Is there a particular time for praise?

The Church, as a congregation of praise, arranges a certain order of praise; especially through liturgies, but for every occasion, even those we would consider as sorrowful, such as funerals. For example, I recall that once while the monk Shenouda of the Syrian Monastery (the late Bishop Youannis of Gharbia) was in the hall outside a church in Tanta with priests from the diocese, a funeral procession was entering the church while the priest, the deacons, and the congregation were singing the hymn: “Remember me O Lord when You come into Your kingdom.” On hearing this, he stood up suddenly and joined in singing the hymn while his whole being trembled. As the procession entered the church, he said to the priests who were with him, “Forgive me fathers. As soon as I hear this hymn, especially in a funeral procession, I feel that the gates of paradise are open, and the angels are rejoicing to receive the one who has fallen asleep and who now shares in the Lord’s promise to the right-hand thief: ‘Today you will be with Me in Paradise.’ So I wanted to share in the joy of the angels.”

The Church asks her children to dedicate times for praises, including the praises of the canonical hours (the Agpeya ). At the same time, she asks her children to praise unceasingly: when they cannot do so with their tongues, then they ought not to stop praising in their hearts. The Church is a congregation of praise, not only during joyful times, but also in the midst of the most difficult tribulations. The book of Acts reveals to us that the Church was born in praise and finds her growth and preaching in praise.

If we go back to the Old Testament, we find that the Israelites found an opportunity to offer the praise of Moses when they crossed the Red Sea (Ex. 15) which the Church cherishes and sings as part of her daily praises to this day. And in the midst of the fiery furnace in the land of captivity, the three saintly youths found an opportunity to offer praises that we still sing today.

St. Methodius of Olympus says, “Oh, the comeliness of those who sing of the mysteries of God! Oh, that I also may join in these songs in my prayer … Shun not, man, a spiritual hymn, nor be ill-disposed to listen to it.”⁵⁸⁵