One of the great riches of the Catholic Church is the Liturgy of the Hours. The Hours are the ongoing prayer of the Church; “praying always,” Ephesians 6:18.  In praying The Hours—particularly (for me) “Lauds” or Morning Prayer—one finds encouragement for the day, as well as constant help by which we can praise our gracious God.

Thus it was no surprise, but rather, a case of the ongoing blessing The Hours offer, when I encountered the phrase “sons of the Church” yesterday. The phrase appeared in a quotation from Hesychius prefacing Psalm 149.  What a powerful phrase!  The phrase would mean nothing, of course, if the Church were not Christ; if being in the Church did not mean being in Christ—saved by Him, in Him, for Him.

But the fact that the Church is Jesus Christ’s and “the gates of hell shall not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18) is what make this phrase, this title, and this honor so powerful. Meditate on it today!  See yourself welcomed by Jesus Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church: “So now in His eyes I have become one to be welcomed” (Song 8:10b).  See yourself having access to His Church, through His love: “I, through the greatness of Your love, have access to Your house” (Psalm 5:7/8).

“Sons of the Church.”  Christianity Richly!