494. Patriarchs are called and ordained to bestow patriarchal blessings upon the people.
494. Patriarchs are called and ordained to bestow patriarchal blessings upon the people.
J. Reuben Clark, Jr., David O. McKay
We have a number of patriarchs in the Church, whose duty it is to bestow blessings upon the heads of those who seek blessings at their hands. They are fathers. They hold the evangelical office in the Church. It is their business and right to bestow blessings upon the people, to make promises unto them in the name of the Lord, as it may be given them by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to comfort them in the hours of sorrow and trouble, to strengthen their faith by the promises that shall be made to them through the Spirit of God, and to be fathers indeed of the people, leading them into all truth. CR1904Oct:4
(First Presidency)
The patriarchal office is one of blessing, not of administration. Patriarchal blessings are the only blessings that patriarchs are specifically ordained and sustained to give. (From letter of instruction defining the role of Church patriarchs, May 15, 1943) MOFP6:194
The patriarch is a prophet entitled to the revelations of the Lord to each individual on whose head he places his hands. He may indicate the lineage of the individual, but he may also pour out blessings that are prophetic to the individual for his life. ACR(Seoul)1975:39
Every holder of the priesthood who is head of a family, has the right to bless members of his own family. However, it is not priesthood order for him to declare the blessings of the lineage of Israel. This is the specific responsibility of an ordained patriarch. For that reason, among others, we go to ordained patriarchs to receive those blessings. CR1960Apr:65
Related Witnesses:
To look upon a patriarch as a fortune-teller is an offense to the Priesthood; the patriarch only indicates the gifts the Lord would give us, if we labor for them. He helps us by pointing out the divine goal which we may enjoy if we pay the price. (Evidences and Reconciliations, p. 323) TLDP:458
495. Patriarchal blessings are inspired priesthood blessings that declare the lineage of the recipient; they include other blessings and may entail a prophetic statement of the life mission of the recipient.
President Heber J. Grant, J. Reuben Clark, Jr., David O. McKay
Then the question comes, what is a patriarchal blessing? It is different from any other blessing one might receive. The first requirement and that which makes it primarily different from other blessings, is that the ordained patriarch has the right to declare the blessings of Israel, or the line of Israel through which the blessings shall come. The blessings of Israel are leadership blessings, and leadership blessings are the blessings of the priesthood. This is the main difference between patriarchal blessings and blessings given by others. CR1960Apr:65
(First Presidency)
Patriarchal blessings contemplate inspired declaration of the lineage of the recipient, and also, where so moved upon by the Spirit, an inspired and prophetic statement of the life mission of the recipient, together with such blessings, cautions, and admonitions as the patriarch may be prompted to give for the accomplishment of such life's mission, it always being made clear that the realization of all promised blessings is conditioned upon faithfulness to the Gospel of our Lord, whose servant the patriarch is.
All such blessings are recorded and generally only one such blessing should be adequate for each person's life. The sacred nature of the patriarchal blessing must of necessity urge all patriarchs to most earnest solicitation of divine guidance for their prophetic utterances and superior wisdom for cautions and admonitions. (From letter of instruction defining the role of Church patriarchs, May 15, 1943) MOFP6:194
“Patriarchal blessings,” wrote the First Presidency in a letter to stake presidents, “contemplate an inspired declaration of the lineage of the recipient and, when so moved upon by the Spirit, an inspired and prophetic statement of the life mission of the recipient, together with such blessings, cautions and admonitions as the patriarch may be prompted to give for the accomplishment of such life’s mission, it being always made clear that the realization of all promised blessings is conditioned upon faithfulness to the gospel of our Lord, whose servant the patriarch is” (CR 1986Oct; First Presidency Letter to stake presidents, 28 June 1958). (Your Patriarchal Blessing:A Liahona of Light, Ensign, November 1986, p.65)
Related Witnesses:
There is no guarantee that the blessings will be fulfilled unless the individual subscribes to the program, but I bear my testimony to you that none of the blessings he pronounces will fail if the participant of the blessing fully subscribes. ACR(Seoul)1975:39
These blessings are possibilities predicated upon faithful devotion to the cause of truth. They must be earned. Otherwise they are but empty words. Indeed, they rise to their highest value when used as ideals, specific possibilities, toward which we may strive throughout life. (Evidences and Reconciliations, p. 323) TLDP:459
Author's Note: The First Presidency under President Heber J. Grant in 1943, and again, the First Presidency under President George Albert Smith in 1947, instructed that generally only one patriarchal blessing should be necessary:
"All such blessings are recorded and generally only one such blessing should be adequate for each person's life. The sacred nature of the patriarchal blessing must of necessity urge all patriarchs to most earnest solicitation of divine guidance for their prophetic utterances and superior wisdom for cautions and admonitions." (MOFP6:194,261)
496. Patriarchal blessings are a valuable aid to help us on our life's journey, to point the path we should take to serve God.
The main purpose of the blessing is to be a guide to the individual who receives it, to encourage him, to direct him, to help him as he journeys through life.
My uncle, John Smith, who gave as many blessings I suppose as anybody, said one day to me in the presence of others, "When I give a patriarchal blessing, the dividing line between time and eternity disappears." If that be the case, I guess I ought to be willing to accept it. Then there may be things in these blessings that pertain to our future existence. There might be promises made to us that are not fulfilled here that will be fulfilled. For instance, suppose a patriarch says in giving a blessing to a young woman that she shall be married and that she will have posterity, and yet she dies without posterity. Married for time and all eternity in the temple of the Lord, she receives there the blessings of eternal lives, which is a continuation of the seeds forever. Perhaps the patriarch, in giving her a blessing of posterity, sees beyond the veil; so I don't think we should be too hasty in condemning a patriarch when he promises posterity, and then in this life that blessing is not fulfilled. We may ourselves be at fault in judging in matters of that kind. (Address delivered to Brigham Young University Church history and philosophy instructors, June 15, 1956) TLDP:460
The patriarchal blessing should be read and reread. It should be made useful in life. This should be done with faith in spiritual blessings.
It is a gift of the Lord. The purpose of asking for the blessing must be remembered. It must be read with intelligent consideration of its meaning. Attention should be fixed upon the one great meaning of the blessing rather than upon particular statements. There must be no quibbling about the time or place when the promises should be fulfilled or about the man who gave it. As the blessing was given through the inspiration of the Lord, so its meaning will be made clear by the same power; and its fulfilment will be in His hands. Above all, it must ever be remembered that every blessing is conditioned upon our faithfulness. (Evidences and Reconciliations, p. 324) TLDP:460
If you can discover the keynote in your blessing, it will be an index to point the way of life for you, or the path that you should go to serve God. These blessings are an eternal anchor for our soul with the Lord. They are just as eternal and binding upon us, through our faithfulness, as were the blessings given by Adam, Abraham, Jacob, or any other patriarch of past times. Because of their eternal nature the Lord has required that they be recorded so that we have a record of them in the archives of the Church, and each individual is given a copy of his blessing so that he might have it available for himself. CR1960Apr:66
Now, if we are going to receive only one blessing, then it is important that we get that blessing at a proper time in our life. The question often comes to me, at what age should my children receive their patriarchal blessings? I discourage anyone under twelve years of age. If I were a stake patriarch and giving blessings to people in my community, I think I would raise that age. I think the best age is between fifteen and twenty-five. However, every baptized member of the Church is entitled to receive a patriarchal blessing. He should be old enough to understand the meaning and purpose and value of a patriarchal blessing to the extent that he has a personal desire to receive such a blessing, and not because a group is getting blessings, or because friends or neighbors are getting blessings, or because an adult or parent has the desire that the child should receive a blessing. CR1960Apr:66
The patriarchal blessing is primarily a guide to the future, not an index to the past. Therefore, it is important that the recipient be young enough that many of the significant events of life are in the future. ¶ All blessings come from God. Our Heavenly Father knows His children. He knows their strengths and weaknesses. He knows their capabilities and potential. Our patriarchal blessings indicate what He expects of us and what our potential can be. (CR 1995Oct; Priesthood Blessings, Ensign, November 1995, p.62)
497. Every father who holds the Melchizedek Priesthood has the right to give blessings to his own family in his capacity as patriarch to the family.
Every father, having children born to him under the covenant, is to them as a patriarch, and he has the right to bless his posterity in the authority of the Priesthood which he holds. The patriarchs of old commonly blessed their children, as, for example, Isaac (Genesis, chapter 27), Jacob (Genesis, chapter 49), Lehi (Book of Mormon, 2 Nephi, chapters 2, 3, 4). (Evidences and Reconciliations, p. 321) TLDP:459
In the writings of President John Taylor the statement is made. "Every father, after he has received his patriarchal blessing, is a patriarch to his own family: which blessings will be just as legal as those conferred by any patriarch of the Church; in fact it is his right: and a patriarch in blessing his children, can only bless as his mouthpiece." (The Gospel Kingdom, page 146) . . .
The statement of President John Taylor is true with this qualification: The father must hold the Melchizedek Priesthood, that is, have the office of an elder, seventy, or high priest.
The privilege of giving these blessings, of course, is limited to the immediate members of the family.
The difference between such blessings and those given by the regularly appointed patriarch is that the blessings of the father are not recorded in a book and filed eventually in the archives of the Church. The father may record such blessings for family use.
In my opinion, a father will be better qualified to give such blessings if he has been to the temple and had his wife and children sealed to him. There would be no need for a father to get a recommend from the mission president or stake president in order to bless his own child. However, the father should use discretion in giving such blessings, and they should be confined to members of his family who are members of the Church. (Answers to Gospel Questions, p. 321) TLDP:469
Every holder of the priesthood who is head of a family, has the right to bless members of his own family. However, it is not priesthood order for him to declare the blessings of the lineage of Israel. This is the specific responsibility of an ordained patriarch. For that reason, among others, we go to ordained patriarchs to receive those blessings. CR1960Apr:65
