THE PSALMS

The prophets, the historians, the lawyers and the proverbs give us highly specialized lessons. But the Psalms includes all lessons. The Psalms predicts things to come, reminds us of the past, gives us law for the guidance of our lives. The Psalms is a treasury of sound teachings and answers our every need. It heals the hurt soul and gives recovery to the wounded heart. It heals our sick souls and maintains what is sound in us.

The Psalms helps control the passions that work havoc in man; and induces wise and wholesome reflection.

The Holy Spirit knows that man is hard to draw to goodness, easily inclined to pleasure and neglectful of what is right. So the Spirit gave us the beautiful Psalms that we may, unaware, imbibe goodness as we would put sweet on bitter medicine. 

No matter how savage  a wild beast is man, the singing of the Psalms can soothe him.

The Psalms puts the devil to flight and brings the aid of angels to our side.  It is armour in the terrors of the night  and refreshment during the day's toils.

To infants it is a protection; to elders, a consolation; to women, an adornment. 

It is the alphabet for beginners in the spiritual life, a source of improvement for the advanced, a confirmation to the perfect.

The Psalms is the voice of the Church; it gladdens our feasts and elicits godly sorrow. It brings tears to the hardest of hearts.

It is a school; you learn as you sing. In this way, the commandments of God are imprinted in your soul.

A lesson that is learned unwillingly is not likely to last but all that is learned with pleasure and delight effects something permanent in the soul. Enjoy the Psalms and you will earn manliness, righteousness, self-control, perfect wisdom, repentance and endurance. 

The Psalms contains the whole theology: advent, judgment, the resurrection, future of chastisement, promise of glory.

The Psalter is the most beautiful musical instrument; it is the only musical instrument where the sounds come from heaven unlike the lyre where the sound comes from the strings. This inspires us to seek the things from above rather than degrade ourselves by our pleasures in the music to the lust of the flesh. 

When our souls are like the Psalms, musical and harmonious, then the road to eternal life becomes most easy.

(01-17-04)