God Bless You

What do you say when a person sneezes? Do you say, “Bless You” or “God Bless you” or simply “Eww! You’re not getting sick are you!?” Maybe you don’t say anything. I’m fairly fascinated by the different responses and beliefs held in this little piece of cultural etiquette. As I transitioned from the extremely secular world of restaurant management to seminary, sneezing proved to be a startling culture shock. In the restaurant it was critically important to just NOT sneeze on the food! You might hear a quick “bless you” but not often. The first time I sneezed during a class lecture in seminary I was shocked and oddly comforted when the whole class turned to me and said, “God bless you” in unison.

I began to wonder how this custom got started? According to Wikipedia, the custom originally began as an actual blessing. Gregory I became Pope in AD 590 as an outbreak of the bubonic plague was reaching Rome. In hopes of fighting off the disease, he ordered unending prayer and parades of chanters through the streets. At the time, sneezing was thought to be an early symptom of the plague. The blessing ("God bless you!") became a common effort to halt the disease.

My favorite explanation suggests that people used to believe that a person's soul could be thrown from their body when they sneezed, that sneezing otherwise opened the body to invasion by the Devil or evil spirits, or that sneezing was the body's effort to force out an invading evil presence. “God bless you” was used as a sort of shield against evil in these cases. (Priceless!)

Whatever the reason, uttering the words “bless you” or “God bless you” to another person could be the only blessing they actually ever hear. So don’t hold back. Take every opportunity to bless someone in word and deed! We are called by God to be a blessing to the world. Whether someone sneezes or not.

See you Sunday!
Missy