Reflections on the Canticle of Daniel:Dan 3:57-88,56 (Br Jovita Ho)

Let Every Creature Praise the Lord

O all you works of the Lord, O bless the Lord.
To him be glory and praise for ever.

And you, angels of the Lord, O bless the Lord.
To him be glory and praise for ever.

And you, the heavens of the Lord, O bless the Lord.
And you, clouds of the sky, O bless the Lord.
And you, all armies of the Lord, O bless the Lord.
To him be glory and praise for ever.

And you, son and moon, O bless the Lord.
And you, the stars of the heavens, O bless the Lord.
And you, showers and rain, O bless the Lord.
To him be glory and praise for ever.

And you, all you breezes and winds, O bless the Lord.
And you, fire and heat, O bless the Lord.
And you, cold and heat, O bless the Lord.
To him be glory and praise for ever.

And you, showers and dew, O bless the Lord.
And you, frosts and cold, O bless the Lord.
And you, frost and snow, O bless the Lord.
To him be glory and praise for ever.

And you, night-time and day, O bless the Lord.
And you, darkness and light, O bless the lord.
And you, lightning and clouds, O bless the Lord.
To him be glory and praise for ever.

O let the earth bless the Lord.
To him be glory and praise for ever.

And you, mountains and hills, O bless the Lord.
And you, the creatures of the sea, O bless the Lord.
And you, every bird in the sky, O bless the Lord,
And you, wild beasts and tame, O bless the Lord.

To him be glory and praise for ever.
And you, children of men, O bless the Lord.
To him be glory and praise for ever.

O Israel, bless the Lord, O bless the Lord.
And you, priests of the Lord, O bless the Lord.
And you, servants of the Lord, O bless the Lord.
To him be glory and praise for ever.

And you, spirits and souls of the just, O bless the Lord.
And you, holy and humble of heart, O bless the Lord.
Ananias, Azarias, Mizael, O bless the Lord.
To him be glory and praise for ever.

Let us praise the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
To you be highest glory and praise for ever.
May you be blessed, O Lord, in the heavens.
To you be highest glory and praise for ever.

Taken from Canticle of Daniel (Daniel 3:57 -88,56)

When I first started off praying the Divine Office in my earlier years, whenever I come to the Canticle of Daniel, almost instinctively within me I can heard that groan and exclamation: “Here comes the long and winding canticle that seems so unreal to me living near the equator.”


However, about 5 years ago in 1995, when I was on a visit to my relatives in Canada, on a cold spring morning in the Parish of St Jude located in East Vancouver, all these seems to make sense when I observed the frost on the church’s windows, the snow-capped mountains flanking on one side of the church and even on that wintry morning, a large Canadian squirrel whizzed pass me as I entered the church for Sunday Eucharist (by the way, I like squirrels very much). It was in this context as I prayed the Canticle of Daniel, I could feel my whole being, in unison with God’s creation giving praise and glory to the Father, creator of all things.


We may not have the four seasons in Singapore but we do recognize the spring, summer, autumn and winter events of our lives. Some we revel in it, while other we rather not recall. However, whenever we pray this canticle, the Lord invites us that while acknowledging the current state of our lives, to yet place our trust and hope in Him, who is the Creator and Lord of our lives, and just like the three young men who sang this canticle whilst in the furnace of fire, the Lord Himself will surely transform and transfigure our lives, and on that day we shall see Him as he really is.


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Stay tuned for the next post by Br Peter Anthoney on 01st May 2010.