I was was checking in on an Anglican on my blog roll Bryan Sherwood. He does the Divine Office. It is the Anglican version so the prayers and order of the Psalms are a tad different. Even though they often share many of the same Saint Feast Days as we do. He had this post called For I Am Full of Trouble. By the way as you can see at the post he has a prayer intention for his Dad.
He hits on Psalm 88. I agree not a very happy prayer. But like him it gives me comfort. Catholics that pray the Hours say that prayer on Fridays nights as a part of that hour. Right before you go to bed!! I know sweet dreams huh.
But like him it gives me comfort. It helps my faith. I like to know that God thinks and encourages us to pray like that. I think that even the best of us have doubts. I mean real doubts at times -Like Does God Even Exist doubts. I go through that. Something it just hits me and I go what is the purpose of "fill in the blank" if there is a God. Prayers like this help me.
It has crossed my mind when I have prayed this psalm at night if people in severe stages of alzheimers ,in that corner of their mind that is there , if perhaps they have similar prayers to God.
John Paul the II started in 2001 a commentary on all the Psalms and Canticles in the Liturgy of the Hours as to morning and evening prayer. He was unable to finish that. Pope Benedict picked that up. This commentaries occur at his public audiences. Those are wonderful meditation tools and Pope Benedict finished this up in 2006. However I think Pope Benedict thought wisely it was time to move on and went to another topic. I think there must be a site somewhere that has complied all this in one place. That will be project tomorrow to find that. However the psalms for the the daytime hours and night were not included in this audiences. So I am not sure what their thoughts are on Psalm 88.
In case your interested this is another great set of mega links on the LIturgy of the Hours located at Scott Hahn's place.
Thanks James for your post. Good stuff. I too have prayed using the Liturgy of the Hours. I use the Book of Common Prayer and the Liturgy of the Hours as my two prayer books that I tend to alternate between. I'll pray for a season using the BCP and then a season or two using the LOTH. I find both prayer books to be beautiful.
ReplyDeleteThanks in advance for prayers for my dad.
Peace to you.
I pray morning and evening prayer at the moment with the help of the GIA CD 'My Morning Prayer' and 'My Evening Prayer' I listen, sing and prayer with it in my car on the way to and from work every day. It is very good.
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