~ Pondering the Psalms ~
~ seeking to being mindful when busyness seeks to make us its slave ~
The Book of Psalms, often referred to as the Psalter, are, as prayers of thanksgiving or lament or hymns of praise are impassioned, vivid, and concrete; they are rich in images, in simile and metaphor.
~ PSALM 1 ~
Happy is the one who has not walked in the counsel of the wicked, nor stood along
the path of sinners, nor sat in the company
of the insolent; rather, the teaching of
the LORD is their delight, and they
meditate on that teaching day and night.
the path of sinners, nor sat in the company
of the insolent; rather, the teaching of
the LORD is their delight, and they
meditate on that teaching day and night.
The Psalter, the Book of Psalms, is for the most part a book of prayers and praise. In it 'faith' speaks to God in prayer and praise. Some Psalms however, are clearly instructional, explicitly teaching the way of godliness.
At the core of the Book of Psalms is the deep-seated conviction that the gravitational center of life ( of right human understanding, trust, hope, service to humanity, morality, and adoration), but also of all human history and of the whole creation ( the heavens and the earth ) is God ( Yahweh ) who is the Great King overall, the One to whom all things are subject.
.
Almighty God has created all things and preserves them. All things are the robe of glory with which God has clothed Himself with. All of creation rightly gives praise to the Creator.
Almighty God has created all things and preserves them. All things are the robe of glory with which God has clothed Himself with. All of creation rightly gives praise to the Creator.
<><><><><><><><><>
A Meditation on Psalm 121
<>
<><><>
<>
<>
<>
~ SABBATH ~
Restoring the Sacred Rhythm of Rest
In the Buddhist community of Plum Village, Thich Nhat Hanh,
a Vietnamese monk, periodically rings a Mindfulness Bell.
Upon hearing the bell, everyone stops,
and takes three silent, mindful breaths.
Then they are free to continue their work, awakened
ever so slightly by the Sabbath pause of mindfulness.
We can choose anything to stop us like this--the telephone ringing, a stoplight when we are driving, whenever our
hand touches a doorknob, before we eat or drink.
Choose one common act during your day
to serve as a reminder to take a Sabbath pause.
Whenever this arises -- whenever you touch a doorknob or hear
the telephone--simply stop, take three silent, mindful breaths,
and then go through the door or answer the phone. See how it
changes you to take these tiny Sabbath moments every day.
~ Wayne Muller ~
<>
~ Psalm 16 ~
~ The Path of Life ~
AUGUSTINE & THE PSALMS
Rowan Williams ( Retired Archbishop of Canterbury )
Augustine famously describes the impact that the Psalms made in the early days
after his conversion: more than once, he uses the language of being "set on fire" by their words, and he describes how they prompted the expression of his
"most intimate sensations". Perhaps most strikingly, he can compare
the recitation of a familiar psalm with the history of a human life.
The psalm is a meaningful narrative structure, a history of the soul.
And souls only have a history in conversation with God, Augustine argues.<>
<><><>
<>
<>
<>