Psalm 118 (119 in Greek)   The longest of all the Psalms is Psalm 118, consisting of twenty-two stanzas of eight lines each. Every verse in each stanza begins with the same letter of the alphabet. There is a tradition that King David used this Psalm to teach his young son Solomon the alphabet - but not just the alphabet for writing letters: the alphabet of the spiritual life. The Psalm comprises an entire Kathisma (division of the Psalter) in Orthodox liturgical practice. In Orthodox monasteries it is read daily at the Midnight Office: “At midnight I arose to give [...]

Ποῦ πορευθῶ ἀπὸ τοῦ πνεύματός σου, καὶ ἀπὸ τοῦ προσώπου σου ποῦ φύγω;(Ψαλμ. ΡΛΗ (138):7) Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? (Ps 139:7) In Psalm 139, King David expresses the fact that there is nowhere he can go to escape the presence of the Lord. Whether in “heaven” or “hell” or the “uttermost parts of the sea”, God is always there. Although this shows us that God is omnipresent, there is a deeper message that can be taken from this verse. In all aspects of our lives, God is always looking over [...]

Θαυμαστὸς ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τοῖς Αγίοις Αὐτοῦ (Ψαλμ ΞΖ᾽ 36) God is Wonderful in His Saints (Ps. 68:36) This verse is used as the Prokeimenon, which precedes that Epistle reading on the feast days of our Saints. The Orthodox Church places a special emphasis on the Saints, teaching us that they are our brethren, who dwelling near us, are ever ready to help us by the Grace of God. St John of Kronstadt explains how we live with the Saints in the same house of our Heavenly Father. We live in the earthly, while they live in the heavenly half, [...]

St Athanasios' Letter to Marcellinos In the first part of the Letter to Marcellinos, St Athanasios shows how the book of Psalms summarises the whole of the Old Testament and foreshadows the New Testament. For the remainder of the letter, he demonstrates the rich variety of the Psalms and their applicability to our own spiritual life. St Athanasios writes: "It is possible for us, therefore, to find in the Psalter not only the reflection of our own soul's state, together with precept and example for all possible conditions, but also a fit form of words wherewith to please the Lord [...]

«Εὐλόγει, ἡ ψυχή μου, τὸν Κύριον, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἐντός μου τὸ ὄνομα τὸ ἅγιον αὐτοῦ» (Ψαλμ. ΡΒ᾽ [102]: 1) “Bless the Lord, O my soul, and all that is within me bless His holy name” (Ps 103:1) The Psalmist begins by expressing his strong desire to praise God. We discover the meaning of our existence only when our life becomes an act of worship, a gift of praise offered in gratitude and love towards God. Because the desire to bless the Lord is something deeply rooted and innate in our human nature, the Psalmist refers to the soul's inner [...]