Different Ways to Praise God

Colleen Mallette shares how her prayer life has been impacted by visiting different Catholic churches.

Lately I have been traveling a lot and have been blessed to be able to attend Masses at several different Catholic churches. Most of them have been new churches for me to visit, which is always a treat for me. I love to look at the different altar styles, stained-glass windows, Stations of the Cross and other statues and such. There is such a variety of styles of churches from different eras, and I love to appreciate and compare them all. One church had a beautiful mural of saints behind the altar, one had the most touching, unique statue of Mary holding a toddler Jesus, and another had a powerful Resurrected Jesus mosaic.   

One thing that struck me the most in these recent visits has been to witness different ways to praise God within our church faith. In some dioceses, everyone kneels after the Sign of Peace; in others, they remain standing. People in some churches hold hands during the Our Father; others raise their hands in praise, while others keep their hands to themselves. Some congregations sing out loudly, while others seem to let the choir do most of the singing.  

Ways to Show our Love for God 

Besides seeing the different ways to praise God within our varied churches, it got me thinking of the many ways we each can show adoration:  

Interiorly in silence: both alone and in public (for example, Eucharistic Adoration) 

Outwardly with the voice: prayer, song, reciting Scripture 

Outwardly with the body: dancing, playing music, walking the Stations of the Cross, genuflecting, and kneeling 

Outwardly with accessories: rings, cross jewelry, veil, t-shirts with religious sayings, bumper stickers on cars, crucifixes and artwork in our homes  

Each of these are beautiful ways to let God, and others, know of our love for our Creator and Loving Father. They also proclaim our belief in Jesus as our Savior. They can open the door for conversations about our faith with strangers and community members alike. We can’t be shy about proclaiming our faith in public in order to start these necessary conversations, and we shouldn’t feel like we need to be experts or over the top either. I would just encourage you to be bold in showing what you believe in, because it might impact others to want what you have.  

An Example of Exuberant Praise 

On one of my recent travels, I attended a weekday Mass at a beautiful cathedral in Chicago I’d never been to. We arrived early and sat near the front where we could admire the statues, crucifix, and remaining Easter flowers around the altar while praying. Being in a new church was very inspiring, and I was feeling grateful that even while on a getaway I could find time to be in God’s holy presence for prayer and Eucharist.  

Despite my inner feelings of gratitude and adoration, I was completely humbled by a man who slowly walked up the main aisle to the front of the church before Mass began. While approaching the altar he would occasionally stop to raise his hands up to the heavens, whispering his prayers and pumping his fists as exclamation points to his obvious gratitude to God.  

When he reached the front, he knelt down in adoration, bowing his head to the ground before again looking up to the hanging crucifix and raising his hands openly and then pumping his fists. At first this outward display was a little off-putting, but then it brought tears to my eyes as he continued on in such apparent love and passion for the Risen Lord.  

It reminded me of a Lenten reflection that encouraged me to never take the Eucharist and Jesus’ sacrifice for granted. Yet even my internal thoughts and prayers and love for Jesus seemed overshadowed by this man’s outward expression.   

As I approached the minister to receive Communion that morning I thought of the man and his larger-than-life bow and “thank you Jesus!” and I felt a stronger sense of gratitude than normal. The gentleman was the last to come up and receive Communion and did a similar upraising of hands in praise before laying them before the priest to receive Jesus in such a beautiful gesture.   

What started as an awkward encounter ended up being such a blessing for me that I hope I don’t soon forget it. It also encouraged me to never be afraid to show emotion, sing out boldly, wear my Jesus t-shirts, and say “Amen” nice and loud after receiving Communion, for you never know who is watching and might be inspired!   

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Copyright 2025 Colleen Mallette
Images: Canva