All That Is Praises the Lord: A Prayer of Honor and Glory from the Anawim

In my view of reality, that of three distinct universes, yet one, everything moves, as Teilhard de Chardin points out, to Omega from Alpha. Being of human nature, I have neither the capability nor the capacity to begin to understand what that means at the level God lives. What I can do is look out at the vastness of space with the eyes of science, metaphysics, philosophy, psychology, theology, and sociology, as I have experienced them in my lifetime, and make assumptions about how the whole of everything that is has purpose and meaning. With those limited and unique experiences of who I am and what I consider to answer the Divine Equation (six questions every human must answer to move to the next level of human evolution), I must learn to listen “with the ear of the heart.” This inner self is the one area of reality where I am afraid to go alone. Only I can go there, taking with me all that I have assumed into my consciousness from the complexity and consciousness of all that is. (Teilhard de Chardin map–unattributed.)

I asked the assistance of Grok to produce the following Hymn of All Existence or a Poem of Purpose. All matter is alive and moves inexorably from Alpha to Omega based on the fingerprints, the DNA of God, drawing all that is to its purpose and final destiny. All I can do as a brief passenger on this lifeline to finality is to learn to be aware of the ontic possibility of the manifestibility of all being encountered along the way, then join my purpose with the background noise of all that is as it moves silently, invisibly, sometimes frighteningly, to what it was created to be. To that power and energy, all I can do is to place myself in its presence and, in silence and solitude, wait for the fulfillment of my individual life as planned from the beginning of time itself.

THE SONG OF MATTER, MIND, AND SPIRIT ALL KISSING EACH OTHER.

“Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. Praise and exalt Him above all forever.

From the Genesis Principle – The Foundation of All Creation

1. Bless the Lord, all you atoms and molecules, for you dance in perfect order according to His design.
2. Bless the Lord, all you elements of the periodic table, for you reveal the beauty and wisdom of the Creator.
3. Bless the Lord, all you laws of physics, for you hold the universe in gentle balance.
4. Bless the Lord, all you stars and galaxies, for you sing His Glory across the heavens.
5. Bless the Lord, all you mountains and oceans, for you show the grandeur of His hand.
6. Bless the Lord, all you flowers and trees, for you bring forth beauty and life.
7. Bless the Lord, all you butterflies and birds, for you teach us the joy of being what you were made to be.
8. Bless the Lord, all you animals of the field and sea, for you glorify God by simply being.
9. Bless the Lord, all you living things, for you carry the breath of the Creator.
10. Bless the Lord, all you human bodies, for you are fearfully and wonderfully made.

From the Christ Principle – Redemption and New Life

11. Bless the Lord, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer, for You came to save what was fallen.
12. Bless the Lord, for the gift of reason that allows us to know You.
13. Bless the Lord, for the freedom of will that lets us choose love.
14. Bless the Lord, for the grace that lifts us from the physical and mental into the spiritual universe.
15. Bless the Lord, for the Cross that turned suffering into salvation.
16. Bless the Lord, for the Resurrection that gives us hope beyond death.
17. Bless the Lord, for the Eucharist that feeds us with Your very life.
18. Bless the Lord, for the forgiveness that makes us new.
19. Bless the Lord, for adoption as sons and daughters of the Father.
20. Bless the Lord, for the promise of eternal life with You.

From the Spirit of Truth

21. Bless the Lord, Holy Spirit, for You lead us into all truth.
22. Bless the Lord, for the light that dispels confusion and fear.
23. Bless the Lord, for the peace that surpasses understanding.
24. Bless the Lord, for the love that is poured into our hearts.
25. Bless the Lord, for the gifts that build up Your people.
26. Bless the Lord, for the fruits of patience, kindness, and joy.
27. Bless the Lord, for the gentle voice that speaks in silence.
28. Bless the Lord, for the fire that purifies and renews.
29. Bless the Lord, for the truth that sets us free.
30. Bless the Lord, for the hope that never disappoints.

From the Anawim – The Poor in Spirit

31. Bless the Lord, all you elderly and housebound, for you teach the world the power of patient love.
32. Bless the Lord, all you who feel forgotten, for you are held in the Father’s hands.
33. Bless the Lord, all you who suffer in body or mind, for your offering is precious.
34. Bless the Lord, all you who wait in hope, for you are preparing for the Kingdom.
35. Bless the Lord, all you who pray in silence, for your prayer reaches Heaven.
36. Bless the Lord, all you who forgive and love despite pain, for you reflect Christ.
37. Bless the Lord, all you who feel weak and small, for in weakness His power is perfect.
38. Bless the Lord, all you who trust in the evening of life, for you are heirs to the Kingdom.
39. Bless the Lord, all you Anawim, for you show the beauty of dependence on God.
40. Bless the Lord, all you adopted sons and daughters, for you are being prepared for eternal joy.

Closing 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.

Do What He Tells You.

Copyright © 2026 Michael F. Conrad, Ed.D. All rights reserved—the Center for Contemplative Practice.

Seeking the Unknowable God – A Meditation for the Anawim

My dear Anawim, my elderly brothers and sisters, my housebound children, my dear ones who feel forgotten or depressed, those confined by bars and those who make up bars to confine themselves, and all who have been told they are going to die — come and rest with me in the quiet of this moment.

We are like the three young men in the fiery furnace who sang the Canticle of Daniel. They praised God from the midst of flames. We, too, praise God from the midst of our limitations, our pain, our waiting, and our longing.

We are seekers. We long to know an unknowable God. With our mere human capabilities — our reason, our hearts, our fragile bodies — we reach out. Yet we know that we cannot reach Him by our own power alone. We must abandon our self-sufficiency. We must enter the Upper Room of our inner selves, sit in silence and solitude before Jesus, and wait.

This is the way of the Anawim.

The Canticle of All Creation

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord. Praise and exalt Him above all forever.

All you atoms and molecules, bless the Lord. All you elements of the periodic table, bless the Lord. All you laws of physics that hold the universe together, bless the Lord. All you stars and galaxies, bless the Lord. All you mountains and oceans, bless the Lord. All you flowers and trees, bless the Lord. All you butterflies and birds, bless the Lord. All you animals of the field and sea, bless the Lord. All you living things that carry the breath of life, bless the Lord. All you human bodies, fearfully and wonderfully made, bless the Lord.

The Christ Principle – Redemption and Adoption

Bless the Lord, Jesus Christ, our Redeemer. You came to save what was fallen. You gave us reason to know You. You gave us free will to choose You. You opened the way from the physical and mental universes into the spiritual universe. You showed us how to die to self and rise with You. You gave us the Eucharist to feed us with Your life. You gave us the Cross to turn suffering into love. You made us adopted sons and daughters of the Father. You promised us a place in the Kingdom of Heaven.

The Spirit of Truth

Bless the Lord, Holy Spirit, for You lead us into all truth. You give us light in our darkness. You give us peace in our anxiety. You give us love in our hearts. You give us hope that never disappoints.

The Anawim – The Poor in Spirit

Bless the Lord, all you elderly and housebound, for you teach the world the power of patient love. Bless the Lord, all you who feel forgotten, for you are held in the Father’s hands. Bless the Lord, all you who suffer in body or mind, for your offering is precious. Bless the Lord, all you prisoners of bars and prisoners of your own misconceptions about Catholicism, for you are being set free by the truth. Bless the Lord, all you who wait in hope, for you are preparing for the Kingdom. Bless the Lord, all you who pray in silence, for your prayer reaches Heaven. Bless the Lord, all you who forgive and love despite pain, for you reflect Christ. Bless the Lord, all you who feel weak and small, for in weakness His power is perfect. Bless the Lord, all you who trust in the evening of life, for you are heirs to the Kingdom. Bless the Lord, all you Anawim, for you show the beauty of dependence on God. Bless the Lord, all you adopted sons and daughters, for you are being prepared for eternal joy.

We are the Anawim. We seek an unknowable God with our limited human capacities. We know we cannot reach Him by our own power. So we do what Blessed Charles de Foucauld did. We abandon ourselves into the Father’s hands. We enter the Upper Room of our inner selves. We sit in silence and solitude before Jesus. We wait.

This is the next level of human evolution — not by our own strength, but by surrender. Teilhard de Chardin saw this movement toward the Omega Point. Thomas Merton found it in the silence of the monastery. Charles de Foucauld lived it in the desert. We live it in our rooms, in our recliners, in our quiet waiting.

We are not alone. Jesus is with us in the Upper Room. He says, “Peace be with you.” He shows us His wounds and says, “Do not be afraid.” He breathes the Holy Spirit upon us and says, “Receive the Holy Spirit.”

Then He says the simple words that change everything:

“Do what I tell you.”

My dear Anawim, this is our path. We seek. We abandon. We wait in silence and solitude. We listen. We do what He tells us.

Even in our weakness, even in our depression, even in our forgetfulness, we can do this. We can say with Charles de Foucauld, “Father, I abandon myself into your hands.” We can pray with Thomas Merton when we do not know the way. We can trust that the Father is preparing us for the Kingdom.

We are adopted, sons and daughters. We are heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven. This is our hope. This is our joy. This is our evolution.

Closing Prayers

Prayer of Abandonment – Blessed Charles de Foucauld Father, I abandon myself into your hands; do with me what you will. Whatever you may do, I thank you: I am ready for all, I accept all. Let only your will be done in me, and in all your creatures. I wish no more than this, O Lord. Into your hands I commend my soul: I offer it to you with all the love of my heart, for I love you, Lord, and so need to give myself, to surrender myself into your hands without reserve, and with boundless confidence, for you are my Father.

Prayer of Thomas Merton: My Lord God, I have no idea where I am going. I do not see the road ahead of me. I cannot know for certain where it will end. Nor do I really know myself, and the fact that I think I am following your will does not mean that I am actually doing so. But I believe that the desire to please you does in fact please you. And I hope I have that desire in everything I do. I hope I will never do anything other than that desire. And I know that if I do this you will lead me by the right road, though I may know nothing about it. Therefore will I trust you always though I may seem to be lost and in the shadow of death. I will not fear, for you are ever with me, and you will never leave me to face my perils alone.

Do What He Tells You.“

Copyright © 2026 Michael F. Conrad, Ed.D. All rights reserved. The Center for Contemplative Practice. www.organism.earth

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