A friend asked me: “What are the Divine Praises, and why do we say ‘Blessed be God Forever’?”
The Divine Praises can be prayed anytime, but traditionally follow the Benediction just before the Blessed Sacrament is reposed (returned to the tabernacle by the priest or deacon) at the end of Adoration. The prayer was written by a Jesuit priest in 1797 to make reparation for blasphemy and profane language. You can pray it privately, or in group settings, as a great way to give thanks and praise to God, the Holy Family, and the angels and saints…..
Blessed be God. Blessed be His Holy Name. Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man. Blessed be the Name of Jesus. Blessed be His Most Sacred Heart. Blessed be His Most Precious Blood. Blessed be Jesus in the Most Holy Sacrament of the Altar. Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete. Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most Holy. Blessed be her Holy and Immaculate Conception. Blessed be her Glorious Assumption. Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother. Blessed be St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse. Blessed be God in His Angels and in His Saints.
“Blessed” is from the Latin word “Benedictus” which means to speak well or favorably about someone or something. So, praying the Divine Praises is a way to say “It is well that God, Mary, Joseph, the angels, and saints should be forever praised.”
To say “Blessed be God forever!” does not claim to confer some sort of grace or favor upon God, because there is not one thing we can add or take from God’s intrinsic glory. He is glorious and blessed all by Himself and has no need of our praise. However, we can help to spread God’s glory by proclaiming our praise and acknowledgment of Him before others, as well as by reflecting His glory through lives of holiness, generosity and conformity to the truth.
So, “Blessed be God Forever!” May God’s external glory be extended and experienced in all places and until the end of times.
Deacon John Adapted from SimplyCatholic.com & OurCatholicPrayers.com