THE POWER OF THE PSALTER

THE POWER OF THE PSALTER

This post is the second half of a talk given by the Metropolitan of Morphou. Translated from Greek.

The Psalms of the prophet David – the sacred Psalter – are an age old weapon, an effective cure against fear, terror, and demonic forces.

A holy ascetic of our times, Elder Theodoros the cave-dweller from Agiofarango, Crete (†2016), left us contemporary Orthodox Christians, who usually limit our spirituality to homilies, miraculous events, prophecies, pietism and attachment to elders, the following sacred trust:

“If you were to ask me to tell you what I learned after so many years in the desert, I would simply answer this: the power of the Psalter. If I were to start my life over, I would struggle to do one thing: memorize the Psalter. This is the womb of noetic prayer. This is the fertile soil where the seed of prayer thrives. It scourges the demons. When I was reading the Psalter during my vigils, a demon came, roaring like a wild boar in my ear, especially when I said the verse, “Let God arise and let his enemies be scattered, and let those who hate him flee before him...” (Ps 68:1 (67 LXX)) and the verse that says, “...for You are my Lord and my God”. 1 He was in a rage, grabbing me by the throat and choking me. He tried to mess up my words so that I wouldn’t say it.”

And the great contemporary prophet of the [Greek] nation, Saint Paisios the Hagiorite, reveals to us his similar experience with the power and benefit of the Psalter:

“How much consolation I find with the Psalter! That hour and a half when I read the Psalter, I see it as the most positive help to the world… The Psalter is divinely inspired, it was written with divine illumination, this is why it is so potent, so deep in meaning… With the Psalter I feel like rejoicing…”

“I was pounding the devil with a cannon. During the day I pounded him with the Psalter, at night with prayer.”

A large number of believers have responded to our call – the call of God’s Grace – to read the Psalms daily, as we said previously for healing, to be strengthened spiritually, to shield the world from demonic forces. At the same time, however, the faithful, by praying from the original text of the Psalms of David, are taught beautiful ecclesiastical Greek. And this Greek is the language of the Gospel and of the theology of our holy Fathers.

At a time when the New World Order is attacking us so openly, let us take up the weapon of David, his Psalms, loving the Victor of death, our Lord and God Jesus Christ.

“My soul thirsts for you, how my flesh longs for you like deserted, untrodden and unwatered land." (Ps. 63:1 (62 LXX)

  1. “Συ ει Κύριος και Θεός μου” The translators could not find this exact wording in the Greek Psalter, though this expression is found throughout. We believe the Elder is citing Psalm 142(143), verse 10: “Teach me to do your will, for you are my God (ὅτι σὺ εἶ ὁ Θεός μου).”
Translated by Fr. E.H. and A.H. from a post on Aktines (May 7, 2021).

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