Praying the Psalms

Guest Writer: Susan Cushman: Praying the Psalms

Praying in Lent and after the death of a loved one and in our older age

“And lifted high as that of a unicorn shall be my horn, and mine old age shall be strengthened with rich oil.” Psalm 91:9.

Reading the Psalter in Community: Wonderful Lenten Practice!

Susan’s Icon Corner

What is the Psalter?

The Psalter is the book Psalms divided into 20 sections called kathisma (singular) or kathismata (plural). My copy is  The Psalter According to the Seventy, published by Holy Transfiguration (Orthodox) Monastery in 1997. (*Note: It costs $60 on Amazon and only $22 at St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press.) I purchased my copy in 1998 when my father and Goddaughter died within a few months of each other. I wanted to observe the Orthodox Christian practice of reading the Psalter daily for 40 days when someone dies. Since then, I’ve added 28 names to the back of the book, with the date of each person’s death. I have kept photographs and funeral programs from many of these beloved departed, and this morning, they all fell out of the Psalter when I lifted it to read.

How is the Psalter used during Great Lent?

During Holy Week, a vigil is held on Holy Friday and Saturday, and parishioners sign up to read the Psalter after the service on Friday night, and again after the Holy Saturday morning service until the Pascha (Easter) service starts late that night. 

Psalter Groups

My parish, St. John Orthodox in Memphis, has Psalter Groups during Lent—a practice started in recent years. Here’s how it works:

During Lent, individual members of each group of 20 will read one kathisma per day, resulting in the Psalter being read in its entirety each day by the group. By the end of Lent, each individual will have read through the entire Psalter twice.

Additionally, each group member commits to praying daily for the other members of their group. Everyone will read and pray at home (or the place of their choosing) at a convenient time for the day. Although we are not in the same physical location, we will be together in prayer. 

Strength and Happiness in Old Age

This morning, when I went to our icon corner to do my morning prayers and Psalter reading, I was incredibly blessed by this verse, Psalm 91:9:

“And lifted high as that of a unicorn shall be my horn, and mine old age shall be strengthened with rich oil.”

Today is my 69th birthday. I am now one year older than my father when he died in 1998 and eleven years older than my brother when he died at age 58 in 2007. Both of them seemed so young to me when they died . . . and now, at 69, I admit I am beginning to feel old. But I’m also feeling blessed in so many ways. And although I don’t count myself as “righteous,” I do hope to be included in the Psalmist’s promises in verses 11-13:

“The righteous man shall flourish like a palm tree, and like a cedar of Lebanon shall he be multiplied. They that are planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of our God, they shall blossom forth. They shall still increase in a ripe old age, and happy shall they be to proclaim that upright is the Lord our God, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.”

So today, as I turn 69, I’m thankful to have almost completely recovered from the shingles, to enjoy this beautiful day in Memphis, and to head out to dinner with my husband of nearly 50 years. Strength and happiness in old age. 

The post Reading the Psalter in Community: Wonderful Lenten Practice! Appeared first on Author Susan Cushman. Posted: 08 Mar 2020 02:29 PM PDT  susancushman.com

Joanna. https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Wisdom from the Harp

Wisdom from the Harp

“For the elements changed places with one another,

as on a harp, the notes vary the nature of the rhythm,

while each note remains the same.”—Wisdom 19:18.

A friend recently reminded me of this scripture verse in morning prayer. I read the first part of the Wisdom reading that morning, but missed this last part. I hope I won’t miss it next time, for this ancient verse describes music well, especially the harp. I began a journey with this classical instrument over thirty years ago, when my daughter begged to get a harp for a year.

The strings are the piano’s white keys, so it is easy if you understand the piano. Next, you lean the harp against your body so you can hear the vibrations and feel the music within you.

The harp has taught me so many lessons about life, other than the discipline of trying to master a technique for following and plucking strings.

When one string breaks, it is challenging to continue playing. Part of playing is knowing the relationships of each string to the other. Now there is a gap, large or small, which changes the entire road map. I must take the time to replace the string as soon as possible.

Then, it takes days or weeks for that new string to stretch and be in tune. Then, finally, it must be “mentored,” so to speak.

Almost every atmospheric condition changes the harp strings. Constant tuning is mandatory. My husband loves the old joke about harpists. “We spend half our time tuning and the other half playing out of tune!”

On this musical journey, the harp has become an icon for living and working in community.

Its constant need for tuning reminds me how much I must try to stay current, learning, and staying in relationship with what is happening in the world around me.

If I don’t, I become “out of tune,” either too sharp or too flat.  

I would love to hear from others about life lessons they have learned from a musical instrument.

Joanna https://www.joannaseibert.com/

Remembering Mentors in Lent

Remembering Mentors this Lent

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.”–Hebrews 12:1.

Today, I honor a Mentor who died in May 2020 from coronavirus, an early victim of the virus. I still remember how moved we were to hear of the death of the Rev. William Barnwell, a priest in New Orleans. I treasure every minute I spent with him at the National Cathedral at the College of Preachers and through the adult education program, Disciples of Christ in Community, DOCC. He taught me, especially about literature and the Bible, preaching and standing up fiercely for those society has forgotten or never cared for.

 The New Orleans Times-Picayune calls William “the crusading minister of New Orleans.” I knew him most as the soft-spoken man with a rich New Orleans accent. Through his courses about the Bible and accompanying rich stories from modern literature, he led us to a greater understanding of the Bible through the lens of contemporary writers.

 I treasure the books he wrote that Henry Hudson gave me when Henry left New Orleans. Lead Me On, Let Me Stand, A Clergyman’s Story in White and Black. William also wrote Called to Heal and Brokenhearted, Stories from Kairos Prison Ministry International. Just the titles of these two books hint at his passionate ministry. It was indeed a God thing that a friend, Michael Hackett, invited William to dinner with us in January 2020 in New Orleans after a conference at nearby Solomon Conference Center. I will continually cherish the opportunity to have that last meal with him.

William served in the Coast Guard, but was most known as a community organizer against racism and injustice.

Lent can be a time to remember the lives of those who died from this virus, and thank them for what they brought to our lives. I will especially say prayers for William Barnwell, who almost died so many times as he fought to save and change the lives of others with his words from the pulpit, with his words through the Bible and contemporary literature, and with his words on our southern streets and in our southern prisons.

Give thanks for those who have mentored you. Continue their life by sharing with others what you learned from them. Call or write and thank them during this Lenten season.
Joanna https://www.joannaseibert.com/