The Power of the Psalms: Connecting Generations Through Prayer

The Power of the Psalms: Connecting Generations Through Prayer

Every day at Mass, after the first reading, we respond to a psalm. It may seem like something we just do out of habit. But let's take a moment to think about it.

Jesus and the Psalms:

Jesus recited these psalms on the Sabbath. His last words were from a psalm: "Father, into your hands, I commend my spirit" (Luke 23:46). He knew He would rise again, but generations before Him did not have that assurance. Yet, they continued singing: "The souls of the just are in the hands of the Lord" (Wisdom 3:1). They clung to what had been revealed to them through the centuries: "The God of gods, the Lord, has spoken and summoned the earth" (Psalm 50:1).

Psalms in Good and Bad Times:

They sang these psalms in times of triumph: "Cry out with joy, all the earth" (Psalm 66:1), as they celebrated victories over invading armies. They also sang during times of despair, when the Assyrians scattered them to foreign lands. The people pleaded: "Save us, Lord our God, and gather us from among the nations" (Psalm 106:47).

Faith Through Generations:

As they composed these psalms, they didn't expect life after death. They knew "the Lord’s faithful love endures forever" (Psalm 136:1), but didn't fully understand what that meant for them. Despite the darkness of death, they believed in Him, generation after generation.

Clinging to God in Adversity:

They were driven out of the Promised Land, suffering famine and drought, yet they continued to believe in the One True God. Some remained in the Holy Land, while many were scattered into the diaspora. They kept the faith.

Legacy of the Old Testament:

They collected the stories of good men and women and wrote them down, page after page—the "Old Testament." Alongside these stories, they wrote the poems they sang—the psalms we recite today.

Our Response at Mass:

So, at Mass, when you respond with something like, "The glory of the Lord endures forever" (Psalm 104:31), remember that it might have been sung a thousand years ago by someone whose grain crop had failed, yet they sang. Or by a maid whose spouse was killed in an invasion, and yet, she sang.

And Jesus answered the psalms. So we do, too.

Fr. Joe Tetlow, S.J.