Well, here we are at the halfway point of Lent. We have all been working hard on our acts of penance and of charity. Hopefully we have been able to attend some of our parish prayers, such as Stations of the Cross, the Divine Mercy, or the Rosary, and had some wonderful soup suppers or fish fries too.
Since we have been working so hard, today it seems appropriate to give ourselves a break and have a little fun. Recently I participated in an online poetry workshop that was part of the Catholic Writers Guild online conference. It was great learning all different types of poetry formats and trying something new.
One of those forms was psalms. We hear those beautiful hymns as part of our daily lives. They are full of joy, sorrow, comfort, struggle, and victory. No matter what is happening in our lives, there is a psalm that reflects it. To pray the psalms is to explore what it means to be human.
This workshop taught me that the psalm is a living prayer. It is not something only found in the Bible, though those are the inspired psalms of the Canon. Psalms are something that we can pray too, and they can provide a way for us to form our own prayers if words fail us.
Why not create a psalm of your own as your own private prayer in whatever situation you find yourself? The act of creation can help you clarify your thoughts and feelings while you offer a prayer directly from your own heart.
To be fair, I’ll go first:
Oh Lord, who sits enthroned above
Look down from on high and see me.
Many troubles are upon me
From every side come those eager for me to fall.
You O Lord are my Savior, my refuge.
You will come down Your own Self to rescue me
You will restore me to life again
And vanquish the unjust who seek to bring shame upon your Name because of me.
The beauty of your creation surrounds me.
The warmth of the sun is your gentle embrace.
The songs of the sparrows cheer my heart
For You, O Lord, who sit enthroned above
Look down from on high and see me.
Copyright 2014, Carol Ann Chybowski
Carol Ann Chybowski
Carol Ann Chybowski is a long time member of the Catholic Writers Guild. She has published book reviews at various websites and appears in two volumes of A Community of Voices: An Anthology of Santa Barbara. When not busy about her parish, Carol Ann can be found knitting, gardening, or on horseback.
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