Dear Brothers and Sisters,

Congratulations with the feast of the Resurrection of the Lord, as well as with the saint’s day of the Great-Martyr Theodore the Commander!

Last week we briefly discussed the 33rd psalm with which vespers, when it is served during the all-night vigil, is concluded. Today let’s begin to examine the psalms that are read and sung during matins. According to the liturgical rubrics, matins begins late at night and ends at sunrise. In Russian parishes, more often than not, matins is served immediately after vespers, that is in the evening or early at night. In our parish, on Saturday evenings as well as on major feastdays matins immediately follows vespers, while on the days of the saints, minor feasts, and weekdays of Great Lent it is served early in the morning.

As with many other church services, matins begins with reading from the Psalter, but here not just one psalm is appointed, but six. This series of psalms is called ‘The six psalms.’ First, the angelic salutation to the shepherds ‘Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men’ is repeated thrice, followed by the words of the 50th psalm ‘O Lord, open thou my lips; and my mouth shall shew forth thy praise’ twice. Only after this does the reading of the appointed six psalms begin. Such a beautiful introduction emphasizes the importance of that which is about to be read.

‘The six psalms’ begin with the reading of the 3rd psalm, ‘Lord, how are they increased that trouble me!’ This short and understandable psalm was composed by the Holy Prophet and Psalmist David when he was being persecuted by his son Absalom (2 Samuel chapters 15-18). David notes that very many people have abandoned him and that they say that even the Lord Himself has left him this time and that he will not be saved. Not withstanding the difficult straights, David does not lose hope in God’s intercession. He notes that he falls asleep peacefully and wakes up in the morning alive and well, for the Lord truly does not abandon him. Since David can rest peacefully at night, there is no need to worry about the many enemies round about him. The short 3rd psalm ends with a beautiful and powerful prayer: “Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies upon the cheek bone; thou hast broken the teeth of the ungodly.” (The translation we use in our parish is somewhat different: “Arise, O Lord, save me, O my God, for Thou hast smitten all who without cause are mine enemies; the teeth of sinners hast Thou broken.”) Then follow the statements that “salvation belongeth unto the Lord: thy blessing is upon thy people.”

This beautiful and expressive psalm is wonderfully suited to various situations in life. It is perfectly suited as a morning prayer. This hymn is no less good as a heartfelt prayer when we find ourselves forsaken and in danger. It is also good as a bulwark for our weak faith when it is mocked. The Holy Hierarch Augustine believes that this psalm should be read as a prophetic and messianic text, because the words “Arise, O Lord; save me, O my God: for thou hast smitten all mine enemies” were fulfilled completely only in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who arose from the dead, saved us from our sins, and destroyed the power of the devil. In this way, psalm 3 is also an expression of our faith in the Saviour Jesus Christ. Let us not forget to pray to Him with the words of this psalm so that He strengthens our faith and protects us from all evil, from the moment we wake up in the morning until the very evening!

Priest Alexis