The
PS 22 belong to
Book I of the
Book of PS composed of a collection of texts 150 poetry books organized by five. The Book of Psalms, for its
wisdom and
basic principles of human
action , is considered the heart of the Old Testament. Book I encompasses Psalms 1 to 41 . The
PS 22 is divided into 32 verses.
The Psalms are
poems-prayers addressed to God, being the privileged way to address and speak to Him. These prayers represent
human experiences and
religious conscience . They portray the
common man , with his faults, insecurities, fears and hopes and, even today, we can identify with the Psalmist and draw inspiration from these texts to
pray and
plead with God when we feel
lost and
anguished or to express our
gratitude for some blessing received.
"There are enemies or friends, there is life or death, health or illness, pain or joy and, most of the time, there are no changes or gradations. Words are like stones and poetry like boulders carved by chisel"; "The Psalms are a bit like mountain paths, simple, especially when walking on snow, but they lead to the peaks; they are paths toward the peaks of meeting the Lord." - Carlo Maria Martini, Cardinal of Milan
Psalm 22 - The Passion of the Righteous
1 To the director. By the melody ჴ€?The dawn doeჴ€?. Psalm of David.
2 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?
The words of my regret are far from my salvation!
3 My God, I cry by day and you do not answer;
at night, and I have no rest.
4 But You are the Holy One and sit on the throne
amidst the praises of Israel.
5 In you our fathers trusted;
they trusted and You set them free.
6 To you they cried, and You delivered them;
they trusted you and were not disappointed.
7 But I am a worm and not a man,
ashamed of humans and contempt of the common people.
8 All who see me mock me,
open their mouths and shake their heads.
9 "He turned to the Lord, He that delivers him;
He that delivers him, if He loves him so much."
10 Indeed, You took
me from my mother's womb and entrusted me to my mother's breasts.
11 From birth I was placed in your care,
from my mother's womb You are my God.
12 Do not depart from me, for affliction is near
and there is no one to help me.
13 I am surrounded by fierce bulls,
the strongest in Basan have cornered me.
14 They open their mouths wide against me,
like a lion that breaks and roars.
15 I was poured out like water;
and all my bones fell apart.
My heart is like wax,
melting in the middle of my insides.
16 Like a tile, my throat is dry,
and my tongue is glued to the roof of my mouth;
death reduced me to dust.
17 I am surrounded by packs of dogs,
a band of evildoers surround me.
They pierced my hands and my feet;
18 you can count all my bones.
They watch and look at me.
19 They divide my clothes among themselves
and draw my tunic by lot.
20 But You, Lord, don't stay far away!
You are my strength. Come quickly to my rescue.
21 Deliver my soul from the sword
and the claws of dogs, my only life.
22 Save me from the mouth of the lion
and the horns of the buffalo. Answer me!
23 I want to announce your name to my brothers;
in the midst of the assembly I will praise you.
24 You who fear the Lord, praise him!
Glorify him, all ye descendants of Jacob.
Revere him, all of you, descendants of Israel.
25 For he showed neither contempt nor repugnance
to the poor wretch.
She did not turn her face away from him,
but listened to him when he asked for help.
26 By thee will I multiply my praise in the great assembly;
I will fulfill my vows in the presence of those who fear him.
27 The poor will eat and be satisfied;
and those who seek him will praise the Lord.
"Long live your heart forever!"
28 They will remember and will return to the Lord in
all the ends of the earth.
And
all the families of peoples will fall down before him.
29 For to the Lord belongs royalty;
it is He who rules the nations.
30 And before Him shall all the great ones of the earth bow down;
before him all will bow down to the dust.
And if these no longer live,
31 the descendants will serve him.
And so the Lord will be spoken of to the generation to come.
32 And they will proclaim their righteousness
to a people who are to be born,
saying, "It was he who did it."
Meaning and interpretation
The
Psalm 22 is a
single prayer of supplication . The state of suffering is described in detail, making this Psalm the ultimate expression of a profound
religious experience of suffering .
The first words of prayer are placed on Jesus' mouth in
the Gospel account of the Passion (Mt 27:46; Mk 15:34). Other passages of the same appear in other passages of the
narration of the passion of Jesus (Mt 27,35.43.46). For specialists, this shows that the authors of the New Testament used this Psalm to define Christology, that is, the
messianic function of Christ .
Christianity made this Psalm an intensely messianic text, valuing the idea of
suffering in a way that was not so evident before.
The
Psalms of Supplication are very present in the Book of Psalms. They speak of human frailty and the most basic feelings of your mortal condition. Times of peace and plenty
contrast with war and individual or community destruction. The Psalmist pleads for
God's help and asks him to
end his situation of affliction , ending with the
certainty of having been heard .
In spiritual practice, the supplication and request to God reflects a lot the meaning of
prayer, being the privileged way to establish contact and
raise the voice to the Divine. In numerous Psalms, supplication seems to be the most immediate motivation and the greatest concern. When turning to God, the speaker / Psalmist finds tenderness, justice, compassion, reconciliation, purification, in short, peace itself.
The
narratives and
feelings involved in these prayers are varied and basic; affect Humanity over the millennia, and are still current today. They reflect
multiple interior , individual and collective experiences, and the relationship between people and peoples. They address topics such as the deadly threat of disease, persecution, aging, violence, war, betrayal, loneliness, enemy aggression and how these feelings alter
consciousness we have of ourselves, of our relationship with others and with God.
Situations that prompt supplication can be
bitter and
desperate , but the Psalms generally express a
state of mind of trust and end in
thanksgiving . The Psalmist cries out to God for his help and forgiveness in a profound expression of limitless
trust in divine compassion and justice. Even the cry of the Psalmist is already a fighting speech, change will, of inner transformation, confidence and hope for a
free future evil, the
suffering and the
wicked .
The
Psalms of Supplication they are classified as individual supplication and collective supplication. Those of
Individual Supplication comprise Psalm 3; 5-7; 13; 17; 22; 26; 27; 28; 31; 35; 39; 42-43; 51; 54-57; 59; 61; 63; 64; 69-71; 88; 102; 109; 120; 130; 140-143. and those of
Collective Supplication Ps 12; 44; 58; 60; 74; 80; 83; 85; 90; 94; 108; 123; 127.
The Book of Psalms
The Joy and Happiness of the Righteous in Communion with God
The Psalms are
prayer-poems addressed to God, being the privileged way to address and speak with Him. Depicting the
common man , with his failures, insecurities, fears and hopes, we can still identify with the Psalmist and be inspired today in Psalms to make
prayers and
supplications to God in times of trouble or express our
gratitude for some blessing received.
The Psalms, despite being written in Antiquity, still
move ,
sensitize ,
awaken feelings ,
inspire and
enchant . In them, we can identify
anguish and
joy , deeply human feelings, praises, supplications, teachings of reflection on spiritual wisdom and prophetic words.
Written for
different situations , some Psalms are intimate, revealing the author's personal relationship with God; others provide guidelines and advice for life, others are compositions for specific liturgical events such as rituals and pilgrimages.
The
Book of Psalms is composed of a collection of 150 poetic texts and is divided into five parts, called Psalm Books or Booklets. Each Book closes with short
hymns of praise to God . The division into five parts was considered to correspond to the five books of Moses and it is assumed that each passage in the Pentateuch (first five books of the Bible, called Torah by the Jews) was read in parallel with the corresponding Psalm. Its main forms are
lamentation ,
supplication ,
praise and
gratitude .
The Power of Prayer in Dialogue with the Divine
The Psalms elevate our thoughts to the Divine and
prayer is the
power of the word . Prayer is the language of faith. Any thought, word or image addressed to God is called
prayer . It is through it that we come into contact with our
God within and, therefore, it is so powerful in
transforming life . Prayer can produce
miracles , turn dreams into reality, give us hope for
change ,
harmony and
peace with ourselves and the world.
Each Psalm has an
intention that helps us
meditate and
walk with our God . For many theologians, the Book of Psalms has a prophetic or messianic tone as its verses refer to the coming of Christ into the world of men to guide them through the uncertainty and doubts of Human existence.
The
prayer has the power to call the
Spiritual Universe full mode, honest, sincere, conscious, for the purpose of spiritual self-protection, family protection and those who are dear to us, to have peace of mind, spiritual and physical, for prosperity and success, to protect health and relationships, to ward off negative energies and, above all, to connect us to something bigger than ourselves. From this
peace , well-being, hope and goodness in front of everyone and everything result.
The
faith can change our lives. It gives us
tranquility and
spiritual strength to face challenges. It helps us to
meditate on our mission in life and to create a
balanced and healthy environment for ourselves and those we love. When you pray, fill your heart with
love and
determination . The Psalms will guide you on a path of
peace and
communion with the higher energy .
