Recently, we’ve had a bit of an inside joke running in our group of friends.
It goes a little something like this:
Friend 1: “Mushrooms and onions…”
Friends 2,3,&4: “Bless the Lord!”
HA! Get it?!
Oh…
No?
…Well perhaps I should explain:
This joke in fact comes from scripture (where all the best jokes tend to have their origins, right?). It’s based on the Canticle of Daniel, which features prominently in the Liturgy of the Hours, a prayer we say together often, and this canticle is oft repeated on Feast Days and other high occasions. It’s a beautiful prayer, and as such, I’m going to write the whole thing out here – we could always use a little more Beauty in our lives. Take a few minutes to pray through it if you can, it’s worth it. [You’ll get the gist in reading just a few lines though.]
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
You heavens, bless the Lord.
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord.
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.
Let the earth bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.
You sons of men, bless the Lord.
O Israel, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord.
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Let us praise and exalt him above all forever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all forever.
- Daniel 3: 57-88, 56
It goes a little something like this:
Friend 1: “Mushrooms and onions…”
Friends 2,3,&4: “Bless the Lord!”
HA! Get it?!
Oh…
No?
…Well perhaps I should explain:
This joke in fact comes from scripture (where all the best jokes tend to have their origins, right?). It’s based on the Canticle of Daniel, which features prominently in the Liturgy of the Hours, a prayer we say together often, and this canticle is oft repeated on Feast Days and other high occasions. It’s a beautiful prayer, and as such, I’m going to write the whole thing out here – we could always use a little more Beauty in our lives. Take a few minutes to pray through it if you can, it’s worth it. [You’ll get the gist in reading just a few lines though.]
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
You heavens, bless the Lord.
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.
Every shower and dew, bless the Lord.
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.
Let the earth bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.
You sons of men, bless the Lord.
O Israel, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Priests of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Servants of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Spirits and souls of the just, bless the Lord.
Holy men of humble heart, bless the Lord.
Hananiah, Azariah, Mishael, bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Let us bless the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
Let us praise and exalt him above all forever.
Blessed are you, Lord, in the firmament of heaven.
Praiseworthy and glorious and exalted above all forever.
- Daniel 3: 57-88, 56
Also, before moving on, I’d like to just take a moment to point out the reference to dolphins in an Old Testament canticle… unexpected.
So, there are the origins of this sublime piece of comedy! However, the true genius comes when you make up your own. It’s quite simple, really. Just take any two things (relatedness is nice, though not mandatory), mention them in sequence, then, just “bless the Lord!” A few examples may be in order:
Picture yourself walking to class at UC:
Left foot and right foot – bless the Lord.
Crosley and Rieveschl – bless the Lord.
Students and faculty – bless the Lord.
Or, perhaps just sitting at your desk (as I am now):
Mouse and keyboard – bless the Lord.
Pen and pencil – bless the Lord.
Stapler and hole-punch – bless the Lord.
All you desktop items –
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
(You can get bonus/combo points by adding that last line in.)
Besides the rollicking good time you can have doing this, it reminds us of something important and true. All creation – and most especially ourselves – should be constantly and consistently blessing the Lord. He sure doesn’t need to receive our blessing; but we sure need to be giving it. The best part is that it’s unending, you can always find something else, or take joy in a combination you’ve already done, much like God Himself, ever ancient, ever new. And, as part of our first instructions from God, we were set up to rule over the rest of creation; what better imperative than to order all things to bless the Lord? And what better action than to do so ourselves?
So, find two things, find a friend, and bless the Lord!
So, there are the origins of this sublime piece of comedy! However, the true genius comes when you make up your own. It’s quite simple, really. Just take any two things (relatedness is nice, though not mandatory), mention them in sequence, then, just “bless the Lord!” A few examples may be in order:
Picture yourself walking to class at UC:
Left foot and right foot – bless the Lord.
Crosley and Rieveschl – bless the Lord.
Students and faculty – bless the Lord.
Or, perhaps just sitting at your desk (as I am now):
Mouse and keyboard – bless the Lord.
Pen and pencil – bless the Lord.
Stapler and hole-punch – bless the Lord.
All you desktop items –
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
(You can get bonus/combo points by adding that last line in.)
Besides the rollicking good time you can have doing this, it reminds us of something important and true. All creation – and most especially ourselves – should be constantly and consistently blessing the Lord. He sure doesn’t need to receive our blessing; but we sure need to be giving it. The best part is that it’s unending, you can always find something else, or take joy in a combination you’ve already done, much like God Himself, ever ancient, ever new. And, as part of our first instructions from God, we were set up to rule over the rest of creation; what better imperative than to order all things to bless the Lord? And what better action than to do so ourselves?
So, find two things, find a friend, and bless the Lord!
Pier Giorgio Frassati and friends cracking up in what one can only assume is the aftermath of a “Bless the Lord” joke.
Written by: Matt Gangidine
Written by: Matt Gangidine
