Parable and Conscience Meditation November 3

Liturgy  November 3 

Chant only what is prescribed for chant; moreover, let nothing be chanted unless it is so prescribed (Rule of St. Augustine, 13).

What is prescribed for chanting in the prayer of religious is, for the most part, the psalms.  The psalms are the preferred liturgical prayer for Christians.  These 150 hymns reveal the attributes of God, the human condition and the action of God to save it.  They can be found on the lips of individuals or the community.  Despite certain historical and cultural elements that can disturb the spiritual sensibilities of one epoch or another, the psalms continue to nourish the prayer of the Church.  Jesus used them.  His Body follows its Head.  The psalms are particularly appropriate for people who live at the edge of life, who are sensitive to pain, to primitive passions and to the joys that are the basis of human existence.  There are psalms that praise God:  “Praise the Eternal One!” (148).  Others pray to God with confidence in personal and community situations that threaten peace or security:  “Out of the depths I cry to you” (130).  Some psalms express the messianic hope of the people:  “For the king trusts in the LORD, stands firm through the mercy of the Most High.” (21).  Other psalms teach wisdom, the history of salvation, the true worship of God:  “My people, listen to my teachings!” (78).

Sorcery cannot remove the chalk with which the Spirit of God marks you.  (Ekonda)