PRAYER OF THE ROSARY: THE DOXOLOGY by Atty. Marwil Llasos

The Holy Trinity with the Holy Family

Each decade of the Rosary ends with a hymn of praise to the triune God – the Gloria (Glory Be). Praying the doxology at the climax of each decade recalls the praise and worship offered by heavenly inhabitants to God. We join them in glorifying God, the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

The angels in heaven praise and glorify the thrice-holy God day and night without ceasing (Rev. 4:8). Catholics on earth praise and glorify the triune God day and night saying: “Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.”

In so doing, Catholics heed the word of Scripture: “Declare His glory among the Gentiles, his wonders among his people” (1 Chron. 16:24, DRV).

The Book of Psalms says that “in Thy name they shall rejoice all day” (Ps. 89:16). Catholics, in consonance with Scripture, do rejoice in God’s name all day – “they glory in His name” (Ps. 105:3) and they do so by glorifying the name revealed by Our Divine Master - “the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit” (Mt. 28:19). Thus, Catholics truly and wonderfully “give to the Lord glory to His name” (1 Chron. 16:2, DRV).The Gloria is strikingly similar to biblical doxology or the praise of the Almighty and Eternal God. For instance, in 1 Chronicles 16:37 we read: “Blessed be the Lord the God of Israel from eternity to eternity. And let the people say, Amen!” (DRV).

The prophet Nehemiah praised God in a remarkably Catholic fashion: “Blessed be you, Yahweh our God, from everlasting to everlasting. And blessed be your name of glory that surpasses all blessing and praise” (Neh. 9:5, NJB).And so, let us bow down in praise and adoration to God Almighty –Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.