|
|
|
I wonder
about God’s need to have us praise him. It’s in the Gloria,
in the Te Deum, and in a lot of the Psalms. Sometimes it makes me
think of God like an insecure Third World dictator who needs praise to make
himself feel powerful.
 he answer to your comment comes
from understanding the difference between the image of God in the Old Testament
and the image of God in the New Testament.
God in the Old
Testament
In the Old Testament, God was
known indirectly, through the prophets. He was therefore described in the
only way men knew how to describe Him: in human terms. Yes, all Scripture
is inspired by God, but inspiration must necessarily flow through the limitations
of human consciousness and language. Thus human qualities were imputed to
God’s behaviors—even though some of these behaviors, such as
wrath and jealousy,
would be sins in the human realm.
God in the New
Testament
With the advent of Christ, however,
we came to know God differently. Christ told us that when we “see”
Him, we “see” the Father (John 14:9) Thus in Christ we know God
directly, through the behavior of Christ Himself. Christ told us that the
greatest commandment is to love God with our entire being, and then, as a
consequence, to love our neighbors as ourselves. In His own behavior, through
His mercy and
compassion, Christ showed us clearly and precisely
how to love. And so He left us with these words:
“Love one another as I have loved you” (John 13:34; 15:12). In
Christ we know God as He truly is; we know Him as love.
Creation as an
Act of Love
So, now, in regard to understanding
the concept of praise, first think about why God created the physical
universe: being love itself, He created this world out of love so as to allow
it to share in His love.
To Praise is
to Love
This leads, then, to the
understanding of why we praise God. Praise is the only way for the created
to love the
creator.[1]
When we praise God, therefore, we enter into love for Him. We praise God
not because He needs praise to soothe feelings of insecurity; nor do we praise
Him because He is a narcissist who feeds on
admiration. We praise Him because, in praising Him, we become love. God does
not need our praise, but we need our praises of Him.
Blessed be God in His love for
us and in our love for Him!
How to Praise God
There’s really only one way to praise
God. We don’t praise God by waving our arms in the air and babbling nonsense. We
praise Him simply by living a holy lifestyle; that is, by a life of
chastity, modesty, and
humility, a life of constant prayer
and gratitude, a life purged of lust
and hate, a life without competition,
and a life detached from the world and all its
sins.
The Divine
Praises
With my own adaptations to enhance the psychological
meaning.
BLESSED
be God.
Blessed be His holy name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the name of Jesus.
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His most precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be His glorious Resurrection.
Blessed be His wonderful Ascension.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, most chaste, the Spouse of Mary.
Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.
Blessed be God in His love for us and in our love for Him.
Amen. |
Notes
1. The truth of this statement can be confirmed
in its opposite: Satan, in wanting to do his own will,
disparaged God; thus, in rejecting the praise of God, he hated God.
|
Read
an excerpt from a treatise by Saint Cyprian 
