Benediction & Malediction

Benediction means an invocation of divine blessing, usually at the end of a church service: “Thepriest issued forth a prayer of benediction.”
It is also used for an expression of good wishes; something that encourages goodness or well being: “At the conclusion of the marriage ceremony, the parents of the groom spoke a small benediction, wishing the couple a safe and happy life.”
Malediction, on the other hand, is the calling down of a curse or an expression of slander: “The old hag uttered a malediction against her neighbors.”