Tag: Psalms
Psalm 111(110): To fear the Lord
1. Today we feel a strong wind. The wind in Sacred Scripture is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. We hope that the Holy Spirit will illumine us now in our meditation on Psalm 111[110] that we have just heard. In this Psalm we find a hymn of praise and thanksgiving for the many benefits… Read More ›
Psalm 110(109): The Lord bestows divine power and priesthood on the king
We Are Invited to Look to Christ in Order to Understand the Meaning of True Royalty Today I would like to end my catechesis on the prayer of the Book of Psalms by meditating on one of the most famous of the “royal Psalms”, a Psalm that Jesus himself cited and that the New Testament… Read More ›
Psalm 150: Music, hymnody should be worthy of the greatness of the Liturgy
1. Psalm 150, which we have just proclaimed, rings out for the second time in the Liturgy of Lauds: a festive hymn, an “alleluia” to the rhythm of music. It sets a spiritual seal on the whole Psalter, the book of praise, of song, of the liturgy of Israel. The text is marvelously simple and… Read More ›
Suggested Reading for Lent
“On the days of Lent, from morning until the end of the third hour let them apply themselves to their reading, and from then until the end of the tenth hour let them do the work assigned them. And in these days of Lent they shall each receive a book from the library, which they… Read More ›
Psalm 63(62): My soul is thirsting for you, O Lord
Commentary: 1. Psalm 63(62) on which we are reflecting today is the Psalm of mystical love, which celebrates total adherence to God based on an almost physical yearning and reaching its fullness in a close and everlasting embrace. Prayer becomes longing, thirst and hunger, because it involves the soul and the body. As St Teresa… Read More ›
Numbering of the Psalms
At the last Oblate meeting a question about the numbering of the Psalms was raised. This difference is important particularly as you read the Rule of St. Benedict or the commentary on the Psalms that have been posted to the site. The reason for the difference is the Christian numbering of the Psalms, as found… Read More ›
Psalm 118 [117]: In all our trials, God has the last word
1. The sequence of Psalms from 112[111] to 117[118] was sung during the most important and joyful feasts of ancient Judaism, especially during the celebration of the Passover. This series of hymns of praise and thanksgiving to God were called the “Egyptian Hallel” because, in one of them, Psalm 114 A [113], the exodus of Israel… Read More ›
Psalm 147:12-20 (147): Jerusalem, praise your saving God
The Lauda Jerusalem that we have just proclaimed is dear to Christian liturgy that often used Psalm 147 to refer to the Word of God which “runs swiftly” on the face of the earth, and also to the Eucharist, the true “bread of finest wheat” that God generously gives to “satisfy” human hunger (cf. vv…. Read More ›
The secret of the psalter
The secret of the psalter is that when we apply ourselves to it it transforms us into the poor, the anawim. It was the anawim who wrote it, adding one collection of psalms to another on their return from Exile. The communities of the poor have handed it down through the centuries. Only the truly… Read More ›
Psalm 147:1-11(146): “Praise the Lord!”
1. The Psalm just sung is the first part of a composition that also includes the next Psalm, n. 147[146], that the original Hebrew had kept as one. It was the ancient Greek and Latin versions which divided the song into two different Psalms. The Psalm begins with an invitation to praise God and then… Read More ›