Pagpalain ka nawa at ingatan ni Yahweh.

Mga Bilang 6:24

“God bless!” Madalas mo ba itong sinasabi o naririnig? We hear this phrase more often nowadays or see it in emails as a closing. Maaaring may mga nakikiuso o naging automatic na lang ang pagsabi ng “God bless” dahil nakaka-good vibes ito. We also often say “God bless you”

after a person sneezes. According to Mr. Google, this originated during the bubonic plague in Europe in the 14th century. Two of the symptoms of the fatal disease were coughing and sneezing, and it is believed that Pope Gregory I suggested saying “God bless you” after people sneezed to protect them from an otherwise certain death. The expression may have also originated from superstition, pantaboy daw sa mga evil spirit para hindi nila manakaw ang kaluluwa ng taong bumabahing. Pero hindi ba magandang malaman ang tunay na pinagmulan at kahulugan ng mga katagang “God bless you”?

Ayon sa Numbers 6:24–27, sinabi ng Diyos kay Moses na sabihin sa high priest na si Aaron na ganito ang babanggitin niya para basbasan ang mga Israelita: “Pagpalain ka nawa at ingatan ni Yahweh; kahabagan ka nawa at subaybayan ni Yahweh; lingapin ka nawa at bigyan ng kapayapaan ni Yahweh.” With these words, God promised to surely bless His people with protection, grace, favor, and peace. God wants to bless His people with all kinds of blessings. “Out of the fullness of his grace he has blessed us all, giving us one blessing after another” (John 1:16, GNT).

Ang dami palang kalakip na blessings kapag nagsabi tayo ng “God bless” or “God bless you” to the people we encounter. Ang pagsasabi nito ay hindi lang pamahiin o pakikiuso sa sinasabi ng mga tao. It is acknowledging God as our source of blessings and asking Him to manifest His grace.