Psalm 149 — Song of Praise and Joy

 I had been covering the psalms in chronological order and eventually ran out of gas. Lately I have been reading a psalm a day, with commentary from Popes St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI, in Morning and Evening Prayer. It has reinvigorated my interest in the psalms. 

So we'll go forward, out of chronological order, just with whichever psalm hits me. (Or canticle.) Eventually, they'll all be done!

Here we go — almost to the very end of the psalms!

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This is the next to the last psalm and it's fairly short but full of dancing, music, and singing. It's full of joy. The Lord is also joyful — I love these two lines.

For the Lord takes delight in his people.

He crowns the poor with salvation.

Psalm 149 in Hebrew
on a French parchment from the 13th century

John Paul II quotes St. Augustine on the greater meaning of the music and then follows up with his own commentary about what the poor refers to. I love the idea of harmony and works that Augustine reflects upon. And JPII's point that poverty can be not just physical but also spiritual.

St Augustine, starting with the reference of the Psalm to the "choir" and to the "drums and harps", commented: "What does the choir represent?... The choir is a group of singers who sing together. If we sing in a choir, we must sing in harmony. When one sings in a choir, one off-key voice strikes the listener and creates confusion in the choir".

Referring to the instruments mentioned in the Psalm he asks: "Why does the Psalmist take in hand the drum and the harp?". He answers, "Because we praise the Lord not just with the voice, but also with our works. When we take up the drum and the harp, the hands have to be in accord with the voice. The same goes for you. When you sing the Alleluia, you must give bread to the poor, give clothes to the naked, give shelter to the traveler. If you do it, not only does your voice sing, but your hands are in accord with your voice because the works agree with the words".

5. There is a second term which we use to define those who pray in the Psalm: they are the anawim, "the poor and lowly ones" (v. 4). The expression turns up often in the Psalter. It indicates not just the oppressed, the miserable, the persecuted for justice, but also those who, with fidelity to the moral teaching of the Alliance with God, are marginalized by those who prefer to use violence, riches and power. In this light one understands that the category of the "poor" is not just a social category but a spiritual choice. It is what the famous first Beatitude means: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the Kingdom of heaven" (Mt 5,3). ....

Commentary by Pope St. John Paul II 

Morning & Evening Prayer, John Paul II and Benedict XVI

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An index of psalm posts is here.