Alpha 201 Week 7 New lens... The Omega... Alpha 201... Thus far, our focus has been both on things that tend to keep many of us from reaching the omega and, last week, on a single area to focus on to reach the goal: surrender/abandonment
Tonight we take a look at one aspect of life that will be a significant part of heaven livable now: Praise, worship, or more generically, celebration We are made to worship, made to praise, made to celebrate...
We do it all the time in various ways: sports concerts theater significant life events The Final Four 2013 Atlanta
The question is what (Who?)is most deserving of our celebration? 3 Goals tonight: 1. A common question in Alpha 2. A timely papal homily 3. A biblical vision 1. A common question for many in Alpha...
Do I have to become charismatic? A quick word on prayer. The need for a parish to be a school of prayer. How did you and I learn to pray? What do we DO in prayer?
Often suggested five things go into prayer (see CCC 2626-2643): Thanksgiving Intercession Repentance Listening... And praise
Of these, praise seems to come hardest... 2. A timely papal homily January 28, 2014 2 Samuel 6 "And David arose and went with all the people who were with him...to bring up...the ark of God...And David and all the house of Israel were making merry before the Lord with all their might...
with songs and lyres and harps and tambourines and castanets and cymbals...and David danced before the Lord with all his might... and David was girded with a linen ephod. So David and all the house of Israel brought up the ark of the Lord with shouting, and with the sound of the horn... As the ark of the Lord came into the city of David, Michal the daughter of Saul looked out the window, and saw King David leaping and dancing before the Lord; and she despised him in her heart...
'How the King of Israel honored himself today, uncovering himself today before the eyes of his servants' maids, as one of the vulgar fellows shamelessly uncovers himself!'... And David said to Michal, 'It was before the Lord...and I will make merry before the Lord." Pope Francis reminds us that David was moved "beyond all composure." "This was precisely a prayer of praise."
"But, Father! This is for the Renewal in the Spirit folks, not for all Christians!" "No. A prayer of praise is a Christian prayer, for all of us... "In the Mass, every day, when we sing the Holy, Holy, Holy...This is a prayer of praise: we praise God for His greatness, because He is great...
"'But, Father! I am not able...i have to...' Well, you're able to shout when your team scores a goal, and you are not able to sing praises to the Lord? To come out of your shell ever so slightly to sing?" Pope Francis "Those who are closed in the formality of a prayer that is cold, stingy, might end up as Michal, in the sterility of her formality." Pope Francis "It is also an act of justice, because He is great! He is our God." Pope Francis
Is the Pope right... 3. Seeing with biblical eyes A. The Old Testament
"These things will I remember, as I pour out my soul: how I would lead the rejoicing crowd into the house of God, amid cries of gladness and thanksgiving, the throng wild with joy." Psalm 42:4 "Rejoice in the Lord, O you righteous! Praise befits the upright. Praise the Lord with the lyre, make melody to Him with the harp of ten strings. Sing to Him a new song, play skillfully on the strings with loud shouts." Psalm 33:1-3 "I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my mouth. My soul makes its boast in the Lord; let the humble hear and be glad. O magnify the Lord with me, and let us exalt His name together!" Psalm 34:1-3
"Clap your hands, all peoples! Shout to God with loud songs of joy! For the Lord, the Most High, is awesome, a great King over all the earth. He subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet... God has gone up with a shout, the Lord with the sound of the trumpet. Sing praises to God, sing praises! Sing praises to our King, sing praises! For God is the King of all earth; sing praises with a Psalm! " Psalm 47:1-3, 5-7 "Make a joyful noise to God all the earth; sing the glory of His name; give to Him glorious praise! Say to God, 'How awesome are Your deeds! So great is Your power that Your enemies cringe before You. All the earth worships You; they sing praises to You, sing praises to Your name.'" Psalm 66:1-4
"Let the peoples praise You O God; let all the peoples praise You! Let the nations be glad and sing for joy, for You judge the peoples with equity and guide the nations upon the earth, let the peoples praise You, O God; let all the peoples praise You!" Psalm 67:3-6 "It is good to give thanks to the Lord, to sing praises to Your Name, O Most High; to declare Your merciful love in the morning, and Your faithfulness by night, to the music of the lute and the harp, to the melody of the lyre. For You, O Lord, have made me glad by Your works; at the works of Your hands I sing for joy.
How great are Your works, O Lord! Your thoughts are very deep! The dull man cannot know, the stupid cannot understand this: that, though the wicked sprout like grass and all evildoers flourish... they are doomed to destruction forever, but You, O Lord, are on high forever. For, behold, Your enemies, O Lord, for, behold, Your enemies shall perish; all evildoers shall be scattered." Psalm 92:1-9 "O come let us sing to the Lord, let us make a joyful noise to the Rock of our salvation! Let us come into His presence with thanksgiving; let us make a joyful noise to Him with songs of praise!" Psalm 95:1-2
"O sing to the Lord a new song, for He has done marvelous things! His right hand and His holy arm have gotten Him victory... The Lord has made known His victory, He has revealed His vindication in the sight of the nations. He has remembered His mercy and faithfulness to the house of Israel. All the ends of the earth have seen the victory of our God... Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; break forth into joyous song and sing praises! Sing praises to the Lord with the lyre, with the lyre and the sound of melody!
With trumpets and the sound of the horn make a joyful noise before the King, the Lord! Let the sea roar, and all that fills it; the world and those who dwell in it! Let the floods clap their hands... let the hills sing for joy together before the Lord, for He comes to judge the earth." Psalm 98:1-9 "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have being...
The Lord sets the prisoners free; the Lord opens the eyes of the blind. The Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous... The Lord watches over the sojourners, He upholds the widow and the fatherless; but the way of the wicked He brings to ruin. The Lord will reign forever, your God, O Zion, to all generations. Praise the Lord!" Psalm 146:1-2, 5-10 "Praise the Lord! For it is good to sing praises to our God; for He is gracious, and a song of praise is seemly...
The Lord builds up Jerusalem; He gathers the outcasts of Israel. He heals the brokenhearted and binds up their wounds... Sing to the Lord with thanksgiving; make melody to our God upon the lyre!" Psalm 147:1-3, 7 "Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the heights! Praise Him, all His angels, praise Him, all His host! Praise Him sun and moon, praise Him all you shining stars!...
Praise Him, you highest heavens, and you waters above the heavens, let them praise the name of the Lord! For He commanded and they were created. And He established them forever and ever; He fixed their bounds which cannot be passed. Praise the Lord from the earth, you sea monsters and all deeps, fire and hail, snow and frost, stormy wind fulfilling His command! Mountains and all hills, fruit trees and all cedars! Beasts and all cattle, creeping things and flying birds! Kings of the earth and all peoples, princes and all rulers of the earth!
Young men and maidens together, old men and children! Let them praise the name of the Lord for His name alone is exalted; His glory is above earth and heaven. He has raised up a horn for His people, praise for all His saints... for the people of Israel who are near to Him. Praise the Lord!" Psalm 148:1-14 "Praise the Lord! Sing to the Lord a new song, His praise in the assembly of the faithful! Let Israel be glad in his maker, let the sons of Zion rejoice in their King!
Let them praise His name with dancing, making melody to Him with timbrel and lyre! For the Lord takes pleasure in His people; He adorns the humble with victory. Let the faithful exalt in glory; let them sing for joy on their couches. Let the high praises of God be in their throats and two edged swords in their hands, to reek vengeance on the nations and chastisement on the peoples... to bind their kings with chains and their nobles with fetters of iron, to execute on them the judgment written! This is glory for all His faithful ones. Praise the Lord!" Psalm 149:1-9
"Praise the Lord! Praise God in His sanctuary; praise Him in His mighty firmament! Praise Him for His mighty deeds; praise Him for His exceeding greatness! Praise Him with trumpet sound, praise Him with the lute and harp! Praise Him with timbrel and dance; praise Him with strings and pipe! Praise Him with sounding cymbals; let everything that breathes praise the Lord! Praise the Lord!" Psalm 150:1-6
Daniel 3:28-68 B. The New Testament "Let the Word of Christ dwell in you richly, teach and admonish one another in all wisdom, and sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs with thankfulness in your hearts to God" Colossians 3:16
"Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody to the Lord with all your heart, always and for everything giving thanks in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to God the Father." Ephesians 5:18-20 C. Heaven "After this I looked, and behold, in heaven an open door! And the first voice, which I had heard speaking to me like a trumpet, said, 'Come up here'...at once I was in the Spirit, and, behold, a throne stood in heaven, with one seated on the throne!...
And He who sat there appeared like jasper and carnelian, and round the throne was a rainbow that looked like an emerald... Round the throne were twenty-four thrones, and seated on the thrones were twenty-four elders, clothed in white garments, with golden crowns upon their heads... From the throne issue flashes of lightning, and voices and peals of thunder...and before the throne there is, as it were, a sea of glass...
And round the throne, on each side of the throne, are four living creatures...and day and night they never cease to sing, 'Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come!... And whenever the living creatures give glory and honor and thanks to Him who is seated on the throne, who lives forever, the twenty-four elders fall down before Him who is seated on the throne and worship Him who lives forever and ever... They cast their crowns before the throne, singing, 'Worthy are You, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for You created all things, and by Your will they existed and were created.'" Revelation 4:1-11
"And when [the Lamb] had taken the scroll, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each holding a harp, and with golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints... and they sang a new song, saying, 'Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, for You were slain and by Your blood You ransomed men for God from every tribe and nation, and have made them a kingdom and priests to our God and they shall reign on earth.'... Then I looked, and I heard around the throne and the living creatures and the elders the voice of many angels, numbering myriads or myriads and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice,
'Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and might and honor and blessing!' And I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and the sea, and all therein, saying, 'To Him who sits upon the throne and to the Lamb be blessing and honor and glory and might forever and ever!' And the four living creatures said, 'Amen!' and the elders fell down and worshiped." Revelation 5:8-14 "After this I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no man could number, from every nation, from all tribes and people and tongues, standing before the throne and before the Lamb...
clothed in white robes, with palm branches in their hands, and crying out with a loud voice, 'Salvation belongs to our God who sits upon the throne, and to the Lamb!'... And all the angels stood around the throne and round the elders and the four living creatures, and they fell on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying, 'Amen! Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving and honor... and power and might be to our God forever and ever! Amen.'" Revelation 7:9-12
"Then the seventh angel blew his trumpet, and there were loud voices in heaven, saying, 'The kingdom of this world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ, and He shall reign forever and ever.'... And the twenty-four elders who sit on their thrones before God fell on their faces and worshiped God, saying, 'We give thanks to You, Lord God Almighty, who are and who were, that You have taken Your great power and begun to reign. The nations raged, but Your wrath came, and the time for the dead to be judged, for rewarding Your servants, the prophets and saints, and those who fear Your name...
both small and great, and for destroying the destroyers of the earth.'" Revelation 11:15-18 "After this I heard what seemed to be the mighty voice of a great multitude in heaven crying out, 'Hallelujah! Salvation and glory and power belong to our God... for His judgments are true and just; He has judged the great harlot who corrupted the earth with her fornication, and He has avenged on her the blood of His servants.'...
Once more they cried, 'Hallelujah!'...And the twenty-four elders and the four living creatures fell down and worshiped God who is seated on the throne, saying, 'Amen. Hallelujah!'... And from the throne came a voice crying, 'Praise our God, all you His servants, you who fear Him, small and great.'... Then I heard what seemed to be the voice of a great multitude, like the sound of many waters and like the sound of mighty thunderpeals, crying, 'Hallelujah! For the Lord our God the Almighty reigns...
Let us rejoice and exult and give Him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and His bride has made herself ready.'" Revelation 19:1-7 A special application to Mass. The huge danger of being Catholic, or, rather, being human... We can easily get trapped in cold, formal prayer, in everything becoming rote...
A common problem or challenge. True for laity and ordained alike "In order that the liturgy may be able to produce its full effects it is necessary that the faithful come to it with proper dispositions... that their minds be attuned to their voices, and they they cooperate with heavenly grace, lest they receive it in vain...
Pastors of souls, therefore, realize that, when the liturgy is celebrated, something more is required than the laws governing valid and lawful celebration... It is their duty to ensure that the faithful take part fully aware of what they are doing, actively engaged in the rite and enriched by it." Sacrosanctum Concilium, 11 "Mother Church earnestly desires that all the faithful should be led to that full, conscious, and active participation in liturgical celebrations, which is demanded by the very nature of the liturgy...
In the restoration and promotion of the sacred liturgy the full and active participation by all the people is the aim to be considered before all else." Ibid, 14 "The Church, therefore, earnestly desires that Christ's faithful, when present at this mystery of faith... should not be there as strangers or silent spectators...
On the contrary, through a good understanding of the rites and prayers, they should take part in the sacred action, conscious of what they are doing, with devotion and full collaboration." Ibid, 48 Questions for reflection: 1. How am I doing vis a vis a prayer of praise? Do I know how to praise the Lord? If not, why not?
2. Do I know how to praise the Lord when I come to Mass? Is my whole heart really in it or do I merely mouth the words? What have I found helpful for avoiding being a silent spectator? 3. What does David's dancing say to me? 4. Have you ever attended one of the monthly Praise and Worship nights? After soaking in Scripture, might you consider coming now?