This weekend, when you walk into church, take a deep breath to remind your body, soul, and spirit that you are in a sacred space, and kneel and say a couple prayers.
Soon the music begins, the priest and other ministers of the Mass come down the aisle, and the Mass begins with the Sign of the Cross. We hear the greeting, pray the penitential act (Lord, have mercy), and sing or recite the Gloria. The next words we hear are, “Let us pray.”
“Let us pray” is not the cue for the server to get the book. “Let us pray” is the cue to tell us what we should do next - it’s time to pray. This is the time to offer God what’s on your heart or to give Him your distractions. The priest then collects our prayers with the Collect for the 18th Sunday in Ordinary Time:
Draw near to your servants, O Lord, and answer their prayers with unceasing kindness, that, for those who glory in you as their Creator and guide, you may restore what you have created and keep safe what you have restored. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
In this prayer, the Lord comes even closer to hear our prayers. In His unceasing kindness, we trust that He will answer our prayers and give us what we need.
Next in the prayer, we learn about those who glory in God. To glory in God is different than glorifying Him, and yet, in a way, they are the same. When we glory in Him as our Creator and guide, He gives us greater dignity and greater nobility simply because He is our Creator. When we live in His glory, we glorify Him.
While knowing that we are glorified is amazing, my favorite part of the prayer comes next: the Lord restores what He has created and keeps safe what He has restored.
Whenever I hear the word “restore” in a prayer, my mind goes to the first chapter of Genesis. God created and His fingerprint was and still is upon all of creation. Everything created by God is meant to glorify Him.
One spring afternoon a few years ago, we had a rain shower. I went out for a walk after the rain subsided. Every brand new light-green leaf had a drop of rain on it and when the sun came out, the trees appeared to be covered in diamonds. It was breathtaking and my mind couldn’t help but find the glory of God in that moment. However, the same holds true and you and I.
When you are I are restored, we are brought back to our original condition, a state where we shine brighter than a raindrop in the sun. We really do reflect that much glory.
However, what sets humankind apart from nature is that God gives us the ability to know who we are in Him. We reflect His glory and at the same time, He allows us to glory in Him. We become more than we could ever imagine.
What have we done to deserve such a gift? Nothing. It is through the Death and Resurrection of Jesus that the world has been restored. It is the work of the Holy Spirit to keep us safe. When we say “yes” to what we are offered, we know that we get to live in the glory of God in this life and look forward to the fulfillment of His glory with Him in Heaven.