Ten seconds. Ten measly seconds.
That’s all it takes to ruin your day—and maybe even your life.
Your teacher catches you copying off the student next to you.
You blow a semester of your kid’s tuition on a bad bet.
You take a drink for the first time in four years.
Ten seconds. Ten measly seconds.
That’s also all it takes to pray the thirty words that have the power to transform your day…to change the direction of your life. To redirect you to the One who deserves all our praise.
But what words could be so powerful?
Glory Be
That’s the start. The first two words. Glory Be.
But what does glorifying even mean?
According to the Merriam-Webster online dictionary, to glorify is to:
“to make glorious by bestowing honor, praise, or admiration” or “to give glory to (as in worship).”
When I considered this definition, I realized that every single day I glorify myself and others. I pat myself on the back for my good work or take pride in my “exercise” routine. I watch highlights of some athlete’s great play and wish I could do what he does. I worship the writing ability of one of my favorite authors.
I misdirect my praise.
I focus on me and what I want…or who I want to be.
Often on autumn Sunday mornings, I find myself going through the motions at Mass. I’m looking forward, instead, to watching my Baltimore Ravens take on their latest opponent on a fun-filled NFL weekend. Twenty minutes after the procession, I’m ready for Mass to end.
By Sunday evening, though, I’m often irritable as a result of the underwhelming performance of either the Ravens or my fantasy football team. I’m grumpy, and my family can tell. I wouldn’t want to be around me.
Rather than looking for happiness from the players on my TV screen, I should be seeking out the One who will never let me down, not glorifying players who, at best, provide the momentary satisfaction that victory brings.
The same thing goes for focusing too much on celebrities, material possessions, or even on human relationships that we expect will fill all of our needs.
Glory be to the Father
and to the Son
and to the Holy Spirit
Instead of glorifying ourselves, other people, or our stuff, we should praise the only sinless One. The One who, despite His sinlessness, gave us everything.
He created us.
He died for us.
He lives and guides us.
He loves us.
How can we not focus on His glory? And how can we not recognize that doing so will draw us closer to Him?
Shouldn’t we instead recognize that it will transform us just as Paul says?
“All of us, gazing with unveiled face on the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, as from the Lord who is the Spirit.” (2 Corinthians 3:18)
See, if we merely gaze upon His glory He’ll transform us.
If, instead of dwelling on our appearance, our material desires, or our football teams, we truly seek out the Lord, He’ll share His glory with us.
And this is what he’ll share:
Don’t you want to be more like God? To be good like He is good?
I certainly do. I’m tired of sinning. Of hurting others. Of hurting myself. Of feeling like I am disappointing the One who made me, who loves me with a love purer than any human can imagine.
I want to be transformed.
as it was in the beginning
is now, and ever shall be
God’s glory isn’t some new thing. He didn’t just wake up one day and decide to be good. He’s always been that way, and always will.
Can you imagine having a spouse, child, or friend who never lets you down? And I mean never.
Not most of the time. Not 99% of the time. But I mean a person who does not and cannot disappoint you?
Wouldn’t that be someone who deserves your adoration? Someone you’d wanna watch closely to see what they do…in other words, gaze upon them? Maybe you’d even try to model your life after them?
I know it’s a bit difficult to picture God the Father and God the Spirit. After all, they didn’t enter into our human condition like Jesus. No one has ever physically observed their behavior.
I think that’s a big reason God chose to come down to us in human form. He knew that it would be easier for us humans to model our lives after a man than after a spirit (see Catechism of the Catholic Church 456-460). And, as is always the case, He was right.
Jesus gave us the perfect model of what our lives should look like. Infinite goodness in human form. A person worthy of our total and complete praise.
The One human who will forever be worthy of our glorifying.
world without end
No matter what society tells us, God’s Kingdom will never end.
“Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” (Luke 1:30-33, emphasis mine)
That’s the kind of kingdom I want to be part of. One that will last forever. One that will welcome me forever. One in which our perfect Savior lives…forever.
Putting It All Together
We have problems.
We sin.
We need help every single day.
We can’t always help ourselves, and often others can’t help us, either.
On the other hand…
God is pure goodness.
God has been and will be forever.
God will never let is down.
Glory be to Him, now and forever.
Glorifying God each day will transform our lives. And it only takes ten seconds to do so.
Glory be to the Father,
and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit.
As it was in the beginning,
is now, and ever shall be,
world without end.
Amen
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