Immersed in Christ: Saturday, June 19, 2021

Glory to God in the Highest

Next comes the Gloria, the moment in the Mass when we declare not only what we believe but what we stand for as a community of believers. Catholics need to come alive during the Gloria. We need to sing! To mumble a declaration of faith is the next thing to denying it. To stand there silently while others sing the Gloria is to separate ourselves from the believing community.

What we praise, we appreciate. What we do not praise, we will not appreciate. If we do not listen to the words of the Gloria, embrace their meaning, make them our own, and praise God consciously through them, their content will depart from our minds and dissolve in our hearts.

This is what makes the Gloria so important at Mass. Conscious relationship with God does not exist in the world unless human beings know God and express what they know in praise.

We have a duty to be the voice of praise on earth. Not to give God thanks and praise should be inconceivable to us!

Take action: Schedule half an hour in your day a couple of times this weekend, before you head to Mass again, to pray carefully over the words of the Gloria. When you go to Mass, be conscious of the words you have prayed about and then sign out with praise and joy to the Lord!