Opening Prayer
I analyze the weariness of earthly resources and the constant change of my own heart, which grows tired of the things it once loved. I realize that even if the world lasted forever, it could never provide my soul with lasting food, for I exhaust all earthly enjoyments.
Rouse me from my laziness and coldness. Grant me the grace to desire you as the only food that can satisfy my hunger for eternity, for to gaze upon you is the only delight that is truly inexhaustible.
Amen.
Matthew 13:54-58
54And coming into his own country, he taught them in their synagogues, so that they wondered and said: How came this man by this wisdom and miracles? 55Is not this the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brethren James, and Joseph, and Simon, and Jude: 56And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence therefore hath he all these things? 57And they were scandalized in his regard. But Jesus said to them: A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. 58And he wrought not many miracles there, because of their unbelief.
St. John of Damascus
St. John of Damascus evaluates the five kinds of worship. First is Adoration, due to God alone. Then followed by Awe or Longing, Thanksgiving, Hope for Benefits, and Contrition. The Gospel shows that “lack of faith” prevents miracles; similarly, a lack of “true worship” prevents the “ocean of goodness” from filling the soul. John of Damascus reminds us we must also have “thanksgiving for things received” and “contrition for recognized sins”. Do you worship Him with “awe and longing,” or is your prayer merely a list of demands? Reflect on the “worship of contrition”—when was the last time you prostrated your soul?
Worship is categorized into five essential types that reflect our relationship with the Divine. Each link in this golden chain of worship acknowledges our dependence on the One who is an “ocean of goodness” and a “boundless power”. Using this five-fold structure in daily prayer ensures our spiritual life remains balanced and rightly oriented, preventing us from becoming mere “petitioners” who only call on God when in need.
“I do not worship matter; I worship the Creator of matter, who became matter for my sake and deigned to inhabit matter, who worked out my salvation through matter. I will not cease from honoring that matter which works for my salvation. I venerate it, though not as God.”
— St. John of Damascus
Mary and the Magisterium
Mary embodies each kind of worship link in this “golden chain” through the mysteries of her life: her Adoration and Awe at the Annunciation, her Thanksgiving in the Magnificat, her Petition at the wedding of Cana, and her Contrition—standing as the representative of a sinful race—at the foot of the Cross (Stabat Mater). She binds the Church to God through this multifaceted, perfect worship.
- Which of the "five kinds of worship" is most lacking in my daily prayer?
- Am I "admiring and worshipping" God for His nature, or only for what He gives me?
Closing Prayer
Lord, let me forever praise You, bless You, and give You thanks for Your great glory.
Amen.
