14th Sunday in Ordinary Time
R. I will praise your name for ever, my king and my God.
Written by Julianna Nett
My first memory of hearing these words was by my parish’s “series regular” cantor when I was a child (you know the one). When I was a kid, I didn’t really understand what this meant. I thought, okay yeah, we can like this guy I guess and give Him time out of the week, but I best be getting a donut and hot chocolate after Mass.
But what does it really mean to praise Him?
I didn’t first encounter Him until the Wisconsin Catholic Youth Rally that I was absolutely forced to go to. Afterwards, I was very apprehensive to tell my mom that I felt the hole in my heart become full for the very first time in my elongated 12 years of life because that would mean she was right. Alas, I swallowed my pride and when she asked “So, what did you think”, I told her that I felt something I never had before during Adoration. I also noticed people raising their hands and falling to their knees thinking “Okay people, no need to be dramatic here”.
A few years later, I went on my very first mission trip (shoutout to Alive in You Camps!). This is where I felt my very first “Jesus High”. I was able to fully understand what it meant to “praise Him’, and that week in Greensboro, NC, I felt as if I could forever. I remember crying on the mission trip bus on the way back to my corn field filled town in Wisconsin because I did not want to leave the people who had allowed me to feel comfortable to, in my own words, “dramatically raise my hands”. I remember I couldn’t wait for 2 nights later when my youth group would get together on Wednesday Nights to talk and pray because I wanted to keep praising Him.
Now, it wasn’t smooth sailing from then on out (by any means)! Arriving back from camp, I realized I didn’t necessarily enjoy the way mass was done at my home parish because it was difficult to connect with the homilies and the music. For my remaining 3 years of high school, I went to Alive in You every summer, and was the happiest I had ever been while there serving in the southern summer heat and praising the Lord day and night. And I asked “Why can’t I always feel this way”. It took me a while to understand but through workshops at camp and guidance from people around me, I realized that adoration at camp or a conference is not the only way to praise Him. But then I came to another conundrum:
Is it always easy?
HA no. It’s not. I always imagined that praising Him would be easier when I was “happy”, but I have found it’s so much more complex than that. When I am suffering, I find it easiest to praise the Lord and find consolation through Him because I know I will persevere through Him. This could possibly stem from a lifetime of being called “resilient” and a history of thriving in chaos. I think it’s medium easy to praise Him when I am incredibly happy and not a care in the world. The hardest time to praise him? You guessed it: in the waiting, when I feel stagnant. I praise Him and may feel nothing, but I have learned that’s the beauty of it. We will give praise even when it isn’t necessarily “fun”. Praising Him honestly can just consist of “Jesus, I love and trust you” which is now how I close every journal entry.
So, will I Praise Him forever and ever?
12,000% even when I don’t necessarily feel His presence. Why? Because I know I am loved beyond measure.
How can you praise the Lord today?
Julianna Nett loves iced coffee, tacos, and Jesus. She has been working in the Catholic non-profit world for the past 5 years & has most recently had the pleasure of working in the events field for a Catholic non-profit. She is proud of her Wisconsin heritage and will never miss an opportunity to cheer for the Green Bay Packers. You can catch her on Instagram!
Pray with today’s psalm.