"praise of glory" by Elizabeth of the Trinity

 Monastic Lectionary of the Divine Office, 

A WORD IN SEASON, Reading for the Liturgy

of the Hours. Augustinian Press, 1995

TWENTIETH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

SUNDAY

First Reading

Ephesians 1:1-14

Responsory       Col 1:17-19

Christ exists before all things, and all things are held together in him. He is the head of the body, the Church. + He is the beginning and the first-born from the dead, so as to be first in every way.

V. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell. + He is

the ...

Alternative Reading

From a meditation "praise of glory" by Elizabeth of the Trinity

We have been predestined by his decree who accomplishes all things in accordance with his own purpose and will to be the praise of his glory. It is Saint Paul who says so, Saint Paul who was taught by God himself. How can we fulfil that great dream of the heart of our God, that immutable claim on our souls; how, in a word,can we respond to our vocation to become beings of pure praise of the most Holy Trinity? In heaven every soul is a praise of the glory of the Father, of the Word, and of the Holy Spirit, because every soul is established in pure love, and no longer lives its own life but God's, knowing him as it is known by him, as Saint Paul says. A "praise of glory" is a soul that lives in God, that loves with a pure, disinterested love, without seeking itself in the sweetness of its love; that loves God above all his gifts, and that desires the good of the One it loves so much. Now how is it possible to have an effective desire for the good of God except by doing his will, since that will orders all things for his greatest glory? The soul must therefore devote itself to this so wholeheartedly that it becomes incapable of wanting anything other than what God wants.

A "praise of glory" is a soul of silence that holds itself like a lyre under the mysterious touch of the Holy Spirit, allowing him to produce divine harmonies from it. It knows that suffering is a string that produces especially beautiful sounds, so it likes to see it on its instrument in order to charm the heart of God even more.

A "praise of glory" is a soul that contemplates God in faith and simplicity; it is a reflection of all that he is; it is like a bottomless abyss in which he can freely flow; it is like a crystal through which he can shine and contemplate his own perfection and splendor. The soul which thus allows the divine Being to satisfy in it his need to communicate all that he is and all that he has is in truth the praise of the glory of all his gifts.

Finally, a "praise of glory" is someone who is always giving thanks. Such a person's actions, movements, thoughts, aspirations, while rooting him or her more deeply in love, are at the same time an echo of the eternal Sanctus. In the glory of heaven the blessed sing unceasingly day and night, "Holy, holy, holy is the Lord almighty," and prostrating themselves they worship him who lives forever and ever. In the heaven of its soul, the "praise of glory" begins already the service it will perform through all eternity; its song is continuous through the impulse of the Holy Spirit, though it is not always aware of this because nature's weakness prevents it from attending to God without distractions. It is always singing, always worshiping; it has, so to speak, become all praise and love, all passion for the glory of its God.

Responsory       Ps 145:4-5.14; Eph 1:12

One age shall proclaim your works to another, shall declare your mighty deeds. + People will speak of your splendour and glory, and tell of your wonderful works.

V. We who first hoped in Christ have been chosen to live for the praise of his glory. + People will ...