Daily Psalter Reading - Sixth Tuesday

Today's reading: Psalms 124-133 (125-134)

​Come, bless the LORD, all you servants of the LORD, who stand by night in the house of the LORD! Psalm 133/134:1

You may have noticed a consistent introduction to the Psalms that we read today (and most of the Psalms that we read yesterday!) - "A Song of Ascents" or "ᾠδὴ τῶν ἀναβαθμῶν" in the Greek. In total, 15 Psalms (119-133/120-134) have this designation. These Psalms were probably sung by pilgrims on their way to Jerusalem to worship, or by the Levites as they ascended the steps of the temple.

As used in the liturgical life of the Church, these Psalms are probably some of the earliest communal prayers that we have. They not only tie us to the early Christians, but to Jesus himself, and to the Jewish life of worship before that!

​In a full liturgical cycle, these 15 Psalms are read every weekday at Vespers from the beginning of Lent through Holy Wednesday. They also serve as the inspiration for hymns (also called ἀναβαθμούς) sung during the Orthros service, which are chanted as a reminder that, in the context of the liturgy, we are ascending to the Heavenly Jerusalem. It is appropriate that we read them during this final week of Lent, because in a few short days we ourselves will approach Jerusalem with Jesus during his triumphal entry on Palm Sunday.

Good strength - καλή δύναμη!