Today we look at
the Responsorial Psalm, said or sung after the first reading at Mass.
Scripture for
meditation: Ephesians 5:18-19
Be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another (in)
psalms and hymns and spiritual songs ….
The Catechism of the Catholic Church teaches us: 2579
David is par excellence the king "after God's own heart," the
shepherd who prays for his people and prays in their name. His submission to
the will of God, his praise, and his repentance, will be a model for the prayer
of the people. His prayer, the prayer of God's Anointed, is a faithful
adherence to the divine promise and expresses a loving and joyful trust in God,
the only King and Lord. In the Psalms David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is
the first prophet of Jewish and Christian prayer. The prayer of Christ, the
true Messiah and Son of David, will reveal and fulfill the meaning of this
prayer.
I found the
following explanation on the internet and I think it is quite good: The
Psalms are prayers of Praise, Thanksgiving and Petition we inherited from the
service of the synagogue and we pray them [recited or sung] after the first
reading from Scripture in order to join prayer to instruction. The Psalm chosen
usually echoes or "responds" to the message contained in the
Scripture reading. Liturgical use of the Psalms dates from the time of Christ
and His Apostles. The gospels tell us Jesus and His Apostles recited chants of
praise (Psalms 113 through 118) during His last Passover meal, “Then, after singing a hymn,
they went out to the Mount of Olives.” Jesus also quoted His
dying words from
Psalm 22 “My
God, my God, why have you abandoned me?” The Book of Psalms
consists of 150 sacred poems expressing virtually the full range of Israel's
faith…. Mary and Joseph
would have taught the Psalms to Jesus and they were committed to
memory. Therefore,
even if they were unable to attend temple, they would be able to
worship the Lord by
singing the Psalms. The tradition of singing prayers of
thanksgiving to God can be traced
back to the prophets of Israel, e.g. the prophetess Miriam
(Exod. 15:20-21), Isaiah (Isa.26:1-6) and Ezekiel (Ezek. 33:32). Today when we
either recite or sing the responsorial Psalm, we do so following St. Paul's dictum
“give thanks always and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ to
God the Father” (Ephesians 5:20). http://icsalem.org/Mass_Topic_-_The_Psalms.pdf
My thoughts: The
events of this past weekend in Connecticut have left us all shaken and
confused. Our hearts are troubled and our spirits cannot rest. Sadness fills us
all, and we feel united in grief with the victims’ families. Where can we go to
put voice to our sadness and pleading for answers? Go to the Psalms. David
captures the essence of sadness, joy, despair and promise in the Psalms. We
hear them at Mass as pleadings, repentance, thankfulness and praise. We must
always pay attention to the Psalm at Mass. It is a beautiful prayer which goes
back and forth between the reader and the congregation, an antiphonal movement
with roots in our Jewish ancestors. It was a common form of prayer for them,
and one we retain in our Mass, to hear an exaltation and then to respond. In
this troubled time, listen to the Psalms at Mass, and read them on your own.
You will find a voice for your soul.
Letter from
Archbishop Lori,
Former Bishop of Bridgeport
Read at all Masses today (December 16) at St. Rose of Lima Parish
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Along with you, and along with the rest of our nation and, indeed, the rest of the world, I was shocked and horrified to learn of what had taken place in Newtown so suddenly and terribly on Friday morning. I was in Rome for meetings, and it was early evening there when I heard.
Former Bishop of Bridgeport
Read at all Masses today (December 16) at St. Rose of Lima Parish
Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,
Along with you, and along with the rest of our nation and, indeed, the rest of the world, I was shocked and horrified to learn of what had taken place in Newtown so suddenly and terribly on Friday morning. I was in Rome for meetings, and it was early evening there when I heard.
Since that
moment, my heart has been heavy, and I can't stop thinking about everyone in
Newtown, especially the victims, the children, and their families. So I just
wanted to say very sincerely and simply that I am close to all of you in my
thoughts and prayers right now.
Coming at this time of year, so close to Christmas, the tragedy is all the more difficult to bear. I can only say that, especially for the sake of the victims and their families, we cannot allow ourselves to lose hope, but indeed, now more than ever, must strengthen one another through our friendships in Christ, and our unity of faith in him and his resurrection.
I have been thinking very much of the words of Blessed John Paul II, who once said, "To receive Jesus Christ means believing that in the history of humanity, even though it is marked by evil and suffering, the final word belongs to life, and to love, because God came to dwell among us, so we might dwell in Him."
So in these days of Advent, let us not forget that, as we read in Saint John's Gospel, "The light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Our lives will never be the same. But neither will we have to face a single day without the strength and peace that only Christ can give to us. In that strength and in that peace I am very much united with you today.
Most Reverend William E. Lori
Archbishop of Baltimore http://www.bridgeportdiocese.com/index.php/fcc/article/letter_from_archbishop_lori
Coming at this time of year, so close to Christmas, the tragedy is all the more difficult to bear. I can only say that, especially for the sake of the victims and their families, we cannot allow ourselves to lose hope, but indeed, now more than ever, must strengthen one another through our friendships in Christ, and our unity of faith in him and his resurrection.
I have been thinking very much of the words of Blessed John Paul II, who once said, "To receive Jesus Christ means believing that in the history of humanity, even though it is marked by evil and suffering, the final word belongs to life, and to love, because God came to dwell among us, so we might dwell in Him."
So in these days of Advent, let us not forget that, as we read in Saint John's Gospel, "The light shines on in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it."
Our lives will never be the same. But neither will we have to face a single day without the strength and peace that only Christ can give to us. In that strength and in that peace I am very much united with you today.
Most Reverend William E. Lori
Archbishop of Baltimore http://www.bridgeportdiocese.com/index.php/fcc/article/letter_from_archbishop_lori
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