The Praises of God

With Franciscan Clarean Commentary

The Text

You are holy, Lord, the only God,
and Your deeds are wonderful.

You are strong.
You are great.
You are the Most High.
You are almighty.
You, holy Father, are King of heaven and earth.

You are three and one, Lord God, all good.
You are good, all good, supreme good,
Lord God, living and true.

You are love.
You are charity.
You are wisdom.
You are humility.
You are patience.
You are beauty.
You are meekness.
You are security.
You are rest.
You are gladness and joy.
You are our hope.
You are justice.
You are temperance.
You are all our riches unto sufficiency.

You are beauty.
You are meekness.
You are protector.
You are our guardian and defender.
You are courage.
You are our haven and our hope.
You are our faith.
You are our great consolation.
You are our eternal life,
great and wonderful Lord,
Almighty God, merciful Savior.

Clarean Commentary

Overwhelmed by God:
Francis piles name upon name, like a child naming every good thing he can think of and giving it to God. This is not dry theology — it’s overflow. For Clareans today, this teaches us: sometimes the holiest prayer is just a flood of names for God, letting awe outrun grammar.

The God of Superlatives:
“Good, all good, supreme good…” Francis can’t say it enough. God is not one good among many — God is the fountain of all goodness. For Clareans today, this is a call to root our joy not in possessions, but in the supreme goodness that nothing can take away.

God of Humility:
Notice how striking the list is: along with power and greatness, Francis names humility, meekness, patience. This is the paradox of the Gospel — the Almighty is also the Humble. For Clareans today, this shapes our spirituality: we worship not just the God of power, but the God who stoops low in Christ.

Prayer as Mirror:
By naming God as love, charity, humility, patience, justice — Francis is also holding up a mirror to us. If this is who God is, then this must be who we become. For Clareans today, these divine names double as a discipleship checklist.

Joy as Resistance:
Francis calls God “our gladness and joy.” In a world of violence and despair, to rejoice in God is itself a rebellion. For Clareans today, joy is not shallow happiness but deep resistance — a refusal to let despair have the last word.