The
Ps 6 belong to
Book I of the
Book of PS composed of a collection of texts 150 arranged by 5 poetry books. 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 6 is divided into 11 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 any 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 6 - Supplication of a Righteous One in Distress
1 To the director, for eight-string instruments. Psalm of David .
2 Lord, rebuke me not in your wrath,
neither chasten me in your wrath.
3 Have mercy on me, O Lord, I am faint;
heal me, Lord, that my bones tremble.
4 My soul is very troubled.
And You, Lord, until when?
5 Come back, Lord, set my soul free;
save me by your faithfulness.
6 For in death there is no memory of you.
In the underworld, who will render you praise?
7 I am tired of my suffering.
Every night I fill my bed with tears,
flooding my bed.
8 My eyes are consumed with sorrow;
they grew old in the face of so many enemies.
9 Depart from me, you who work iniquity,
for the Lord has heard the voice of my lament.
10 The Lord has heard my supplication;
the Lord accepted my prayer.
11 Let my enemies be ashamed and filled with terror;
let them back off, suddenly ashamed.
Meaning and interpretation
The
Psalm 6 associates the theme of
individual petition to the content and the spirit of a penitential psalm. The reason for this double aspect is to express the
awareness of his own faults and the
lament for the threats that so many enemies provoke him. The certainty that the Lord has heard prayer is a confident way to respond to enemies.
The final exclamation of
liberation and
relief expresses the overcoming of two types of setbacks, self-blame and enemies. This is the first in the series of
penitential psalms : 32; 38; 51; 102; 130; 143.
The Catholic Church has sought, through these Psalms, inculcate in the faithful the true spirit of
repentance of sins, and thereby make everyone
penitence of their faults.
In the
Penitential Psalms we find
wisdom ,
praise and
forgiveness . Like the rest of the Psalms, they were written in a poetic way with the intention of praising and revering God, showing man how He acted and acted throughout all times.
The Penitential Psalms (6; 32; 38; 51; 102; 103; 143) are a
request for forgiveness . They have a character of
repentance ,
contrition and
sacrifice , in which the rigor of
Divine Justice is clearly presented to the sinner who is hardened in his faults.
The speaker / Psalmist, who repents of wrongdoing, begs God
indulgence in your faults. From this attitude of
contrition , another
plea is born : that
God may appease His holy wrath and
ease the punishment for His Infinite Divine Kindness.
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.
