basic training
"Day and night, without pause, they sing: 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty.' " —Revelation 4:8
We pray each day that God's "will be done on earth as it is in heaven" (Mt 6:10). In heaven, it's God's will that we praise Him "without pause" (Rv 4:8). When we pray the Our Father, we therefore pray that we would praise God on earth as He is praised in heaven. Each day of our lives then becomes a day of training in praise, a preparation for our destiny of giving eternal praise to the Lord (Eph 1:3, 12). Daily we can praise God:
- in all circumstances,
- with singing (Ps 92:2ff), music (Ps 150:3), and dancing (Ps 150:4),
- with our family (Ps 96:7),
- in the Mass, the ultimate joining of heaven to earth,
- with every breath (Ps 150:6),
- "seven times a day" (Ps 119:164), such as the Church does each day in the Liturgy of the Hours, and
- using the spiritual gift of tongues, with which we utter "praise very well indeed" (1 Cor 14:17).
After a life of praising God (Ps 146:2), it will be second nature to us to enter God's heavenly "courts with praise" (Ps 100:4). "Praise the Lord!" (Ps 150:6)
Prayer: Lord, "let the high praises of God be in [our] throats" (Ps 149:6) and Your praise be always in our mouths (Ps 34:2).
Promise: "Whoever has will be given more, but the one who has not will lose the little he has." —Lk 19:26
Praise: St. Elizabeth's life was a gift of praise as she gave up luxury and leisure to live a life of penance and caring for the sick.
Reference: (This teaching was submitted by a member of our editorial team.)
(Men, come see how the Lord is preparing you to be leaders in the world and the family. You are to be a light to the nations. Equip yourselves with the light of Christ by attending our Men's Retreat, Dec. 4. Call 513-373-2397 or 937-587-5464 to register.)
Rescript: †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, April 6, 2010
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