446th Meditation
“Blessed are those who dwell in thy house, ever singing thy praise!” (Ps 83:5).
The Father rejoices over every prodigal son who, leaving behind sin and confusion, returns to Him. All heaven rejoices (cf. Lk 15:7)!
But what about those who have always remained in the “Father’s house”, faithful to Him? The Psalm calls them “blessed”. They have chosen the better part.
This becomes clear when we read the parable of the prodigal son. The younger of the two sons had gone astray, and there was great joy when he returned. The other, however, stayed at home and shared everything with his father (Lk 15:11-32).
It is a great grace to know the Lord and to try to walk in His ways day by day, that is, to live in His house, ever singing His praise.
By praising God, we glorify Him and join in the bride’s song of love for her bridegroom. We fulfil what the whole of creation is called to do. Praising God is not only “right and just”, but in doing so we bear witness to a glorious Father who loves all mankind and is worthy of all praise. Every sacred liturgy, every prayer that is raised to God from the heart, sings His praise.
We never waste time when we pray, when we discover and bless God’s beauty, and our hearts are filled more and more with His love. On the contrary! The more we praise God, the closer we come to our eternal destiny and the more we are able to see this world with the eyes of God.
Blessed are those who discover this! They are blessed like Mary, Martha’s sister, who, sitting at Jesus’ feet and listening to Him, had chosen the better part (Lk 10:39,42). They are happy like those consecrated souls who rise in the middle of the night to sing the praises of God.
What a joy it will be for our Father when people give Him the answer to which they are called: to live in His house and to ever praise Him!