Patriarchal Blessings are given to worthy members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints and contain personal counsel from God. They are meant to be a guide or road map for life, and are transcribed so the individual has copy to refer to and study whenever they feel a need. I received my own Patriarchal Blessing shortly after my sixteenth birthday, and had been looking forward to the day or rather evening, somewhat anxiously, hoping that it would give me some comfort with some of my hopes and dreams for the future. My blessing is actually quite short compared to the blessings of some of my family members, but it is perfect for me, and has promised me several important blessings, based on my faithfulness in living the gospel of Jesus Christ. The blessing also mentions several things that I need to continually be working on, such as searching for my ancestors and doing their work in the temple, looking for the good things in life and recognizing my blessings, and searching for others who I might be able to help in some way. It has been a source of comfort and a reminder of my greatest goals and aspirations for many years.
Patriarchal Blessings are pronounced through the power of the Priesthood, which is the authority from Jesus Christ to preach, act in the name of God, and to direct the affairs of his church on this earth. Patriarchs and anyone else who holds the Priesthood in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints can trace their authority or priesthood directly to the visitations of the resurrected beings, John the Baptist, and the apostles Peter, James and John, to Joseph Smith, where this divine priesthood authority was restored to the earth after the death of the apostles and the apostacy that was foretold by the prophets and apostles in Christ's day. This priesthood authority also allows these worthy men to baptize, administer the ordinance of the sacrament representing the body and blood of Jesus Christ, seal families together for eternity in Holy Temples, and other sacred ordinances of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Prayer is the act of communicating with God, our Heavenly Father. Today most major religions involve prayer in one way or another. I learned to pray as a young child, as we knelt together as a family each morning at the breakfast table for family prayer, and then again in the evenings before bed. My parents also taught us to pray individually each morning and evening, and my daily prayers, kneeling alone in my room are a very vital part of my life. We also pray together daily as a family, ask a blessing on the food at mealtimes, and pray as a congregation during our weekly church meetings (which my family currently attends via zoom each Sunday.) I also pray often throughout the day, less formal prayers in my heart and mind as I hear of friends or loved ones or even strangers in need, as I run into problems with work or other tasks at home or wherever I might be. In my first A to Z post this year about my accident as a young child, I talked about how prayer was such as blessing to me while I was in the hospital and away from my family. I can't imagine trying to navigate through life without prayer!
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