" Remember that the blessings of the priesthood are eternal and if not fulfilled in every detail in this life, they will have their fulfillment in the life to come."
So if the BS the patriarch spews doesn't come true, he has an out: hey, it'll happen in the next life!
Wow. These are so reminiscent of my own PB. I had just pulled it out the other day. I hadn't read through it since I was trying to decide if I should leave the church and how I should go about trying to be faithful during my divorce. I remember poring over it, just hoping to glean some insight.
When I read it the other day, I realized just how empty, vague, and vacuous it was. And now I see that it just followed the traditional format.
You were valiant in the pre-existence. Hooray! You are special. yay. Remain faithful. You'll go on a mission/get married in the temple. Women: You'll be a mother - it's your highest calling. Your lineage? Ephraim. Duh. Follow the Word of Wisdom. Remain faithful. Beware of Satan. He's real.
Blah blah blah.....I think these guys must have to go to a special correspondence school to learn the ways of the Patriarch. They're all following the exact same format. Some few words of personalization may be thrown in if the patriarch knows the person. Otherwise - it's just more propaganda to make you feel special enough to keep praying, paying, and obeying.
I'm especially interested in anybody's recollections of (or perhaps transcripts!) "blessings of healing," "blessings of comfort," and "blessings of encouragement."
I'd be surprised if anybody ever recorded and transcribed them. But if people have reasonably clear recollections, please share them!
i noted the lineage One person ws from the tribe of Judah. one i\I scanned several times and didn't find any mention of lineage. (Did I just miss it in my fatigue.?)I would have been so disappointed had they neglected to mention my lineage. I was disappointed enough when I found out I was from boring Ephraim. One of my sisters was from a lost tribe. It seems like it was Dan, but I'm not sure, and no one in the family will tell me when I ask because they know I think it's a big joke.
My niece -- the one who was never actually baptized but got roped into Baptisms for the Dead, had her patriarchal blessing that same week. She was found to be from the tribe of Manasseh, while her twin brother was from Ephraim. Years earlier, their father was declared to be from the tribe of Ephraim. When my niece's dad found out about her P.B. and lineage, he said he was surprised they didn't declare her to be the seed of Cain.
That made me laugh. I wonder if the real reason for a patriarchal blessing is not the foretelling but intended as a guide to keep you on the straight and narrow.
Mine was very personalized and tailored specially for me.
It was just what I needed at the time to help me through my teen years, my parents divorce, and into young adulthood.
Whether or not it was prophetic it was very good advice by a very wise old man who was our stake patriarch at that time. I feel very fortunate to have received it from someone who truly was invested in the people he gave those blessings to.
He was a genuinely dear man who had our best interests at heart.
I consider him misled and deceived in his own right about the truthfulness of the church. But his pragmatism and common sense are why he was likely the choice for stake patriarch during the years that he was. He was a fatherly figure and a good person.
Wow! That is such a contrast to mine, and my experience! You are truly a blessed person.
In my case, the bishop told me, as I was weeding his front lawn as part of my repentance program, that there was an opening in the patriarch's Saturday schedule and I should hustle over to his house. So I did!
When he came to the door, the first words out of his mouth were, "I already have a gardener, boy." I humbly said that bishop _____ had sent me over for my PB. "Oh, yeah...", he said.
So he invited me in, sat me at the kitchen table, put his hands on my head, cleared his throat and launched into it. It was something like this:
"Well, you're a Lamanite, so you need to be faithful to the lord and his message. Go on your mission and bring people to Jesus and prepare yourself to serve ghawd and your betters. Marry whoever will have you and bring many souls to this Earth. And stay out of the sun. In Jesus name, amen."
I know who you're talking about and the word on the streets was that his whole yard was landscaped and gardened by the Lamenites in the ward whose only wish was to be like the gavachos and receive a patriarchal blessing.