“Honor to whom honor is due” (Rom 13:7). This applies to our Father more than to anyone else! To Him belong “honour, glory and praise”, as the hymn of the Apocalypse so beautifully proclaims (Rev 5:12).
If we could only catch a glimpse of heaven and see how He is constantly honoured by the angels and saints who live in loving and full communion with Him, our attitude towards God would be profoundly transformed.
How can we, here on earth, honour the Father as He deserves, or at least try to do so?
When we honour a person, we recognise and highlight the merits they have earned. In this way we are exalting the person before those who witness this homage. For example, think of someone who has done something good or achieved something great. We will certainly treat him with recognition and respect, perhaps even admiration, but certainly with great esteem.
If this is the case in the human realm, how much more should we honour and praise God for His great work of creation! To Him who has made everything good; to Him who has made everything available to us; to Him who gives us the strength to do good and to lead others to glorify Him as well?
What deep gratitude, reverence and love should arise in our hearts as we meditate and assimilate this great truth! An attitude of constant reverence should arise as we contemplate the beauty of creation and its unfathomable mysteries.
And this reverential awe can grow even greater as we consider the infinite wisdom and immense love with which God the Father has accomplished the work of salvation. He has spared no effort to bring us out of the darkness of corruption into the kingdom of His marvellous light.
As the Holy Spirit opens our eyes, we will increasingly discover the immensity of God’s love, recognise the masterpiece of salvation and honour Him for it. And we will honour Him not only in words and praise of His goodness, but also in the fulfilment of His desires and intentions. Then we will acquire a reverent attitude towards life and people, for we will discover His wisdom everywhere.
Thus we honour God by honouring His works and attributing to Him all the wisdom and glory we discover in them, knowing that He is their origin and cause. In this way we return to God what already belongs to Him. When we admire a work of art, we also honour the artist who created it. And we could go further and praise the Spirit who inspired the artist. Finally, when we come to the ultimate cause of all things, we honour God who works all things in all people.
We also honour our Father when we witness to Him before people and help them to discover the source of all good, which is God Himself. The person who honours God, having come to know Him better, enters into the great truth of his existence; and thus his whole life acquires a new meaning and is transformed by the Spirit of God.
Finally, we honour God greatly when we use the most beautiful things He has given us for the building of His Kingdom and for His glory. Never is a voice more beautiful than when it sings the glory of God; never is a word more meaningful than when it proclaims the goodness and love of God; never is a person more authentic than when he gives up his own freedom and places it at God’s disposal.