In religion, a blessing is the impartation of something with grace, holiness, spiritual redemption, or divine will.
Isaac Blessing Jacob, painting by Govert Flinck (Rijksmuseum Amsterdam)
Position in which a Jewish kohen places his hands and fingers during the Priestly Blessing, detail of a mozaic in the Synagoge of Enschede, Netherlands
A bishop blesses a girl with the sign of cross on her forehead during Confirmation in the catholic church
A benediction is a short invocation for divine help, blessing and guidance, usually at the end of worship service. It can also refer to a specific Christian religious service including the exposition of the eucharistic host in the monstrance and the blessing of the people with it.
Benediction given by a Lutheran priest at the Lutheran Cathedral of St. Peter and Paul in Moscow
Exposition of the Blessed Sacrament at Sacred Heart Chaplaincy, Cagayan de Oro, Philippines.