There is nothing boring about this blessing
Opinion
On pages 4 and 5 in this issue, you may have read about the long-awaited Torrens to Darlington tunnel project and the blessing that kicked it off. This sort of ritual sets my liturgist’s heart aflutter. Liturgy, ritual, and our faith isn’t just for inside the church building!
At first glance, a cynic’s reaction might dismiss the blessing at best as a quaint tradition, at worst, as naïve superstition. Theologically, it is neither. Blessings are faith statements rooted in the mystery of the Incarnation. Let’s break it down:
1. In the person of Jesus Christ, all creation was redeemed. In other words, God became flesh, so that flesh could partake in divinity.
2. All created beings are blessings from God. Creation reveals God’s blessing upon us and should move us to bless God in return.
3. Catholic blessings refer to God. They are expressions of praise and thanksgiving for the way God has blessed us in creation.
When we bless something in God’s name, like we have done with the tunnel boring machine, we declare God’s promise of divine help and receive a reassurance of God’s faithfulness to the covenant made with his people. A blessing invokes divine assistance and expresses our trust that we will be heard.
In practice, a blessing therefore isn’t some kind of incantation over the item being blessed but rather an intimate dialogue between God and God’s people.
The blessing is our response to God’s redemptive work in creation, which is made clear in the wording of the prayer of blessing:
O God,
the fulness of blessing comes down from you,
to you our prayers of blessing rise up.
The dynamic starts with God, who sends blessing down upon us in creation and then turns right around as we bless God with praise and thanksgiving.
The body of the prayer then makes the ask, not for the machine but for those who will use it:
In your kindness protect those,
who stand before you,
prepared to use this new equipment.
Grant that their hard work
may contribute to the perfecting of your creation.
May it earn a decent life for themselves and their families.
And may it build a safe and efficient thoroughfare
for all who travel through the tunnel.
And what about St. Barbara? The tradition among miners and tunnellers is to place a statue of St. Barbara in the tunnel for protection. The witness of the saints encourages us in our discipleship as we face obstacles and dangers. Also, the saints do not replace our direct communication with God. Rather, warmed by our friendship with them and emboldened by their nearness to God, we ask them to carry our needs to God on our behalf:
And Lord,
source of all grace and holiness,
we praise you for the gifts of the Spirit
bestowed on St. Barbara,
patron of those who build tunnels.
May we keep before us
her example of faith and courage,
and through her intercession,
may we ourselves be kept safe from danger,
accidents, and injury for the duration of
this project.
Finally, this blessing, like many others, conveys the meaning not only in words but also in touch as holy water is sprinkled first upon the people present and then upon the objects.
In our secular culture, we might be forgiven for questioning the relevance of liturgy in every-day life. Yet, as this blessing for a tunnel boring machine that will affect South Road users shows, the liturgy of the Church honours the dignity of work as integral to God’s abiding love and care for humanity and all creation.
