The Wisdom of the Psalms: Learning to Remember

Psalmody—there is something wonderfully deliberate about the repetition woven into the structure of the Divine Office. Like descants rising above a familiar melody, the psalms return again and again to the same great truths, each time giving them a slightly different voice.

• God delivers us. 
• God is our refuge. 
• God sustains us when we are threatened. 
• God hears us when we cry out. 
• God will bring us home.

The message is repeated almost relentlessly. Why? Perhaps because, as surprising as it seems, we need to be reminded of what we already know.

We know that God is present. We know that God loves us. We know that we can turn to God in every difficulty. Yet how easily we become absorbed in the concerns of everyday life, how readily we forget the very presence on which our lives depend.

The psalms acknowledge this human frailty. They speak of fear, danger, loneliness, betrayal, weariness, and despair. They do not pretend that faithful people are spared life's troubles. Instead, they continually direct our attention beyond those troubles to the God who remains with us through them.

And therein lies much of their wisdom.

The psalms do not simply teach us what to believe. Through repetition, they help us remember how to live.

When we pray them day after day, their words gradually become our own. Their assurances become part of our understanding, their cries become our prayers, and their confidence becomes a source of our strength.

Perhaps this is one of Benedict's deepest insights into the importance of psalmody. We do not return to the psalms because God needs to hear the same words again and again. We return because we need to hear them.

We need to remember that prayer is not reserved for moments of crisis or designated hours of worship. God is our constant companion, waiting to be welcomed into the ordinary circumstances of our lives.

And so the ancient invitation returns: Remember God. Trust God. Call upon God. Invite God into this moment, and the next, and the next.

Perhaps the greatest wisdom of the psalms is not that they tell us something new about God, but that they teach us, patiently and persistently, never to forget what we already know.

God has not forgotten us!