Tag: Praise to God

Recognizing God in Creation

Photo of The Ridge, Lake District, by my friend, Gill Henwood.

The future of humanity depends on each person’s commitment to collaborate with God and with their brothers and sisters, in building up a more humane world   (Pope Leo, September 2026)

POPE LEO’S Prayer of Creation.

Let us pray, that inspired by St Francis,
we might experience our interdependence
with all creatures who are loved by God
and worthy of love and respect.

Lord, you love everything you have created
and nothing exists outside the mystery of your tenderness;
every creature, no matter how small,
is the fruit of your love and has a place in this world.
Even the simplest life is surrounded by your care.

Like St Francis of Assisi,
today we want to say “Praise be to you My Lord!”
Through the beauty you reveal yourself as the source of goodness.

We ask you to open our eyes to recognize You,
learning from the mystery of Your closeness to all Creation,
that the world is infinitely more than a problem to solve.
It is a mystery to be contemplated with gratitude and hope.
Help us to discover Your presence in all creation,
so that, in fully recognizing it, we may feel and know ourselves to be
responsible for this common home
where You invite us to care for, respect, and protect
life in all its forms and possibilities.

Praised be You, Lord!
Amen.

~Pope Leo~

(On October 4th the Christian Church celebrates the 800th anniversary of the death of St. Francis.
The Roman Catholic Church is celebrating a special Jubilee Year until January 10th 2027)

[Mr G. 20th September 2026]

Thrice Holy

TRISAGION (a posh word on Trinity Sunday and yo be used anywhere)

Sometimes, as people are often quick to remind me, a lot of hymns contain obscure or archaic phrases that keep us guessing about the meaning. For years I sang the hymn for the feast of St. Michael, ’Stars of the morning’, which contains the word ‘Trisagion’, without fully knowing its meaning. The New English Hymnal helpfully explains that this word means ‘a hymn to the Thrice-Holy God’ and is therefore a praise of God the Holy Trinity.

Holy God,
Holy and strong,
Holy and immortal,
have mercy upon us. “ (or, for personal use – ‘me’)

It is one of the most ancient and well-used of Christian prayers, ranking alongside the famous Jesus Prayer in popularity. The spirituality of countless Christians has been formed by using simple, short and effective prayers like this one. The Trisagion is used prominently in Eastern Orthodox churches but is also becoming more popular again. In the Church of England it is the prayer which ends the Litany.

It is a good prayer of personal devotion because it centres us on God who creates, redeems and sustains us. These three actions can be attributed to the three facets of God as Father (Creator); Son (Redeemer) and Holy Spirit (Sustainer/Enlivener). Thus by praying this short but profound prayer we are taken to the very heart of God’s actions in our lives. As we think over the wonderful things God has done for us, and goes on doing, we can realise his immense care and love for us. We can also marvel that God who is Almighty actually bothers about us. Like Isaiah, in Chapter 6, we behold God’s glory. (The Trisagion draws its inspiration from verse 3—”Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.)

 When faced with the Majesty and Glory of God, Isaiah was reminded that he was a ‘man of unclean lips’.  Like Him, before God, we are imperfect and in need of God’s forgiveness and mercy. So the Trisagion ends with a plea for mercy—like the Kyrie and the Jesus prayer. In claiming God’s mercy and forgiveness upon our lives we are also seeking his protection. Faith teaches us that God never withholds his mercy and love from those who seek him.

Finally, of course, the prayer is about God’s grandeur. Whilst God is always accessible to us, He is also greater than anything we can conceive. To be reminded of this is very important for us. It puts us in our place!

But we must also remember that our real place is secure – in God’s heart.

[Mr G]