The Meaning of the Glory Be Prayer

Показать описание

Here is a little history, origin, and meditation on the meaning of the Glory Be (or Gloria Patri in Latin).

The Glory Be is a doxology, or a short hymn of praise to God that is said at the end of other prayers. (“Doxa” means “glory” in Greek.)

The Glory Be is a called the Minor Doxology, which is much shorter than the Gloria, or Greater Doxology, that we pray at Mass to echo the hymn of the angels in the fields with the shepherds at the birth of Christ.

The Glory Be is said at the end of each decade of the Rosary. Many centuries before the Rosary became popular, monks would pray the Glory Be as the doxology after praying each Psalm.

The Meaning of the Glory Be Line by Line

Let’s look briefly at the importance of each part:

“Glory Be” - To give God glory is to give him rightful praise for his greatness compared to our lowliness.

“to the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” - Our God is one in three persons. We believe in a Trinity.

“As it was in the beginning” - These words reference both Creation in Genesis, but also the opening of John’s Gospel, “In the beginning was the Word…” God has no beginning. He already existed at the beginning.

“is now and ever shall be, world without end” - Another variation in the Liturgy of the Hours reads “and will be forever” because it better expresses the original Latin, “saecula saeculorum,” which could be translated literally as “unto ages of ages.” Essentially, the phrase expresses God’s eternity. The phrase appears often in the New Testament. St. Paul uses it frequently, for example, as a conclusion to his letter to the Philippians, “To our God and Father be glory forever and ever. Amen” (Phil 4:20). It also appears twelve times in the Book of Revelation.

CONNECT WITH THE RELIGION TEACHER:

CONNECT WITH JARED:

ARE YOU A RELIGIOUS EDUCATOR? CHECK OUT THESE RESOURCES: