Praise was the fruit of his love, the lifting of his soul to God, the focusing of his mind, his heart, his very life on the things that are above.
A Christian, even more so, a Franciscan, should always be ready to praise God. St. Francis composed THE PRAISES BEFORE THE OFFICE to help himself and his followers to pray the Divine Office.
These PRAISES are rooted in Holy Scripture. They flow our of the Seraphic Father's exuberant penetration of the mysteries of God.
They can serve as a model of the praising prayer of every Franciscan.
The PRAISES remind us that we are called even here on earth to sing the hymn of praise which resounds eternally in heaven before the throne of God and of the Lamb:
Holy, Holy, Holy, the Lord God Almighty,
who was, who is and who is
coming.
R.
Let us praise and glorify Him forever.
Worthy is the Lamb who was slain to receive
power and divinity and
wisdom and strength
and honor and glory and blessing.
R.
Let us praise and glorify Him forever.
Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
R.
Let us praise and glorify Him forever.
Praise our God, all you His servants, and you
who fear
Him, the small and the great.
R.
Let us praise and glorify Him forever.
Praise Him in His glory, heaven and earth, and
every creature that is
in heaven and on the
earth and under the earth, and such as are
on
the seas and all that are in them.
R.
Let us praise and glorify Him forever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
R.
Let us praise and glorify Him forever.
As it was in the beginning, is now and will be forever.
Amen.
R.
Let us praise and glorify Him forever.
All-powerful, all-holy, most high and supreme God,
sovereign good, all
good, every good,
You who alone are good, it is to You that we must
give all praise,
all glory, all thanks, all honor, all blessing;
to
You we must refer all good always.
Amen.
