Written by C.S. Lewis (1898-1963), a British writer and theologian. This is an excerpt from his book “Reflections on the Psalms.”
But the most obvious fact about praise — whether of God or anything — strangely escaped me. I thought of it in terms of compliment, approval, or the giving of honor. I had never noticed that all enjoyment spontaneously overflows into praise unless (sometimes even if) shyness or the fear of boring others is deliberately brought in to check it. The world rings with praise — lovers praising their mistresses, readers their favorite poet, walkers praising the countryside, players praising their favorite game — praise of weather, wines, dishes, actors, motors, horses, colleges, countries, historical personages, children, flowers, mountains, rare stamps, rare beetles, even sometimes politicians or scholars. I had not noticed how the humblest, and at the same time most balanced and capacious, minds, praised most, while the cranks, misfits, and malcontents praised least.
Prayer:
Today’s prayer is from the The Mozarabic Rite, also called the Visigothic Rite or the Hispanic Rite, is a liturgical rite of the Latin Church once used generally in the Iberian Peninsula (Hispania), in what is now Spain and Portugal. It was developed during Visigoth (Arian Christian) rule of the Iberian peninsula in the 500s AD.
Grant us, O Lord, to live this day in gladness and peace,
without stumbling and without stain,
that reaching the evening victorious over all temptation,
we may praise you,
the eternal God,
for you govern all things,
and are praised
now and forever. Amen.
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