“To adore God is to praise and exalt him and to humble oneself, as Mary did in the Magnificat, confessing with gratitude that he has done great things and holy is his name.” (CCC, 2097)
Paul Elarde reflects on the tremendous power of praise in this edition of A Minute with Mary.
DOWNLOAD (Right click to save) (2 mins)
Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes
Get email notifications when a new episode is published
Transcript
The Scriptures are filled with texts about the importance of giving God praise. And in paragraph 2097 of the Catechism of the Catholic Church, we read the following:
To adore God is to acknowledge, in respect and absolute submission, the “nothingness of the creature” who would not exist but for God. To adore God is to praise and exalt him and to humble oneself, as Mary did in the Magnificat, confessing with gratitude that he has done great things and holy is his name.
Now the effects of praise are powerful. When we praise God we lift Him up and give Him first place in our hearts; the idols of money, power and inordinate affections are stripped out of us. God is enthroned in our hearts and He takes His rightful place as Lord of our lives. United to Him through praise, we are then empowered to begin to truly know who we are. We are of royal blood through being a son or daughter of Almighty God.
At the same time, we are humbled being in awe of His presence and the realisation how much He loves us even though we have done nothing to deserve it.
If your heart and spirits are down, despondent or depressed, then your prayers of praise will lift you to new heights to know that God loves you unconditionally; that He is in charge. Then let us celebrate in the peace, joy and consolation that praise brings to our souls.
