Sunday, July 20 : Saint Charles de Foucauld

Praise is an essential part of love. It is an all- essential part of our service of God. This is easy to see. But there is a second reason for which we owe God praise. This is that, on his side, it is an incomparable favour to allow us to speak to him. For us to allow someone to repeat to us constantly in every possible form of speech, that he loves us, would be the greatest favour we can shew him. It would shew that his love is pleasing to us, almost that we love him too. God lets us stay at his feet whispering perpetually our words of love and admiration. What joy, what grace, what goodness. But how ungrateful we shall be if we despise this great favour and make no use of it. God not only allows us this great favour, but he commands it. He commands us to tell him that we love him and adore him, and if we do not respond to this sweet and precious invitation we shew ingratitude and unworthiness and discourtesy and unnaturalness. My Lord and my God, teach me to find all my joy in praising you, in repeating to you unceasingly that I love you infinitely and that you are infinitely adorable. ‘ Delectare in Domino et dabit tibi petitiones tuas’ were your words. Teach me to delight in you and your infinite beauty and in the incessant outpouring of praise at your feet. S. Mary Magdalen, obtain for me the grace to praise Our Lord, our common Master, as he would have me praise him.
Roman Catholic Ordinary Calendar – rosary,team