This is the conclusion to yesterday’s post [The Psalms (I)] in which we are considering St Basil the Great’s understanding of the importance of the Book of Psalms in our spiritual lives. Basil writes:
A psalm implies serenity of soul; it is the author of peace, which calms bewildering and seething thoughts. For, it softens the wrath of the soul, and what is unbridled it chastens. A psalm forms friendships, unites those separated, conciliates those at enmity. Who, indeed, can still consider as an enemy him with whom he has uttered the same prayer to God?
So that psalmody, bringing about choral singing, a bond, as it were, toward unity, and joining the people into a harmonious union of one choir, produces also the greatest of blessings, charity. A psalm is a city of refuge from the demons; a means of inducing help from the angels, a weapon in fears by night, a rest from toils by day, a safeguard for infants, an adornment for those at the height of their vigor, a consolation for the elders, a most fitting ornament for women. It peoples the solitudes; it rids the marketplace of excesses; it is the elementary exposition of beginners, the improvement of those advancing, the solid support of the perfect, the voice of the Church. It brightens the feast days; it creates a sorrow which is in accordance with God. For, a Psalm calls forth a tear even from a heart of stone. A Psalm is the work of angels, a heavenly institution, the spiritual incense. (EXEGETIC HOMILIES, pp 152-153)
St Basil offers high praise for what praying the Psalms can do for Christians. He does envision that by singing the Psalms together a bond of unity will be created in the parish. He believes reciting the Psalms has countless spiritual benefits.
A practical word of warning – it is not easy to pray the Psalms daily if one endeavors to pray through all of them on a regular basis. Many Psalms require explanation and interpretation; some go on and on about things that seem irrelevant to our lives today. For many, the best way to pray the Psalms may be to first read through all of them tagging the Psalms which particularly speak to them and then focusing on praying those chosen Psalms. Note that certain Psalms are particularly useful for specific circumstances – like repentance, thanksgiving, lamentation, hope, praise, or for times of confusion or sadness, or when you need God’s guidance. Pray the appropriate Psalm when the right occasion occurs. Eventually, as one gets used to their language and understanding how any Psalm can go through a change of “voice” (who is speaking or to whom the words are directed) within the Psalm, then one can add other Psalms to one’s routine and let the Psalms challenge you in your spiritual life and help you grow in the faith.
See also my posts A Discipline of Prayer and Psalm Reading and The Psalter in the Early Church
Fraternized 