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Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent - Human or Divine Praise?

Thursday of the Fourth Week of Lent - Human or Divine Praise?

Catholic Daily Reflections vor 2 Jahren

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Catholic Daily Reflections

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Short reflections on the Gospel of the day, from My Catholic Life!

Religion & Spiritualität

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“How can you believe, when you accept praise from one another and
do not seek the praise that comes from the only God?” John
5:44

It’s quite normal and healthy for a parent to praise a young child
for the good that they do. This healthy positive reinforcement is a
way of teaching them the importance of doing good and avoiding
what’s wrong. But human praise is not an infallible guide of what
is right and wrong. In fact, when human praise is not based in the
truth of God, it does great damage.

This short Scripture quote above comes from a lengthy teaching from
Jesus about the difference between human praise and “the praise
that comes only from God.” Jesus makes it clear that the only thing
that has value is the praise that comes from God alone. In fact,
earlier in this Gospel, Jesus says clearly, “I do not accept human
praise…” Why is that?

Turning back to the example of a parent praising a child for the
good they do, when the praise they offer is truly a praise of their
goodness, then this is much more than human praise. It is praise
from God given through a parent. A parent’s duty must be to teach
right from wrong in accord with the will of God.

As for the “human praise” of which Jesus speaks, this is clearly
praise of another that is void of the truthfulness of God. In other
words, Jesus is saying that if someone were to praise Him for
something that did not originate from the Father in Heaven, He
would reject it. For example, if someone were to say of Jesus, “I
think He would be a great governor of our nation because he could
lead a revolt against the current leadership.” Obviously such
“praise” would be rejected.

The bottom line is that we must praise one another, but our praise
must only be that which originates from God. Our words must be
spoken only in accord with the Truth. Our admiration must only be
of that which is the presence of God alive in others. Otherwise, if
we praise others based on worldly or self-centered values, we only
encourage them in sin.

Reflect, today, upon the praise you give and receive. Do you allow
misguided praise of others to misdirect you in life? And when you
compliment and praise another, is that praise based on the Truth of
God and directed to His glory? Seek to give and receive praise only
when it is grounded in the Truth of God and directs all to His
glory.

My praiseworthy Lord, I do thank You and praise You for Your
perfect goodness. I thank You for the way that You act in perfect
union with the will of the Father. Help me to listen only to Your
voice in this life and to reject all the misleading and confusing
voices of the world. May my values and choices be guided by You and
You alone. Jesus, I trust in You.

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Featured image above: The Gonzaga Family Worshipping the Holy
Trinity By Peter Paul Rubens, via Wikimedia Commons