Dave,

Today people who say "God bless you" after you sneeze probably know very little about the history of why people do this. I think it's become either just a habit or custom with little thought.

In English-speaking countries, it is common for at least one person to say "Bless you" after someone sneezes. The traditional explanation for the custom is that it began literally as a blessing. Pope Gregory I the Great (540-604 AD) ascended to the Papacy just in time for the start of the plague in 590 AD (his successor succumbed to it). To combat the plague Gregory ordered litanies, processions and unceasing prayer for God's intercession. When someone sneezed, they were immediately blessed ("God bless you!") in the hope that they would not subsequently develop the plague.

This custom persists among speakers of many languages. Common social responses to sneezes in English include "Bless you" and "Gesundheit" (German, "[Good] health [to you]").


Wes

When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of Glory died, my richest gain I count but loss and pour contempt on all my pride. - Isaac Watts