Gloria Patri

With our daily Morning Prayer services, we find that we are saying the Gloria Patri (Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; as it was in the beginning is now, and will be forever.  Amen.) a lot!  And in the spirit of actually thinking about what we're saying, if you look at that one sentence, the amount of doctrine, faith and covenant contained therein is huge! 

There are treatises, commentaries and entire books written about the Gloria Patri, also known as the Lesser Doxology.  It speaks directly to the eternality of Jesus the Christ:  "Those who affirmed the truth of Scripture were singing other songs. Among them is one we sing with some frequency: the Gloria Patri. The words "Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the beginning is now and ever shall be world without end" were fighting words to defend the truth that Jesus Christ is eternal. The Virgin Birth was the birth of none other than God himself. "

You can find the Gloria Patri in Latin, beautiful versions such as Gregorian Chants.  The video on the left, however, is from an explanation on the Abyssinian Mass, and goes into not only the meaning, but how that meaning can be translated musically, including the Trinity in the musical patterns. 

So next time you find yourself saying the Gloria Patri - slow down.  Think about the meaning, and all that is contained in that one short sentence.