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APRIL 18
BLESSING HIM
“Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me, bless his holy name.
Bless the Lord, O my soul, and do not forget all his benefits—who forgives
all your iniquity…” (Ps 102/103: 1-3)
In this Psalm I “bless” (εὐλογέω) the Lord, which literally means “say a
good word” or “praise.” By “blessing” God I do not give Him something
He doesn’t already have, because He is the source of all good; He is the
source also of all “good words” or “blessings.” So when we sing this Psalm
in church, we remind ourselves of this fact, adding the refrain, “Blessed
are You, O Lord.”
So why am I called to “bless” Him? Because it does me good. It is good
for me to praise the good in this world, the source of which is God, rather
than spending my time grumbling about the bad, the source of which
is our bad choices. Praising the truly good, so as to “not forget all His
benefits,” brings me gratitude, which generates humility and peace.
Grumbling about the bad in this world generates the opposite, although
many seem to prefer it on social media and elsewhere. But in our churchservices
we spend very little time, as a liturgical community, decrying
bad things, and spend almost the entire time contemplating and praising
the good. The only “bad things” I am called to contemplate at any length
in liturgy are my own sins. But even in this area, of my sins, I do not
wallow in the “problem,” but look to the Solution; to God’s healing and
forgiveness.
Let me “bless the Lord” today, with “all that is within me.” I ask in heartfelt
prayer for His gifts of gratitude and peace, that I may have eyes to see the
abundance of His grace in my life and in this world. “Blessed are You, O
Lord!”
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