(sad music)
LIBBY: Hey, Kai.
You OK?
EMO KAI: The only way I can express myself is through my art.
No one understands me
or knows what it's like to
feel the way I do.
LIBBY: You mean like worn out from groaning,
flooding your bed with tears,
and feeling that your eyes are weak with sorrow?
EMO KAI: Exactly.
How did you know?
LIBBY: Yeah, I hate to break it to you,
but you're not that unique.
That's from a Psalm that's literally 3000 years old.
EMO KAI: Don't leave me, Libby. Does anyone have a Bible?
(upbeat music)
KAI: Hi, I'm Kai.
LIBBY: And I'm Libby.
KAI: Today we'll be talking about the Psalms,
aka the time at Mass when the cantor
looks like she's landing a fighter jet.
LIBBY: Well, the Psalms were composed and edited
over hundreds of years by God's chosen people.
King David is believed to have written a majority of them.
KAI: That same King David who killed Goliath
with a slingshot and hooked up with Bathsheba.
LIBBY: The Psalms have always been
a central part of Jewish worship.
As a matter of fact, the cantor,
who is second only to the rabbi in most Jewish services,
actually sings the Psalms.
KAI: And since Jesus was a practicing Jew,
He knew the Psalms very well.
LIBBY: Not only did Jesus know the Psalms,
He would have read and prayed them every day
as part of His personal prayer.
KAI: So it makes sense that during His public ministry,
Jesus often quoted the Old Testament
and quoted the Psalms the most.
LIBBY: He prayed the Psalms even from the cross.
"My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?"
As well as, "Father, into your hands I commend my spirit."
KAI: Jesus was so perfectly united to God's will for Him
that His final words were the word of God from the Psalms.
LIBBY: So the Psalms serve as one of the ways
we can imitate the life of Christ.
As Jesus prayed the Psalms,
we gradually become more like Him when we pray like Him.
KAI: Another important thing to note about the Psalms
is that they come from different literary forms.
Each one can help us at different moments in our lives.
LIBBY: Since Psalms are used for worship,
they were sung as actual hymns.
ROCKER LIBBY: ♪ You have given them rule ♪
♪ of the works of your hand ♪
♪ And put all things ♪
♪ at their feet. ♪
I think that's good.
LIBBY: Hymns connect to certain emotions
the listener might be going through.
In that case, joy.
KAI: In addition to hymn songs, there are thanksgiving Psalms.
"I sing endless praise to you, oh Lord, my God.
Forever I will give you thanks."
LIBBY: Thanksgiving Psalms are when the psalmist gives thanks
for being rescued from a situation
or for a blessing in their life.
KAI: So then hymns of thanksgiving express gratitude,
something we should be attuned to every day of our lives,
not just on Turkey Day.
LIBBY: And then there are the lament Psalms,
the most popular Psalms.
They deal with the writer acknowledging vulnerability,
suffering, or a potential moment of grief.
EMO KAI: "Your wrath has swept over me.
Your terrors have reduced me to silence.
All the day they surge round me like a flood,
from every side they close in on me.
Because of you, companions shun me.
My only friend
is darkness."
LIBBY: Maybe a wisdom/Torah Psalm will put you in a better mood.
KAI: Ah, the wisdom/Torah Psalms,
the last main literary form.
LIBBY: These Psalms talk about God's justice
and the value of faithfulness to the law.
KAI: So if you're in a contemplative mood
and want to take a serene trip in your mind,
a Torah Psalm might be best for you.
"Refrain from anger, abandon wrath. Do not be provoked.
It brings only harm. Those who do evil will be cut off.
Those who wait for the Lord will inherit the earth."
LIBBY: Each of these types of Psalms has special relevance
at different moments in life.
No matter what you're going through at any given time,
there's a Psalm you can probably relate to.
SOCIAL MEDIA STAR LIBBY: But guys,
like my life is so hashtag blessed.
I literally can't even possibly know
what it's like to have darkness as my only hashtag friend.
(laughs) What?
KAI: Well, just because you're not experiencing
the particular emotion the Psalm expresses,
you probably have felt that way at some point
and it's a pretty safe bet that there's at least one person
in the world who feels that way now.
LIBBY: Which makes it easier to follow Jesus' command
to pray for the world.
Being able to empathize with what people are going through
helps us pray for them.
KAI: On that note, let's empathize with the people
who want this episode to be over.
LIBBY: I'm Libby.
KAI: And I'm Kai. Drop us a comment
with your favorite Psalm below.
LIBBY: Check us out at CatholicCentral.com for more resources.
(upbeat music)
EMO KAI: Don't leave me like this. (groans)
I need a Bible.
(laughing) What?