Praying the Psalms
“In assuming human nature the Divine Word introduced into this earthly exile a hymn which is sung in heaven for all eternity. He unites Himself with the whole human race and with it sings this hymn of praise to God.”
“…the subjective fruit of this divine and universal prayer, the prayer of Christ in His Church, depends on how faithfully we make the sentiments of the Psalms our own.”
“When in prayer the voice repeats those hymns written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost . . . it is necessary that the interior sentiment of our soul should accompany the voice so as to make those sentiments our own in which we are elevated to heaven.”
“The Psalms are not abstract treatises on the divine nature. In them we learn to know God not by analyzing various concepts of His divinity, but by praising and loving Him. The Psalms being hymns of praise, they only reveal their full meaning to those who use them in order to praise God.”
~Eugenio Pacelli (1st & 3rd sections) & Thomas Merton (2nd & 4th sections)
“…the subjective fruit of this divine and universal prayer, the prayer of Christ in His Church, depends on how faithfully we make the sentiments of the Psalms our own.”
“When in prayer the voice repeats those hymns written under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost . . . it is necessary that the interior sentiment of our soul should accompany the voice so as to make those sentiments our own in which we are elevated to heaven.”
“The Psalms are not abstract treatises on the divine nature. In them we learn to know God not by analyzing various concepts of His divinity, but by praising and loving Him. The Psalms being hymns of praise, they only reveal their full meaning to those who use them in order to praise God.”
~Eugenio Pacelli (1st & 3rd sections) & Thomas Merton (2nd & 4th sections)
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