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Questions and Answers

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.

Outline of the Answer
• Introduction
• God in the Old Testament
• God in the New Testament
• Creation as an Act of Love
• To Praise is to Love
• How to Praise God
• The Divine Praises

 
The 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.

Read an excerpt from a treatise by Saint Cyprian
about reverent and humble prayer

 
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.

Available as a bookmark prayer card 

 

 

 

Who wrote this web page?

 

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.

 


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