Ordinary Time 
Pause
“With great power comes great responsibility.”
Spider-Man
Listen
Praise the Lord!
Praise the Lord from heaven! Praise God on the heights! Praise God, all of you who are his messengers! Praise God, all of you who comprise his heavenly forces! Sun and moon, praise God! All of you bright stars, praise God! You highest heaven, praise God! Do the same, you waters that are above the sky! Let all of these praise the Lord’s name because God gave the command and they were created!
Psalm 148:1-5
Think
I remember the most recent basketball tournament at the school where I work. The graduates’ team was about to start playing the last game of the night, and everyone waited in anticipation. When the team captain started the game by making a three-point basket, the whole court erupted with screams, flashes, and claps that echoed through the auditorium.
The invitation to praise our creator God should produce in us an emotion similar to that of watching our favorite athlete score a point: emotions like joy, excitement, and celebration. Moreover, the invitation to praise God stems from the identity of who God is. Remembering God’s love, power, greatness, and all that God has done helps us to praise God with dedication. Praising God can be done in different ways: a song of praise, an action of selfless service, even dedicating five minutes of silence remembering God’s goodness.
Juan Diego Rojas Miranda
Question to Ponder:
What has God done that makes you want to praise God freely today?
Pray
Good God, thank you for being who you are. You are so great that I cannot imagine. I praise you because you created me in your image, and in freedom I can cultivate a relationship with you. Amen.
Go
“I have decided to follow Christ,
my eyes fixed on the cross,
I will not turn back.”
Joshua Holiday, “Goodbye Yesterday,” Elevation Worship, 2024
