One evening, I was walking with my friend. She is gentle, patient and very brilliant. I complemented her on some of her qualities. She knew my compliments were genuine, and excitedly she exclaimed, “Tell me more about what you think.” Complements bring joy to the receiver as well as the giver. Complementing our friends is important so that we build them up and encourage them on their journey of life. Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing (1 Thessalonians 5:11 NRSV).

I have realised that encouraging and inspiring others, inspires me.  However, my greatest encouragement and inspiration comes from God alone. In our spirituality, God will often lead us to wilderness experiences in our soul, and all these moments will lead us to focus on magnifying God. When we magnify God, it helps us to lose our focus from ourselves, and towards God.  It helps us to empty ourselves and be filled with God, the Holy Spirit.

Magnifying God does not benefit God even in the least sense because God is God. We can neither add anything to Him nor take anything from Him. Who can make God any bigger than what He already is? He is Almighty, He is Omnipotent, He is Everlasting. However, magnifying God benefits us because we can ponder on His magnificent attributes and be transformed according to His likeness. We exist because He wished that we exist. We draw our strength from Him.

The sun gives us light. When the light falls on our faces, our faces are radiant, it glows. However, when there is no sunlight, there is darkness, and nothing is radiant. Therefore, the radiance comes from the sun, not from within us. Similarly, we have no glory on our own. It is God’s grace that shines on us and we become radiant.  He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Hebrew 1:3 ESV).

Saint Charbel lived a humble life in a monastery and then as a hermit. He devoted his time in prayer, fasting, daily labour and mortification. Upon his death, a mysterious light shone from his grave for forty-five nights which brought many sinners to repent and believe in the gospel. This is an inspiring story of Saint Charbel which led many to conversion. God’s glory shone through this precious saint, throughout his life and even after his death.

When we are filled with God, the Holy Spirit, we are led to magnify God. Our Blessed Mother Mary magnified God when she was filled with the Holy Spirit. And Mary said, “My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Saviour (Luke 1L 46-47, NewRSV). When we magnify God, our spirit rejoices because we are filled with God’s grace and acknowledge His many blessings.

We magnify God because He is the King of Kings and the Lord of Glory. He is from everlasting to everlasting. His radiance and glory is so brilliant that no mortal can stand in his sight. His wisdom, no intelligence can comprehend. His power, beyond measures. His beauty, indescribable. His justice is perfect. His mercy, we do not deserve. His grace overpowers and reaches the ends of the earth. His love is unconditional. His compassion is incarnational.

Magnifying God builds us up. It fills our soul with joy because we were created to give Him praise. It humbles us, being lowly people, who can magnify God, because we know we are nothing without Him. Magnifying God helps us to develop reverential fear of God, because we bow down to our God, whom we magnify and express our nothingness. Magnifying God sanctifies us, as we strive to become more like our Creator. It helps us find refuge in God who constantly sustains us. I will give thanks to you, O Lord, among the peoples, and I will sing praises to you among the nations. Be exalted, O God, above the heavens, and let your glory be over all the earth (Psalm 108: 3 & 5).

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