the first of the month: a new start

for those of us who recite the psalter monthly, today began with a familiar verse:

"blessed is the man that hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners *
and hath not sat in the seat of the scornful."

it makes me wonder how often last month i "walked in the counsel of the ungodly." indeed the psalms can often seem troublesome, and it is probably the most troublesome ones which we should consider most carefully.

for several years i have had the privilege of meeting with a diverse group of christians each thursday to consider the next sunday's eucharistic lectionary readings. for next sunday we considered psalm 17:1-7, 15, which begins,


"hear the right, o lord, consider my complaint *
and hearken unto my prayer, that goeth not out of feigned lips."

one of the members was troubled by these words, saying that her lips are often feigned. if, however, really listen deeply to what this psalms is saying. then implied in these words is the hope that the holy one will ignore our feigned prayers and listen to the right, the true ones.

reciting the psalms is like learning a new language, the language of holiness. we say these words until they are ours, just as we might stumble through french tapes until french words really do express our thoughts. and each month, we get to start over, hopefully with improved pronunciation and comprehension, until there is formed in us the mind of christ, who speaks all these words truly.