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Psalm 118 is one of the most frequently recited psalms in the Liturgy of the Hours, being sung on some Sundays either in its entirety at Morning Prayer or at Midday Prayer divided into three. Its association with Sunday, the Day of Resurrection, isn’t surprising, for it speaks throughout of triumph over all kinds of adversities, and of confidence in the salvation offered by God. The verses of the psalm are used in all kinds of liturgical occasions, and both Matthew and John have the crowds shouting, ‘Blessed be he who enters in the name of the Lord,’ (118:26) at Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Read more

Continuing our series on the Christological Psalms, we now turn to look at Psalm 15 (16) sometimes referred to as ‘The Resurrection Psalm’ and this seems the most appropriate aspect under which to consider this Psalm as we celebrate the Resurrection during this joyous Octave of Easter. Read more

Having considered some of the penitential themed psalms, we now begin a new theme in our series, namely, the Christological psalms. Read more

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If not necessarily their favourite, Psalm 130 - the De profundis - is certainly a psalm very familiar to the English Dominican Friars. In our priories each day we pray this psalm for all brothers and sisters of the English Province throughout the centuries who have died on a given particular day. It is also said each week during Compline—night prayer—on Wednesday nights. Read more

Psalm 38 is the prayer of one who has reached rock bottom. It is the lament of a supplicant who cries out to God for help in physical pain and mental anguish.  Read more

Psalm 102 is a psalm of a somewhat depressing nature. Do we know what this person who wrote the Psalm was experiencing? Loneliness, depression, gloom, wretchedness. G.K Chesterton wrote that “Pessimism is not in being tired of evil but in being tired of good. Despair does not lie in being weary of suffering, but in being weary of joy. It is when for some reason or other good things in a society no longer work that the society begins to decline; when its food does not feed, when its cures do not cure, when its blessings refuse to bless”.
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It is fitting that I start our reflection on the Psalms this year with Psalm 51. In Psalm 51, we find the passage that begins the Liturgy of the Hours, “Lord open my lips, and we shall praise your name” (Ps 51:15). It is a piece of text which is of importance to those who pray the Divine Office, as these words are supposed to be the first words you say at the start of the day. So, think of penitence with this Psalm!  Read more

The theme of Psalm 32, the second of the so-called penitential psalms, is something well known for everyone who has at least a simple vision of the Catholic faith. We could summarise the psalm as saying that God is good, we are bad, and God forgives us and frees us from our sins because He is good. Read more

The homilies we hear at Mass rarely touch on the psalms. I don’t think this is because there is not enough to say about them, but rather because there is too much. Once you become immersed in the poetry and rich imagery of the psalms, you would easily fill the time allocated for the homily . . . and then some. But perhaps this is not the only reason? Perhaps it’s because our thoughts on the psalms are as intensely personal as those of the psalmist and we feel we’d be over-sharing, or making the homily or reflection too much about us. Perhaps also it’s because the way a particular psalm affects us varies so much with our mood and relationship with God that it seems hard to say something general about the psalm without being reductionist or just doing exegesis. Read more