And grant us your salvation. As circumstances suggest, the celebrant may begin with an explanation of the blessing. Someone reads a text of sacred Scripture, such as the following. Lk 2:51b-52 ...

History of Catholic Blessings A blessing (from to bless, Old English bleodsian or bletsian) originally meant "sprinkling with blood" during the pagan sacrifices, the Blóts (reference: AHD).