words…