April 6, 2018 at 1:53 p.m.
REFLECTION
Do you know the psalms?
The answer to these questions is: the biblical Book of Psalms.
The psalms are endlessly fascinating. In February 1995, The New York Times reported, "Seeking solace from his recent political troubles, President Clinton said today that he had just read the entire Book of Psalms, hymns that praise God and ask divine relief from sufferings inflicted by enemies."
A copy of Psalm 8 (on "divine majesty and human dignity") is on the moon. One Jewish tradition states that Adam composed Psalm 92, a psalm of thanksgiving, for the first Sabbath. In the New Testament, there are 116 citations from the Book of Psalms.
The Book of Psalms is made up of 150 individual pieces; together, they are called the "Psalter," the prayer book of psalms.
The Lectionary - the book of readings used at Mass - incorporates 84 of the 150 psalms as responsorial psalms. The psalms are an important part of Mass during the Liturgy of the Word.
A psalm is a Jewish hymn or lyrical poem in praise of God. The word "psalm" comes from the Greek "psalmos," which means, "a song sung to a plucked instrument."
The Jewish people call the psalms "Tehillim," which in English is "songs of praise." The psalms are God-centered. To Christians, psalms are Christ-centered.
Psalms are first and foremost prayers. The psalms do not focus on theology or celebrate history. The heartbeat of the psalms is human sentiment: feelings, attitudes, raw emotions. Praying the psalms is a powerful experience.
Psalm 29 may be the oldest psalm; it probably originated as a psalm to Baal, the Canaanite storm god.
Psalm 29 is called "the 17th thunder psalm" because of its constant reference to "the voice of the Lord." It vividly describes a storm moving from the Mediterranean Sea to Lebanon; storms often inspire psalms.
The psalms are also a school of prayer. Through them, we can learn different ways to approach God. St. Ambrose called the psalms "the gymnasium of the soul."
English essayist Richard Steele urges, "Whoever would be wise should read Proverbs; whoever would be holy should read the Psalms." That advice is priceless.
Rev. John Rosson, pastor of St. Mary's/Our Lady of the Lake parish in Cooperstown, offers this first of three reflections on the psalms for parishes to use in adult faith formation - especially during the Albany Diocese's three-year "Amazing God" evangelization process.[[In-content Ad]]
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