“The Psalms speak of me,” the risen Christ told his friends.*
Ancient Christian tradition holds that Jesus prays in the Psalms. In mortal life, he chanted them in worship and no doubt in those private moments. Now he prays with us in the Holy Spirit.
Here is a good one to start with:
Oh Lord I am not proud,
I have no haughty looks.
I do not concern myself with complications
Or things that are too hard.
But I still my soul and make it quiet.
Like a weaned child on her mother’s lap
My soul is quiet within me.
Oh Israel, wait for the Lord
From now on and forever. [Ps 131]
It is a good psalm for a quiet moment “sitting on God’s lap.”
The Prayer Book translation implies a baby at the breast, but I like the image of the weaned one (for reasons even apart from accuracy). This weaned child has rested from his toddling around. She knows she is with her mother. He trusts. She is not always pulling at the mother's shirt. He knows how to wait.
A Russian icon that I have on my desk, shows the toddler Jesus sitting with you (the viewer) and his Holy Mother, holding his little scroll and pointing his little index finger as he "fully opens"** our minds to these Scriptures.
Just wait.
* [Lk 24:44].
**[Lk 24:45, from Greek dia-noi-go (diagnosis?)].
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1 comment:
Oh, how so lovely "Pru"
And today I read this from another blog
Thought for the Day
At the end of a meeting with my confessor, he took me through an exercise that I found most helpful, we recited, slowly, in call-and-response, and with one alteration, Psalm 131:
O LORD, I am not proud;
I have no haughty looks.
I do not occupy myself with great matters,
or with thoughts that are too hard for me.
But I still my soul and make it quiet,
like a child upon its mother's breast;
my soul is quieted within me.
O Israel, wait upon the LORD,
from this time forth for evermore
Each repetition was slower than the last; by the third, I was feeling muscles unclench that I had not even known I was clenching. As someone who tends to overthink, and to worry (I know, Mtt. 6:24-35!), this exercise was tremendously helpful to me, and soothing.
love
jmp
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