Tuesday, January 26, 2010

The Eucharistic Prayer as Poetry: Day Two

After the preface, Eucharistic Prayer III begins with creation praising God, and God gathering.
Father, you are holy indeed,
and all creation rightly gives you praise.
All life, all holiness comes from you
through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord, by the working of the Holy Spirit.
From age to age you gather a people to yourself,
so that from the rising of the sun to its setting
a perfect offering may be made
to the glory of your name.

All creation giving God praise is a great example of an abstract image that invites you to make it concrete and personal. For me, praise entails not only offers conscious thanks to God, but living your life to the fullest, savoring the world in all its wonders, laughing, playing, striving. I imagine sitting before the ocean on a red sand beach; watching my nieces paint ornaments at Christmas; listening to the song of birds as the sun sets; dinner with friends; a Verdi or Puccini opera; celebrating Mass; working hard; writing stories.

What does "the praise of creation" look like to you? If you have some time today, take a few moments to recall a few of those experiences and savor them once again.

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