Tag: Psalms
Psalm 72 (71): 1-11– Justice shall Flourish
1. The Liturgy of Vespers, on whose psalms and canticles we are systematically commenting, presents in two parts one of the Psalms dearest to Jewish and Christian tradition: Psalm 72[71], a royal hymn on which the Fathers of the Church meditated, reinterpreting it in a Messianic key. We have just heard the first great movement… Read More ›
Psalm 27(26): 1-6 – The Lord is my light and my help!
1. Today we continue on our journey through Vespers with Psalm 27[26], which the liturgy separates into two different passages. Let us now follow the first part of this poetical and spiritual diptych (vv. 1-6) whose background is the Temple of Zion, Israel’s place of worship. Indeed, the Psalmist speaks explicitly of the “house of the Lord”,… Read More ›
Psalm 23(22): Entrusting oneself to God who is good
Turning to the Lord in prayer implies a radical act of trust, in the awareness that one is entrusting oneself to God who is good, “merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness” (Ex 34:6-7; Ps 86[85]:15; cf. Joel 2:13; Jon 4:2; Ps 103 [102]:8; 145[144]:8; Neh 9:17). For this… Read More ›
Psalm 22(21): “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”
In the Catechesis today I would like to apply myself to a Psalm with strong Christological implications which continually surface in accounts of Jesus’ passion, with its twofold dimension of humiliation and glory, of death and life. It is Psalm 22 according to the Hebrew tradition and Psalm 21 according to the Graeco-Latin tradition, a… Read More ›
Psalm 21(20): For the king trusts in the Lord!
1. At the heart of Psalm 21[20], the Liturgy of Vespers has left out the part we have just heard and omitted another section with an imprecatory tone (cf. vv. 9-13). The remaining preserved part speaks in the past and in the present of the favours God has granted the king, while the omitted part… Read More ›
Psalm 4: An evening prayer of confidence in God
Note: Most of the commentaries of the psalms of the Psalter that are being posted to the site were taken from the talks of Blessed John Paul II and Pope Benedict XVI. The commentaries were specifically concerned with the psalms used in Lauds (Morning Prayer) and Vespers (Evening Prayer) in the Psalter used under the… Read More ›
Psalm 16(15): My Happiness lies in you alone
1. After hearing it and making it a prayer, we have the opportunity to meditate on a Psalm that is charged with strong spiritual tension. Despite the difficulties the original Hebrew text presents, especially in the first verses, Psalm 16[15] is a luminous canticle with a mystical dimension, as the profession of faith at the… Read More ›
Psalm 8: O Lord, Our Lord
1. In meditating on Psalm 8, a wonderful hymn of praise, we come to the end of our long journey through the Psalms and Canticles that make up the prayerful heart of the Liturgy of Lauds. In these catecheses, we have reflected on 84 biblical prayers whose spiritual intensity we have especially tried to emphasize, without overlooking… Read More ›
Psalm 15(14): To dwell on ‘your holy mountain’
1. Psalm 15[14] that is presented for our reflection is often classified by biblical scholars as part of an “entrance” liturgy. Like several other compositions in the Psaltery (cf., for example, Psalms 23; 25; 94), it prompts us to imagine a sort of procession of the faithful jostling to pass through the door of the… Read More ›
Psalm 11: A prayer to trust the Lord
1. We continue our reflection on the Psalms, which comprise the essential element of the Liturgy of Vespers. We have just made ring out in our hearts Psalm 11[10], a brief prayer of trust that, in the original Hebrew, is studded with the holy name ‘Adonaj, the Lord. This name echoes at the beginning (cf. v. 1), is found… Read More ›