“Sing to the LORD a new song, his praise in the assembly of the faithful.” Thus begins Psalm 149, part of Sunday morning prayer, when the break of a new dawn finds the faithful ready to chant their morning song of praise.
St. John Paul II emphasizes that prayer includes not just individual devotion but communal praise that creates a “festive atmosphere” with “chant, praise, joy, dance, the sound of drums and of harps.” Prayer should be both joyful and participatory, engaging our whole being in worship.
The Pope quotes from St. Augustine a crucial point of how authentic prayer must connect our words with our actions. “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.” Genuine prayer cannot be separated from concrete acts of love and justice.
Augustine’s metaphor of the choir is particularly striking: “When one sings in a choir, one off-key voice strikes the listener and creates confusion in the choir.” Our prayer must be in harmony not just with others, but also in harmony with our words and our deeds.
The psalm’s surprising combination of praise and warfare imagery teaches that prayer prepares us for spiritual battle. Unfortunately powerful forces are arrayed against the Kingdom of God: yet the Psalmist is confident because he knows the Lord is at his side. As St. John Paul II explains, believers “sing the praises of God in the morning and then go into the ways of the world, in the midst of evil and injustice.” Prayer is not escape from the world’s struggles but preparation for engaging them with God’s strength.
The Pope identifies two key groups of faithful pray-ers: the hasidim (the faithful ones) and the anawim (the poor and lowly). Importantly, he notes that being “poor” is “not just a social category but a spiritual choice” – referring to those who choose humility and dependence on God, as in Jesus’ first Beatitude: “Blessed are the poor in spirit.” (Mt 5:3)
You are invited to pray and meditated with Psalm 149
Read the Catechesis of May 23, 2001 of Psalm 149
Authentic prayer transforms us into people who praise God with both voice and life, standing in solidarity with the poor while confidently engaging in the spiritual battle against evil, knowing that God “adorns the lowly with victory.”
