Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord!

Last week we briefly discussed the very familiar 50th psalm, ‘Have mercy upon me, O God.’ During the All-night Vigil or Matins, after the reading of ‘Have mercy upon me, O God,’ the canon, which is a somewhat long and complicated liturgical composition, is read, after which the 148th, 149th, and 150th psalms are sung. These three psalm are called the Lauds (Latin for praise). Usually in parishes these hymns are sung in a very abridged form. These exceptionally joyous and very beautiful songs conclude the Psalter. The fact that Matins also ends with these psalms may indicate that in ancient times, the Psalter was read in its entirety every day during the night in some monasteries. Would it be that we had at least a morsel of that zeal which those monks possessed. Today let us discuss the first of the Laudate psalms, ‘Praise ye the Lord’.

The unnamed author of the 148th psalm in his hymn calls everyone and all things to praise the Almighty God. Firstly, the angels are called to glorify God, after which the inanimate heavenly bodies – the sun, moon, and stars – are invited to participate. Next, the author explains that they are obliged to praise God because He created them as well as the laws of nature that govern them. Of course, not only the heavenly bodies should glorify the Lord, but all of creation. Therefore, all the earth and water, along with the wild animals, fish, domesticated livestock, plants, and even various types of weather are called to bring praise to the Lord. Finally, all the nations and in general all people are also invited to glorify our Creator.

It is understandable that rational beings – the angelic hosts and the race of man – are capable of knowing God’s energies or actions and of glorifying Him, but the question remains as to how it is possible that irrational animals, inanimate objects, and even more so weather patterns can join themselves to the glorification of the Lord? Blessed Augustine, in his wonderful explanation of this psalm, notes that the animals praise God through us humans. Living in Canada, a country famous for its wild and incredibly beautiful nature, we can easily leave the noisy city streets and find a secluded, quiet place where all the beauty of God's creation is before us. The beauty of our Canadian lakes, forests, wild animals, and birds must lead us to the glorification of the Most-Wise Creator of all of this beauty.

Dear brothers and sisters, we are accustomed to coming to church on Sundays and sometimes on Saturday evenings and praising God in our beautiful church with the most wonderful psalms and spiritual hymns. Today's 148th psalm reminds us that reflecting on our visible world, so beautifully created by God, also gives us an excellent opportunity to glorify the Lord. Therefore, the next time we are in nature or notice the beauty of the world, let us remember the Creator of this beauty and praise Him!

Priest Alexis