Psalm 6 is problematic to include here. It speaks of enemies, anger, and even ends with a request to put our foes to shame. It does sound like too much of the current political tweets and rhetoric.
Therefore, as I often do, I return to Nan C. Merrill. Even if we are not feeling sad and weary today, let us pray this psalm for those who are. We know no one is immune to these struggles.
O my Beloved, though I have turned from You,
continue to enfold me with your love;
Be gracious to me, Heart of my heart,
for I am sad and weary.
Surround me with your healing Light,
that my body, mind, and soul might heal,
How long must I wait, O Love?
I am tired of so many fears.
In Cynthia Bourgeault's wonderful book "Chanting the Psalms", I was greatly helped by her description of the "four senses of scripture". As we chant and pray these texts we can move from the 1) literal to 2)Christological then to 3)tropologicall. And if we do our practice for many years, we may get a glimpse of these texts in a unitive, non-dualistic sense. It has helped me with all the "troublesome" psalms. https://books.google.com/books?id=_HekgdQ1s4kC&q=tropological#v=snippet&q=tropological&f=false
ReplyDeleteI think tackling the difficult psalms is a very worthy endeavor when done in community. It does pose problems when posting only a short portion on social media. Thank you, Melinda!
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