How do the Fathers understand praise?

First: The believer praises God forever. St. Jacob of Sarug says, “O Lord, I will never cease to praise You, even after my death. Whoever lives for You and with You cannot die; the silence of death does not have the power to silence him.” St. Augustine says, “The old man has an old song, the new man a new song … Whoever loves earthly things sings an old song: let him that desires to sing a new song, love the things of eternity. Love itself is new and eternal; therefore is it ever new, because it never grows old.”⁵⁸⁶

St. Jacob of Sarug asks the Lord to help him move all his being to praise Him: the mouth, all the senses, pure thoughts, the mind, the heart, and even the feet that carry the body as a chariot that praises God:

“O Son of God, let my mouth be to You as a melodious songbird that sings out pure praise to You in great wonder.

Let my songbird be moved to speak of Your praises. Yet, I know that Your word surpasses all those who speak.

My Lord, I open my mouth to speak, yet I marvel, by Your gift, You have opened it to describe You.

Help me to admire You with senses exalted above the normal. When the mind marvels at You, the mouth You opened will describe You.

May the mind praise You for Your hidden wonders that are exalted far above the mind’s understanding.

May the heart praise You with racing heartbeats and with pure and upright thoughts like ministering angels.

O my Lord, the conscience offers pure praise to You for it sees how glorified You are in Your works.

O my Lord, all the senses praise You: soul, spirit, and body for You are to be praised.

The eye praises You for You bestowed on it the beauty of every created thing, to see and enjoy.

The ear praises You, into which is poured all the beauty of sound that it receives with pleasure.

O my Lord the two hands and the ten fingers praise You that move to work on behalf of the entire body.

586 St. Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Book of Psalms 149.1 (NPNF I/8:677) amended.

The feet that carry the whole body praise You

as they solemnly convey us like a chariot in all situations.

The sense of smell that experiences every perfume and scent praises You, and by them gives pleasure to many.

The mouth that distinguishes sweet from bitter gives thanks to You, and knows how to discern all the varieties of foods.

The mouth praises You … for it possesses the words that give thanks on behalf of every body.

The tongue too and the teeth from whence the voice rings loudly to praise abundantly with universal voices.

Help the mouth to fulfill all these things on behalf of all the silent senses that move the mouth to give thanks.”⁵⁸⁷

Second: Through praise, we become like the angels. St. Basil says, “The praise of God is a duty belonging to angels.”⁵⁸⁸ St. Gregory of Nyssa believes that praise makes us equal to angels in glory.⁵⁸⁹ And St. Augustine says, “If you desire to praise God continually, then be jealous of the angels’ praises.”

Third: Praise makes us rich. St. Augustine highlights our poverty by quoting Job: “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return there. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord” (Job 1:21). He deems praise to be like precious jewels, saying, “From where do such jewels that praise God originate? Behold a man who seemed to be poor externally [Job], but was rich from within. Could these jewels have come out of his lips had he not borne a hidden treasure in his heart?”⁵⁹⁰

Fourth: We offer praise with longing — the heart speaks, even if the tongue is silent. St. Augustine says, “he who truly longs, thus sings within his soul, though his tongue be silent: he who does not, however he may resound in human ears, is voiceless to God.”⁵⁹¹

Fifth: A holy life is itself a kind of praise to God. St. Augustine says,

“For now, when we are gathered together in the Church, we praise: when we go forth each to his own business, we seem to cease to praise God. Let a man not cease to live well, and then he ever praises God. You stop praising God when you cease to live well and when

587 St. Jacob of Sarug, Memre 106 On the Psalm: “Praise the Lord with New Praise” (Ps. 96:1; 149:1)

588 St. Basil of Caesarea, Homilies on the Psalms 13.7 (FOTC 46:209).

589 St. Gregory of Nyssa, Refutation of the Views of Apolinarius 25 (FOTC 131:224).

590 St. Augustine of Hippo, On Ps. 30, Discourse 4.12.

591 St. Augustine of Hippo, Expositions on the Book of Psalms 87.1 (NPNF I/8:419).

you go away from what pleases God. When you praise God, praise with your whole selves: let your voice, your life, your deeds, all sing.”⁵⁹²

“All that you do, do well, for in so doing, you praise God.”⁵⁹³

“There we shall rest and see, see and love, love and praise.”⁵⁹⁴

St. Jerome comments on the words of the psalmist: “Let the rivers clap their hands” (Ps. 98:8) saying, “These are the rivers that flow from the fountain of Christ. He is the fountain; we are the rivers; if, indeed, we deserve to be rivers … the work of the saints is the praise of God. Christ is not praised in word but in works; He does not heed the voice, but the deed.”⁵⁹⁵

Sixth: We praise God in spirit and truth. St. Irenaeus says, “Let us offer the sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of the lips (Heb. 13:15). Now those oblations are not according to the law, the handwriting of which the Lord took away from the midst by canceling it (Col. 2:14); but they are according to the Spirit, for we must worship God ‘in spirit and in truth’ (John 4:24). And therefore the oblation of the Eucharist is not a carnal one, but spiritual; and in this respect it is pure.”⁵⁹⁶

Seventh: The heavenly and earthly creations call on us to praise. St. Ephrem says, “The whole creation became mouths to Him, and cried concerning Him. The Magi cried by their offerings! The barren cried with their children, the star of light cried in that air, lo! The Son of the King! The Heavens were opened, the waters were calmed, the Dove glorified Him … The Angels proclaim Him, the children shout to Him with their Hosannas. These voices above and below proclaim Him and cry aloud.”⁵⁹⁷