4. Putting it into practice
We can benefit from what Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote about the use of psalms: “In many churches, psalms are sung or read every Sunday or even every day. These churches have preserved an immeasurable wealth, for only through daily use will we penetrate this divine book of prayer. For the casual reader, his prayers are too powerful in his thoughts and strengths, so we are looking for more digestible foods again. However, whoever has begun to pray to the psalter with seriousness and regularity soon dispenses with their own superficial and pious prayers by saying, “They do not have the taste, strength, passion, and fire I encounter in the psalter. Are they too cold and stiff?” (Luther)?24 Therefore, we must include the Psalms in our daily prayers, allowing the Word of God to stimulate and guide our requests. And to help pray the Psalms daily in our daily meditation or prayer, we offer the following scenario: 25
- It may be useful to cite an essay on Daily Meditations written by Eberhard Bethge in 1935.
- Under Bonhoeffer’s supervision.
- For use at the Preachers’ Seminary (Predigerseminar) in Finkenwalde.
- It offers practical suggestions that apply to the use of Psalms in our daily prayer and meditation:.
We recommend biblical meditation to shape our prayers and, at the same time, discipline our thoughts. Finally, we prefer biblical meditation because it makes us aware of our communion with other [brothers] who meditate on the same text. The Word of Scripture should never stop ringing in our ears and [should continually work] on us throughout the day, like the words of someone you love. And just as you do not analyze the words of someone you love, but accept what they tell you, accept the Word of Scripture and meditate on it in your heart, as Mary did. That’s it. This is meditation. Don’t look for new thoughts and connections in the text, like you’re preparing a sermon. Don’t ask yourself “how do I convey this to someone” but rather “what do you have to say to me?” Meditate on the Word in your heart for a long time and let it rule and possess you. It is not important to consume the full text offered for each day. Often we wait a whole day to hear what you have to say. Put aside incomprehensible passages in silence and do not rush to philology. (?)
If your thoughts distract you, pray for the people and situations that affect you. This is the right place for intercession. In this case, do not pray in general terms, but pray objectively for what concerns you, let the Word of Scripture guide you. It can be helpful to calmly write down the names of the people we talk to and think about every day. Intercession takes time if it’s taken seriously. But be careful when setting a designated moment for intercession, so that it does not become an escape from the most important, the search for salvation from one’s soul.
We begin meditation with a prayer for the Holy Ghost. May he clear our hearts and prepare our minds for meditation and for all those who will meditate equally. At the end of meditation, we will be able to say a prayer of thanksgiving with a satisfied heart (?).
The time for meditation is in the morning, before you start the tasks. Half an hour is the minimum time required for meditation. Keep in mind that the prerequisite is extreme immobility and that the goal is not to be distracted by anything, however important.
An activity of the Christian community, unfortunately practiced very rarely, but very useful, is when sometimes two or more people are willing to meditate together, but do not participate in speculative theological discussions26.
Bethge attached this text to a circular letter sent by Finkenwalde to the pastors of the denominational church (Bekennende Kirche) on 22 May 1936. The test was quickly shared among the other pastors arrested by the Nazi government. Bethge then recounted Bonhoeffer’s request that students at Zingst’s preaching seminary devote half an hour each morning to a silent meditation on a biblical text that caused them great difficulties, but this time they did not know how to use it. Some fell asleep, others prepared sermons, others did not even know what to do, or complained that the time spent on meditation was too long. The purpose of these instructions was for seminarians to understand the importance of meditation and how it should be done. 27
Sandro Baggio, pastor-mentor of Project 242, has prepared a scenario to help his community practice reading prayer (divine lectio) 28 We suggest that this script be used during psalm meditation, as these prayers are inspired by the Spirit and incorporated into the prayers of God’s people:
Lectio divina is a method of prayer to read the Bible, it is about reading the Bible not so much to accumulate knowledge, but as a form of dialogue with God. Basically, lectio divina consists of statio (preparation), lectio (reading), meditatio (meditation), oratio (prayer), contemplatio (contemplation), discretio (discernment), comunicatio (communication) and actio (action). It takes practice to penetrate the richness that lectio divina can bring to your spiritual life. Meditate on these things and be diligent in them? [1 Tim 4. 15].
The practice of lectio divina requires you to take the time to be alone, in a quiet place, without distractions, select the text you want to read (preferably not too long).
The central elements of lectio divina are
Read: Carefully, with pleasure, and hungry, savor words as spiritual food. Read the text several times, paying close attention to the verses or words that catch your eye. Listen to what the text tells you.
Think about it: what does this text mean to you?
Pray: Praying is answering the call deep in your heart to speak to God. In addition to your words, this answer can also be written in a spiritual journal, with gestures (kneeling) and chants.
Live: You can read, think, and pray all day, but if you don’t practice God’s Word, it will be useless. You must put into practice what God has told you during this time of reading and reflection. Your life will, be the best testimony I can bear.
Meditation is suggested only in the two texts mentioned above, but do we strongly recommend that the prayer time for the Trinitarian God be done in community?When two or more brethren gather to seek Christ in prayer together by reading the Psalms. Is it not natural for the Christian to be alone? Ep 4. 12)?And it is in a community where the Christian will not only learn to pray, but will remain in prayer: “Always rejoice. Pray all the time?” (1Q 5. 16-17) . 29
Let us continue with Bonhoffer: “If we no longer pray psalms in our churches, then we must include them more diligently in our morning and evening meditations. We must read several Psalms daily, preferably together, in order to read this book several times a year, deepening it. We must not arbitrarily choose certain psalms. In doing so, we dishonor the book of prayers in the Bible, believing that we know better than God Himself why we should pray. In the old church, wasn’t it weird meeting all of David?by heart. In eastern churches, it was a condition for ecclesiastical exercise. Jerome, one of the fathers of the church, says that in his time the psalm was heard in the fields and in the courtyards. The Psalter marked the life of young Christianity. More important than that, however, is that Jesus Christ died on the cross with the word of the Psalms on his lips. By forgetting the Psalter, Christianity loses an incomparable treasure. After you pick him up, will you be presented with never-before-imagined forces?. 30 Let us therefore return to the beauty, richness, depth, and breadth of the Psalms as a guide to prayer.
During its long journey, the church has used the Psalms to guide prayer and devotion. So why don’t so many people dedicate themselves to prayer? Because, as Peterson points out, the well is deep and we have nothing to collect the water. “We need a vase to put the water in. (?) The Psalms are that container. It is not the prayer itself, but the most suitable container for prayer (?) Ever created. To refuse to use this container of the Psalms, having understood its function, is to err on purpose. Is it not possible to make a vase in another way to replace it? Certainly there have been several attempts to replace the Psalms as our prayer guide. But why settle for so little, when we have this magnificent vase at our disposal? So let’s use the Psalms as a covenant prayer book. The words of Martin Luther are appropriate as a conclusion: “Our beloved Lord, who taught us to pray the Psalter and the Our Father and presented them to us, also grants us the Spirit of prayer and grace, so that we pray without ceasing, willingly. and seriousness of faith. We need it. He ordered it and that’s why he asks us. To him be praise, honor and gratitude. Amen?.
24 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Praying with Psalms, p. 23. 25 “Liturgical Psalms”, in a common prayer book: abbreviated and updated with liturgical psalms (Porto Alegre: Igreja Episcopal do Brasil, 1999), p. 215-406. 26 “Instructions for Daily Meditation” in Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Meditating on Speech (Lanham, MD: Rowman and Littlefield, 2000), p. 21-32. 27cf. Eberhard Bethge, Dietrich Bonhoeffer: A Biography (Minneapolis: Augsburg Fortress, 2000), p. 462-465. 28cf. Eugene Peterson, Wonderful Bible (Sao Paulo: World Christ, 2008), p. 17-27, 97-133. 29 For a development of the importance of the Christian community, see in particular Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life in Communion (Sao Leopold: Synodal , 1997) . 30 Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Praying with Psalms, p. 23-24.
By Franklin Ferreira. Copyright ©. All rights reserved for Edies Vida Nova.