May Your people exult for ever, O God, in renewed youthfulness of spirit, so that, rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption, we may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, Your Son, Who lives and reigns with You in the unity of the Holy Spirit, God, for ever and ever.
May Your people exult for ever, O God – Here is the goal of our entire existence. We want to rejoice forever in God and in the eternal life He gives us with Him.
renewed youthfulness of spirit – It is so easy to feel tired and rundown, depressed and old, especially when we live in such a world as ours has become. Yet this is not God's desire for us. Jesus once told the disciples, “Truly I tell you, unless you change and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3). Children are often innocent, open, honest, filled with wonder, willing to be led, and unconditionally loving. We, too, must strive for this kind of youthfulness, putting aside our worry and cynicism, our anger and anxiety, and allowing ourselves to lean back in our Father's arms in peace.
rejoicing now in the restored glory of our adoption – God has made a covenant with us. He has adopted us as His own children, creating a family bond with us. We entered into this covenant when we were baptized, and we renew it every time we receive the Eucharist. When we fail and break the covenant bond we have with God, He restores it for us by His mercy. He fills us with a share in His glory. He illuminates us with His light. How can we not rejoice?
we may look forward in confident hope to the rejoicing of the day of resurrection – But God isn't finished yet! At the end of time, He will rejoin our risen bodies to the our souls. Hopefully, we will have been waiting in Heaven, confident in God's promises and already enjoying God's infinite love.
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