Session 1
Opening Prayer - Psalm I
Blessed is the man, the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked. Blessed is the man who doesn't stand in the sinner s way or sit in the seat of the mockers. Blessed is the man, Blessed is the man, Blessed is the man, that man for his delight is in the Law of the LORD, Blessed is the man, that man who meditates on the Word both day and night. And he shall be like a tree that s planted by streams, which yields its fruit in a season; And whatever he does will prosper, all that he does succeeds; his leaf shall not wither. Not so the wicked! They will be like chaff that the wind will blow away. Therefore the wicked man in the judgment will not stand nor the sinners in the assembly of the righteous. For God watches over the way the way of Godly men, but the way of the wicked, their way will perish. Blessed is the man, the man for his delight is in the word of the Law.
[1] beatus vir qui non abiit in consilio impiorum et in via peccatorum non stetit et in cathedra pestilentiae non sedit [2] sed in lege Domini voluntas eius et in lege eius meditabitur die ac nocte [3] et erit tamquam lignum quod plantatum est secus decursus aquarum quod fructum suum dabit in tempore suo et folium eius non defluet et omnia quaecumque faciet prosperabuntur [4] non sic impii non sic; sed tamquam pulvis quem proicit ventus a facie terrae; [5] ideo non resurgent impii in iudicio neque peccatores in consilio iustorum [6] quoniam novit Dominus viam iustorum et iter impiorum peribit
Keys to unlocking the Psalms
Use the Psalm headings... Psalm 3: A psalm of David, when he fled from his son Absalom. Psalm 4: For the leader; with stringed instruments. A psalm of David. Psalm 1: An invitation to follow the Law of God.
Patterns and Themes in the Psalms Predicament to Praise... The fall of the House of David and the establishment of the Lord as King forever. Progression of the moral life - 5 steps to developing a life of virtue. Christological/Christocentric - Christ is the ultimate focus of the Psalms.
Patterns and Themes in the Psalms John Paul II: We could use various approaches to understanding the Psalms. The first would consist in presenting their literary structure, their authors, their formation, the contexts in which they were composed. It would also be fruitful to read them in a way that emphasizes their poetic character, which sometimes reaches the highest levels of lyrical insight and symbolic expression...
Patterns and Themes in the Psalms...It would be no less interesting to go over the Psalms and consider the various sentiments of the human heart expressed in them: joy, gratitude, thanksgiving, love, tenderness, enthusiasm, but also intense suffering, complaint, pleas for help and for justice, which sometimes lead to anger and imprecation. In the Psalms, the human being fully discovers himself. Our reading will aim above all at bringing out the religious meaning of the Psalms, showing how they can be used in the prayer of Christ's disciples, although they were written many centuries ago for Hebrew believers.
Patterns and Themes in the Psalms...The Fathers of the Church were able with deep spiritual penetration to discern and identify the great "key" to understanding the Psalms as Christ himself, in the fullness of his mystery. The Fathers were firmly convinced that the Psalms speak of Christ. The risen Jesus, in fact, applied the Psalms to himself. The Fathers add that in the Psalms Christ is spoken to or it is even Christ who speaks. In saying this, they were thinking not only of the individual person of Christ, but of the Christus totus, the total Christ, composed of Christ the Head and his members.
St. Augustine Whenever the Psalmist is a sinner, that is David speaking for his fellow penitents. Whenever the Psalmist is sinless, innocent, unjustly treated, or judging others, that is Jesus speaking of his suffering and triumphs. Christians should identify with David by their sins, or with Christ by his grace.
Patterns and Themes in the Psalms Predicament to Praise... The fall of the House of David and the establishment of the Lord as King forever. Progression of the moral life - 5 steps to developing a life of virtue. Christological/Christocentric - Christ is the ultimate focus of the Psalms.
Pay attention to the imagery used The imagery used in the Psalms will often reveal the intended meaning. Psalm 91 - He will cover you with his pinions...
Psalm 1
Psalm 1 Beatus Vir
1] Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; [2] but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. [3] He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. [4] The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away. [5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; [6] for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.
1] Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
[2] but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
? 1] Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
[3] He is like a tree planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
[4] The wicked are not so, but are like chaff which the wind drives away.
[5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous;
[6] for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. Notice how the Psalm doesn t just describe the way things are, but goes deeper and answers the question Why? The image of the blessed man and the wicked man completely contrast.
Imagery Imagery 1] Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; [2] but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. [3] He is like a tree Image planted by streams of water, that yields its fruit in its season, of stability and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers. Why? [4] The wicked are not so, No stability - No future but are like chaff which the wind drives away. Imagery Imagery [5] Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous; [6] for the LORD knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish.