Giving Glory to God
As Mass ended last Sunday and we began to sing the final hymn, I thought about what the deacon had just recited as the final words of the service. This one sentence, these nine simple words, are our instructions for the week ahead:
“Go in peace, glorifying the Lord by your life.”
Those are powerful words and I wanted to really understand them as I walked out the door.
“Go in peace…” We are called to action: leave the church with peace in our hearts so that we can spread that peace wherever we go. That’s not always easy. Egos are very fragile these days, and arguments erupt for no reason at all. It’s happening in our streets, in our neighborhoods, even in our living rooms. If we remember these three words, and we believe these words, then we have a chance to shape the minds and hearts of those around us.
“…glorifying the Lord by your life.” Wow. This is quite a challenge. Not only are we asked to give glory and honor to God, we’re asked to do it through how we live our lives! That means asking a lot of questions:
- Is everything I’m saying giving glory to God?
- Is everything I’m doing giving glory to God?
- Is every decision I make giving glory to God?
This one sentence seems so simple and straight forward. But these simple words carry a great deal of responsibility.
“Freedom consists not in doing what we like, but in having the right to do what we ought.”- Pope John Paul II