The Psalter is the prayerbook of the people of God.Already in the centuries preceding the birth of our Lord the Book of Psalms was prayed by the Hebrew people.First in the temple and later in the synagogues,the psalms formed a major part of Jewish liturgy in which all the people regularly took part.Thus it happened that the worship and spirit of the Jews were formed in good measure by the Book of Psalms. The Blessed Virgin Mary,Saint Joseph,Saints Elizabeth,Zachary,John the Baptist and the Lord Jesus himself prayed the psalms and were formed in their spirit from earliest childhood. And the influence of the Psalter upon the Apostles and the earliest Christian community is abundantly evident from the pages of the New Testament where there are found some one hundred and sixteen citations from the Book of Psalms.
The Psalter occupies a central place in the understanding of the New Testament and of the person of Jesus and his function in the history of salvation.Our Lord himself made this point clear when,speaking to the disciples after his resurrection,he told them how his life and death were foretold by "the laws of Moses,the prophets and the psalms" (Lk. 24:44).Jesus himself continued to pray the Psalter throughout his life,singing psalms at the Last Supper and praying the words of Psalm 22 upon the cross.
Many men and women of all backgrounds,laity and clergy alike,have discovered the psalms as a form of prayer that add a new dimension to their spiritual life.The psalms themselves are inspired words; they are,ultimately,a part of God's revelation to his people.They also give expression to a wide variety of human situations as lived before God and so provide a broad spectrum of rich experience lived in faith.They record life's struggles,fears and anxieties,but also hope in God,trust in his mercy,certitude of victory,exultation and joy and thanksgiving.Above all they give expression to praise of God for his goodness,for his wisdom and mercy and love.
The result of praying the psalms is that the attitudes proper to worship and praise of God become a part of our own consciousness.
(by John Eudes Bamberger,Abbot of the Genesee).
The Psalter occupies a central place in the understanding of the New Testament and of the person of Jesus and his function in the history of salvation.Our Lord himself made this point clear when,speaking to the disciples after his resurrection,he told them how his life and death were foretold by "the laws of Moses,the prophets and the psalms" (Lk. 24:44).Jesus himself continued to pray the Psalter throughout his life,singing psalms at the Last Supper and praying the words of Psalm 22 upon the cross.
Many men and women of all backgrounds,laity and clergy alike,have discovered the psalms as a form of prayer that add a new dimension to their spiritual life.The psalms themselves are inspired words; they are,ultimately,a part of God's revelation to his people.They also give expression to a wide variety of human situations as lived before God and so provide a broad spectrum of rich experience lived in faith.They record life's struggles,fears and anxieties,but also hope in God,trust in his mercy,certitude of victory,exultation and joy and thanksgiving.Above all they give expression to praise of God for his goodness,for his wisdom and mercy and love.
The result of praying the psalms is that the attitudes proper to worship and praise of God become a part of our own consciousness.
(by John Eudes Bamberger,Abbot of the Genesee).
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