benediction

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benediction [Lat.,=blessing], solemn blessing usually administered in the name of God by a priest or a minister. The temple worship at Jerusalem had fixed forms of benedictions, and Christians have always given them an important place in ceremony, especially at the end of a ritual. Protestants have abandoned many of the blessings of the Roman Catholic Church, such as the apostolic benediction by the pope and his delegates and benediction of the dying. Benediction of the Blessed Sacrament, a popular extraliturgical service of Roman Catholics, consists of a blessing of the people by the priest with the Host exposed in a monstrance.

ben·e·dic·tion / ˌbeniˈdikshən/ • n. the utterance or bestowing of a blessing, esp. at the end of a religious service. ∎  (Benediction) a service in which the congregation is blessed with the Blessed Sacrament, held mainly in the Roman Catholic Church. ∎  devout or formal invocation of blessedness: her arms outstretched in benediction. ∎  the state of being blessed: he eventually wins benediction.

Benediction (with the Blessed Sacrament). Catholic eucharistic devotion. As a separate evening service, benediction is first found in the 15th cent. In the modern service in its most solemn form, the consecrated host is exposed to view in a monstrance; hymns are sung; the sacrament is censed twice; and the priest blesses the congregation with it. See also REAL PRESENCE; EXPOSITION.

benediction XV. — (O)F. bénédiction — L. benedictiō, -ōn-, f. benedīcere, benedict- bless, f. bene well + dīcere speak (see DICTION).

Benediction a service in which the congregation is blessed with the Blessed Sacrament (see sacrament), held mainly in the Roman Catholic Church.

benediction. See BLESSING.

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