All encounters are a meeting of two paths, two journeys or two intimacies.
The Psalms, therefore, are the flower and the fruit of a long romance, ongoing between God and man, a romance in which its first whisperings were lost in the dawn of the People of God.
Man seeks God, and never stops searching for Him. God sealed in man’s depths, an image of His own self, His own fingerprint, His own imprint. This imprint is like a powerful gravitational force, an irresistible attraction that draws man back to His Creator, His Original Source.
God also seeks man, because God also feels an attraction for man, already in the depth of human waters, God sees a reflection of His own image. It is a living encounter, better described as, a life encounter, and a life shared by two.
It is of utmost importance, therefore, to have a plan to help guide us on our inner journey through the Psalms; to help us navigate their seas, to explore the richness of their depths, to fill our eyes with their light, to draw life from them, and then to surface with our hands full of their riches and novelties
The psalmists lived in different historical periods of Israel. Each Psalm was generated and influenced by concrete historical circumstances each psalmist lived at that time.
Suddenly, we see the psalmist go up to the temple to cry over his illnesses. At other times, the psalmist is accused unjustly. We also see the emigrants, the exiles…
However not everything in life is misfortune. The psalmist also goes up (to the Temple) with hoorays and bouquets of praises. Whether remembering the glorious feats that the Lord has done on behalf of His people, or for having received, at a personal level the Lord’s blessing in the area of health, of prestige and prosperity, etc
Psalms encompass the general struggles of life with its wounds and triumphs. It is in the “temple” of the divine presence that the wounds of the warrior are healed, where he receives divine consolation and the vital inspiration to return healed and strengthened to face life and to work to free people from all their oppressions. Each Psalm was generated and influenced by concrete historical circumstances each psalmist lived at that time.
A psalm, prayed with an empty heart, is an empty psalm, regardless of how many additives and spices you add to it. A psalm, resounding in a heart full of God, remains engulfed within the divine presence and the more this heart is filled with divine favor, the more each one of its words is going to be filled with God.
Extracted from the book “Salms for life” by Fr. Ignacio Larrañaga
