46. On the Benefit That Comes From Reading the Psalter

Saint Seraphim of Sarov, during his earthly life, enjoined the sisters of the Diveevo community he had established to read the Psalter without ceasing, day and night. He ordered twelve sisters to read the Psalter in the church each day, taking turns every two hours, and to read it aloud without fail throughout the entire year, except on Pascha (“Life,” p. 116).

What was the reason for this? First of all, the venerable elder wished the sisters to imitate the ancient Christians, who read the Psalter—all of them, from the young to the old—without ceasing. Saint Gregory of Nyssa says: “The Psalms are so pleasant and sweet that they are learned not only by mature men who have already purified the perceptions of their souls, but women too claim them as their own possession; children find pleasure in them as in play; for the weak they take the place of a staff and provide rest; those who are joyful consider occupation with them a gift that belongs to them by right, as do those who are in a sorrowful state due to their circumstances—I think this book of Scripture was given especially to them. People who travel and sail the sea, those who live sedentary lives at their occupations, men and women of every condition, the healthy and the sick, all consider it a loss when they do not have the lofty teachings of David on their lips. Even at feasts and wedding celebrations those who rejoice take up the Psalter as one of the proper accoutrements of celebration, to say nothing of the sacred use of psalms at all-night vigil services and the singing of them in church” (Sunday Reading, 1840, No. 17, pp. 147-148). It was precisely this love for the Psalter—such as the ancient Christians had for it—that the venerable elder wished to plant in the hearts of the sisters of Diveevo.

Furthermore, he enjoined them to read the Psalter without ceasing day and night because he knew that the reading of the Psalter is of the greatest benefit to a Christian—as indeed it truly is. “The great John Chrysostom was asked by the brothers,” it is said in the preface to the Psalter, “‘Is it good to forsake the Psalter?’ He answered: ‘It is better for the sun to stop in its course than to forsake the Psalter. For it is greatly beneficial to meditate on the psalms and to read the Psalter with diligence. All the books are profitable to us and cause grief to demons, but not as the Psalter—therefore let us not be negligent.’ And further in the discourse of Augustine the Teacher on the power of the psalms it is said: ‘The singing of psalms adorns the soul, calls angels to our aid, drives away demons, banishes darkness, produces holiness… puts the devil to shame, reveals God… breaks anger, is unceasing praise of God. The singing of psalms is like honey!’” All of this the venerable elder surely knew, and therefore he commanded the sisters to read the Psalter without ceasing. It would be well, brothers, if we too were to follow the venerable elder’s precept about constant reading of the Psalter. Truly, it is greatly beneficial to meditate on the psalms, and their singing is like honey! Apart from the benefits to which we have already pointed, the Psalter can be useful and beneficial to us in many other circumstances as well, if we give ourselves diligently to its reading. “It presents a rich source of moral instruction and consolation in the difficult and sorrowful circumstances of life. The Psalter is an excellent guide for rousing the spirit of prayer—for pouring out contrite prayer for one’s sins, for lifting up tender petitions and the beseeching of heavenly help amid the straitened circumstances of life, for giving thanks to God for His benefits and glorifying His boundless perfections” (Homilies of Eusebius, Part I, p. 23).

You see how much more benefit the attentive, constant, and reverent reading of the Psalter can bring. In view of all this, give yourselves to its reading—give yourselves to it as, besides Saint Seraphim, Basil the Great also teaches, and with his words we close our homily. “Do not,” he says, “leave a single day without singing from the Psalter. If due to some necessity you have left it off, begin again from where you stopped the next morning, and do not cease out of laziness… And if you carry out what has been said and learn the commandments of God, then the Lord will open your eyes and you will understand the wonders of His law” (Basil the Great, in the preface to the Psalter). Amen.