Glory Be... who was, and is, and is to come

The three prayers that I say many times throughout the day are the Lord's prayer, Hail Mary, and Glory Be. The Lord's prayer is straight from scripture (Matthew 6:9-13, Luke 11:2-4). It is the prayer Jesus taught us. Hail Mary is also from scripture (Luke 1:28; John 1:14; and Luke 1:42). The Catechism of the Catholic Church (ccc 2676) "In Communion with the holy Mother of God" has this to say about the prayer:

Hail Mary [or Rejoice, Mary]: the greeting of the angel Gabriel opens this prayer. It is God himself who, through his angel as intermediary, greets Mary. Our prayer dares to take up this greeting to Mary with the regard God had for the lowliness of his humble servant and to exult in the joy he finds in her.




Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: These two phrases of the angel's greeting shed light on one another. Mary is full of grace because the Lord is with her. The grace with which she is filled is the presence of him who is the source of all grace. "Rejoice . . . O Daughter of Jerusalem . . . the Lord your God is in your midst." Mary, in whom the Lord himself has just made his dwelling, is the daughter of Zion in person, the ark of the covenant, the place where the glory of the Lord dwells. She is "the dwelling of God . . . with men." Full of grace, Mary is wholly given over to him who has come to dwell in her and whom she is about to give to the world. 

Blessed art thou among women and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, Jesus. After the angel's greeting, we make Elizabeth's greeting our own. "Filled with the Holy Spirit," Elizabeth is the first in the long succession of generations who have called Mary "blessed." "Blessed is she who believed. . . . " Mary is "blessed among women" because she believed in the fulfillment of the Lord's word. Abraham. because of his faith, became a blessing for all the nations of the earth. Mary, because of her faith, became the mother of believers, through whom all nations of the earth receive him who is God's own blessing: Jesus, the "fruit of thy womb."

And then the Glory Be prayer. Where does it come from? Until this morning I had no clue. Then the scripture passage I read came to light. In Revelation 4 "Each of the four living creatures had six wings and was covered with eyes all around, even under its wings. Day and night they never stop saying:

“‘Holy, holy, holy
is the Lord God Almighty,’
who was, and is, and is to come.”

Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:

“You are worthy, our Lord and God,
    to receive glory and honor and power,
for you created all things,
    and by your will they were created    and have their being.”" (Revelation 4:8-11)

Gloria Patri, as this prayer is also known, "is found in the books of Romans, Galatians, Ephesians, 1Timothy, Hebrews, Peter and Revelations. St. Paul uses these doxologies in almost every one of his epistles in some variation." (Catholic Answers) "The dictionary defines doxology as “an expression of praise to God, especially a short hymn sung as part of a Christian worship service.” The word doxology comes from the Greek doxa, (“glory, splendor, grandeur”) and logos, (“word” or “speaking”). Most doxologies are short hymns of praise to God in various Christian worship services, often added to the end of canticles, psalms, and hymns." (GotQuestions.org). "The earliest examples are addressed to God the Father alone, or to Him through the Son and in or with the Holy Ghost. The form of baptism (Matthew 28:19) had set an example of naming the three Persons in parallel order. Especially in the fourth century, as a protest against Arian subordination (since heretics appealed to these prepositions..).. the custom of using the form: "Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost", became universal among Catholics. From this time we must distinguish two doxologies, a greater (doxologia maior) and a shorter (minor). The greater doxology is the Gloria in Excelsis Deo in the Mass. The shorter form, which is the one generally referred to under the name "doxology", is the Gloria Patri. It is continued by an answer to the effect that this glory shall last for ever." (slightly modified from the New Advent)

Glory Be is a quick prayer to remind me of the heaven I so long for. Like the four living creatures and the twenty four elders, I can now practice the joy of worshiping my heavenly Triune God in heaven, while I sojourn on my remaining days on this earth.