Psalms 131-135 from my new book:

A NEW LOOK AT THE OLD PSALMS

Praying the Psalms: a modern interpretation

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I present here a new perspective on the psalms. I have rewritten them from a New 
Testament Christ-centered point of view. I did not try to capture the poetry of the 
psalms – I leave that to more gifted writers – but I attempted to capture their message
with a more modern interpretation.

God bless,

John

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Psalm 131

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ord, accepting one’s limitations is sometimes a hard lesson to learn. I was a man with high ambition bent on accomplishing great things. I did not ask for your help because I thought I could be successful without you. How wrong I was. I was blinded by my own pride that took me from one failure to another. Life has truly beaten me down, and you see before you a humble man. Forgive me, Lord, for not trusting you more. I now place myself in your hands like a young child totally dependent on its mother. May all God’s children learn to trust in the Lord now and forever. Amen.

Psalm 132

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emember, Lord, David’s humility and the oath he swore that he would not rest until the Ark of the Covenant had a permanent home in Jerusalem. Today we worship you in the Tabernacle on the altar. The priest offers the body and blood of Christ to you in the sacrifice of the Mass. He leads the congregation in adoration and praise of the Holy Trinity – Father, Son and Holy Spirit – whose blessings he draws down from heaven on the faithful who rejoice in God’s presence.

Lord, for the sake of David, your servant, you remember the vow you made to him. You swore that you would place one of his descendants, the Messiah, on his throne if they would honor the commandments you gave them. Christ brought the fullness of redemption to all your people.

Christ’s Church is now the permanent resting place for God, and he will remain with his Church until the end of the ages. He will bless his people by providing for their spiritual and physical needs. Through the intercession of his priests, the faithful will receive God’s blessings: their daily bread for nourishment and the bread of life in Holy Communion to sustain them on their spiritual journey. And the righteous will praise the Lord for their salvation.

The Lord strengthened the descendants of David until Christ appeared. Jesus is the light of the world, the Anointed One who will defeat God’s enemies. He rules heaven and earth with full authority from God.

Psalm 133

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ord, how good and pleasant it is when the faithful gather together in your Church to praise you. Just as oil poured over the face and clothes of the Jewish priests consecrated them in God’s service, your faithful, by coming together as the body of Christ, dedicate themselves to you. Like dew flowing down a mountain side causes plants to grow, so the gathering of God’s people refreshes their spirit in order that they may be able to continue their sometimes harsh pilgrimage. It is in his Church that God blesses his people and brings them to eternal life.⁶⁶

Psalm 134

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n this evening prayer of praise, the priest calls upon the faithful servants of the Lord, who stand before the Tabernacle in the Church on earth and who will one day stand in the halls of heaven, to lift up their hands and worship the Lord. Then he gives his final blessing: “May the Holy Trinity — the Father, who created the universe; the Son, who rules heaven and earth; and the Holy Spirit, the Lord and giver of life who fills us with grace to strengthen us on our journey — bless you all. This Mass is ended, although your pilgrimage continues. Go forth and glorify the Lord by your life. Amen.”

Psalm 135

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et all the servants of the Lord, who are gathered together in his Church on earth and stand before the throne of God in heaven, make his praise glorious. Sing to the Lord, for in his goodness he chose Israel to be his special treasure.

The Lord is great and above all other gods that men have made and worship. Whatever the Lord willed came into being: heaven and earth; oceans and seas; clouds, lightning, rain, and wind. He shocked the people of Egypt with his plagues, including the death of the firstborn of all men and animals, to force Pharaoh to set the Jewish people free. He defeated the rulers of many kingdoms and gave their lands to his people.

The Lord is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. All generations will remember how he accomplished their salvation. He will bring justice to his people and have compassion for his servants.

False idols are just statues made of silver and gold by misguided men. They cannot speak, see, hear, smell, feel, walk, breathe, or make any noise at all. People who make and worship such dead objects are as brainless as the objects themselves.

May all God’s children praise the Lord. May all who stand in awe of the Almighty, who deigns to dwell in our midst, magnify the Lord. Alleluia!

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Cover image: Christ the Saviour (Pantokrator)." Web. 25 Sept 2016.
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"Creative Commons License." Web. 18 May 2016.
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⁶⁶The Psalms, New International Version, St. Joseph Catholic Edition. 

(New Jersey: Catholic Book Publishing Corp., 1996), 353-354.

This book and other books I have written are posted for your reading pleasure at Booksie.

Scriptural quotations marked NLT are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, 

copyright © 1996. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois
60189. All rights reserved.

Copyright © 2016 by John P. Gross. All rights reserved. Reproduction of this material must 

be done in its entirety with the copyright notice intact. This book is not for sale, but is 

offered to the public free of charge for the glory of God.