Lesson Focus: Divine Music – The Psalms
Before you begin – INSTRUCTIONS FOR PARENTS
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To complete this lesson, you will need to refer to pages in the Catholic Youth Bible orange colored edition (CYB-O) OR Catholic Youth Bible teal colored edition (CYB-T) as indicated.
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After reviewing the lesson, you may find it necessary to explain the information to your children in language they can better understand. Please contact the FF Office at 716-688-0599 or email youth@stmaryswormville.org if you would like assistance in modifying an activity to better suite your family’s needs.
Pray!
Begin the lesson with prayer –
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Begin the prayer with the Sign of the Cross
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Say the following prayer together as a family
Make known to me your ways, Lord; teach me your paths. Psalm 25: 4 (CYB-O pg. 722, CYB-T pg. 683)
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End the prayer with the Sign of the Cross
Discover!
What are the Psalms? The Psalms are the ancient prayers sung by the Jewish people during worship and they make up a big part of the Church’s daily prayer today. The people who wrote the Psalms expressed their joy and sorrow and poured their hearts out to God . The Psalms help us to express our inmost hearts to God, offering Him our hopes, our thanks, our praises, and even our complaints.
Let’s check this out in our Bibles:
- CYB-T pg. 666 read: “Praying with the Psalms” As you read this, you will come to understand the different types of Psalms and how you can find which one best fits what you are experiencing right now.
Find a Psalm that relates to you.
Or,
CYB-O pg. 706 read: “ROCK!” and “IN DEPTH” to find out how these hymns of praise were used to give thanksgiving to God.
As you look through the different Psalms, find which one best fits what you are experiencing right now and reflect upon it.
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The Book of Psalms can help us express the full range of human emotion when praying to God. Remember that the Psalms cover a wide range of human experience. Even if we cannot personally relate to the feeling of a particular Psalm at a given moment we can be mindful of praying for those that are in the midst of that experience.
2. Watch this! Finding Christ in the Psalms
Live!
- One of the ways the Church continually prays the Psalms is through the Liturgy of the Hours. This is a great prayer to use with your family.
- There are many resources online to guide praying the Liturgy of the Hours, which come from Psalms and other parts to help you discuss the Psalms.
- Watch this! What is the Liturgy of the Hours?
- How do you express your joy or gratitude?
- How do you express your frustration or sadness?
- How can your family begin to pray the Psalms together?
Pray!
End your lesson with prayer –
- Begin prayer with the Sign of the Cross
- Say the following prayer as a family:
‘Keep me safe O God; in you I take refuge. I say to the Lord, you are my Lord, you are my only good. Amen’ Psalm 16: 1-2 (CYB – O pg. 715, CYB -T pg. 675)
- End prayer with the Sign of the Cross