Praying the Psalms ... Mirror of a Person's Soul       In continuing our series on praying the Psalms of the Bible, we have mentioned St. Athanasius’ Letter to Marcellinus    (available online http://athanasius.com/psalms/aletterm.htm ), written in the first half of the Fourth Century. That Letter shows us how Christians used the Psalter, both privately as well as liturgically in worship.       St. Athanasius writes in that letter that the Psalms are a mirror of a person’s soul. “This peculiar marvel [is] that within [the Psalms] are represented and portrayed, in all their great variety, the movements of the human soul. It is like a picture in which you see yourself portrayed, and seeing, may understand and consequently form yourself upon the pattern given.”       “In the Psalms,” he says, “you learn about yourself” and “learn the way to remedy your ill.” And this is all done by the Holy Spirit...

Praying the Psalms ... Christ in the Psalms      In continuing our series on praying the Psalms of the Bible, we’ve mentioned that the Psalms speak of Christ prophetically, as Jesus also said of himself (Lk 24:44). St. Athanasius’ early Fourth Century “Letter to Marcellinus” (available online http://athanasius.com/psalms/aletterm.htm ), gives us some specifics:       “Of the coming of the Savior and how, although He is God, He yet should dwell among us, Psalm 50 says, ‘God shall come openly, even our God, and He shall not keep silence;’ and in Psalm 118 we read, ‘Blessed is he that cometh in the Name of the Lord! We have blessed you from the House of the Lord. God is the Lord, and He has given us light.’ That He Who comes is Himself the Father's Word, Psalm 107 thus sings, ‘He sent His Word and healed them, and rescued them out of all their distresses.’ For the God Who comes is this self-same Word Whom the Father sends, and of this Word Who i...

Praying the Psalms ... the Divine Office Last week we began looking at the Psalms in the Bible as a way to pray always (Lk 18:1; 21:36; I Thes 5:17-18; Eph 6:18). Before our life might come to be continuous prayer, we need to make the effort to pray regularly. A time of prayer each day, with some Scripture reading and meditation, is a minimum for every Christian. Adding a Psalm to read and pray would join us to the universal practice of Hebrews, Jews and Christians since the Psalms were composed. In Jesus’ time, liturgical prayer accompanied the morning (3rd hour or 9 AM) and evening (9th hour or 6 PM) sacrifices (Ex 29:38-39) at the Temple in Jerusalem, which the Apostles continued to attend (e.g., Ac 3:1). In the synagogues, there is some but tentative evidence of regular prayer (which is part of Jewish practice today). In the early Church, there is clear evidence of the widespread practice of praying the Psalms in church liturgically as Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. Over th...