Thursday, January 9, 2014
Psalm 121, 122, 123
The Psalms are a treasure. If I were to recommend a single spiritual practice that people take on (in addition to regular participation in the Eucharist), I would implore people to pray the Psalms. For centuries the Psalms have been the backbone of monastic prayer. When I visit Holy Cross Priory in Toronto I look forward to slowly reciting the Psalms during their times of prayer. At Trinity College in Toronto I always look forward to singing the Psalms during each service in the chapel.
The Psalms reflect the highs and lows of our human existence. They can be written from a position of ecstatic happiness, or from the worst, most honest depths of sadness or anger. They can be beautiful or they can be brutal, but always honest.
Try getting into the practice of reading a Psalm every day. Maybe consult the table of Psalms featured on page lv of the Book of Common Prayer (just before Morning Prayer). Read slowly, remembering that these are prayers that have sustained the spiritual lives of the saints who have come before, and those who are still to come.
-Matthew Kieswetter
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