THE SAINT PACHOMIUS ORTHODOX LIBRARY
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St. Arsenios of
Cappadocia: BLESSING-PSALTER
THE PSALTER AS A BOOK OF NEEDS,
according to the usage of St. Arsenios of Cappadocia, as transmitted by the
Athonite Elder Paisios.
translated for the St. Pachomius Library by
Vassilios Kollias
edited by Karen Rae Keck
EDITOR'S
NOTE: Saint Arsenios used to use the Psalms for blessings, especially when
there was no prescribed blessing for a particular occasion. Here in Part One is
the correspondence between the psalms and different occasions. The original
Greek list can be found in -O Geron Paisios- by the Hieromonk Christodoulos,
Agion Oros, 1994. In Part Two, we have provided a (rather poor) index; perhaps
someone else would care to fashion a better.
Apart
from all religious considerations, this "Book of Needs" is a
fascinating portrait of village life in Anatolia at the beginning of the
Twentieth Century: whether it reflects more the "longue duree" of
Byzantine history or the particular difficulties of St. Arsenios' time we do
not feel well enough informed even to speculate. There is certainly no
idealization of rural conditions here: particularly noteworthy is the extreme
concern for alleviating psychological as well as physical pain, and the mention
of what we would nowadays call "post-traumatic stress disorder".
To
us, at least, the exact reasoning behind the saint's choice of a particular
psalm for a given need is not always obvious; perhaps this is by design, to
encourage close reflection on the words. Orthodoxy is not magic, and a document
like this one is not an endorsement of "peasant superstition"; it is
rather a channel through which the Love of God can enter into every aspect of
human society.
PART
ONE: A LIST OF PSALMS FOR USE AS BLESSINGS, ARRANGED BY ORDER IN THE PSALTER:
[IMPORTANT
NOTE: The FIRST number is the number of the psalm in the Greek Septuagint
Bible. The SECOND number is the number of the psalm found in the Masoretic text
and in most English language Bibles, such as the King James!]
4 (4) So that God heals the sensitive people who
fell ill from depression because of the behaviour of hard-hearted people.
10 (11) For hard-hearted couples that argue and
divorce (when the hard-hearted man or woman torments their sensitive wife or
husband).
14 (15) So that robbers or thieves change their mind
and return having done no harm, and having repented.
19 (20) For the couples who for medical reasons
cannot have children, so that God heals them and that they do not divorce.
24 (25) For people who temptation troubles a lot and
so brings continual problems into their lives, making them lose their peace and
complain.
25 (26) When somebody asks something good from God
so that He gives it without the person getting harmed.
26 (27) So that God protects the peasants from the
enemy army, so that they do not harm the people or their fields.
29 (30) For those that are in danger far away, in
the territory of barbarous and unbelieving people, so that God guards them and
illumines the people there to become peaceful and to come to know God.
32 (33) So that God reveals the truth to those who
were unjustly imprisoned, and so that they are set free.
33 (34) For those on the edge of death, when they
are tormented by demons. Or, for the enemy army when it brings danger and
enters the borders with ominous intentions.
34 (35) So that God frees the good people from the
traps of the bad people, who take advantage of the people of God.
38 (39) So that the people who are abandoned and
depressed find work, so that they stop being in sorrow.
39 (40) So that the love between employer and
employee comes back when there has been exchange of heavy words.
41 (42) For young people when they get ill from
falling in love, and one person gets wounded and is in sorrow.
43 (44) So that God reveals the truth to couples
when there has been a misunderstanding, so that they come into mutual peace and
love again.
45 (46) For the young people that the enemy because
of envy prevents from making a family (i.e. from getting married).
46 (47) So that the employee or the employer find
peace, when the employee leaves offended by the employer, and so that the
employee finds work.
47 (48) When gangs of criminals go robbing and grave
disasters are happening: to be continually read for 40 days.
50 (51) When, because of our sins and in order to
correct us, comes the punishment of God (epidemics of illness and deaths for
people or animals).
51 (52) So that the hard-hearted masters repent and
become compassionate and do not torment the people.
57 (58) So that things come in a helping way for
those who work with good intention, so that God prevents every perverse action
of demons or crooked people.
61 (62) So that God relieves from troubles the
person who is weak, so that he is not dominated by the urge to complain.
63 (64) When a person is bitten by a dog or wolf
that had rabies. (He was also for giving them blessed water to drink).
64 (65) So that merchants prosper, so that they do
not speak too much and take advantage of simple people.
65 (66) So that the evil one does not bring
obstacles in the homes and cause families to be in sorrow.
69 (70) For sensitive people that get sad from
little things and come to despair, that God gives them strength.
70 (71) For deserted people who become uninteresting
to others [lit. "boring"] because of the devil's envy and come to
despair, that they may find mercy and healing from God.
71 (72) So that God blesses the gatherings of the
new agricultural production that the peasants bring home.
73 (74) So that God protects the peasants that work
in their fields when the enemy have surrounded the village.
74 (75) So that the barbarous employer becomes
peaceful and does not torment his fellow human beings, the empoloyees.
75 (76) For a mother who is scared during her giving
birth, so that God gives her braveness and protects her.
76 (77) When there is no mutual understanding
between parents and children, that God illumines them, so that the children
listen to the parents and the parents show love.
77 (78) So that God illumines those who lend so that
they do not press their fellows for their debt, and so that they are
compassionate.
80 (81) So that God takes care of the poor who are
in need and sorrow and are depressed because of poverty.
81 (82) So that people buy the products of the
peasants, so that the peasants are not sad and depressed.
83 (84) So that God preserves all that is kept in
the house, and the animals, and the products of the producers.
84 (85) So that God heals those who were wounded by
robbers and moreover got psychologically damaged from terror.
86 (87) So that God extends the lives of those
members of the family that are still urgently needed by the rest of the family.
87 (88) So that God protects all those who have no
protector and are suffering from hard-hearted fellows.
88 (89) So that God gives strength to those who
easily fall sick and are physically weak, so that they can work without getting
tired and depressed.
89 (90) So that God brings rain when there is a
drought, or that the wells bring forth water again if they have stopped doing
so.
92 (93) So that God protects the ship when it is in
great danger at sea. (He was also for throwing blessed water at the four
corners of the ship).
93 (94) So that God illumines the disorderly people
who cause problems to the nation and bring commotion to the people, causing
trouble by disorder and divisions.
98 (99) So that God blesses and gives grace to those
young people who want to leave everything and follow God. [I do not know how
succesful is my translation here. To my Greek ear the exact phrase that is used
would make me think of people who follow the monastic life but I am not sure.
--Trans.]
99 (100) So that God blesses and makes real the
desires of the people that are in accordance with His will.
101 (102) So that God blesses the people who hold
offices of power so that they help the people with kindness and understanding.
103 (104) So that God blesses the possessions of the
people that they are not sad and depressed, but glorify God.
105 (106) So that God gives illumination to people
so that they do not move away from the way to salvation.
108 (109) So that God cures the epileptics. Or, so
that God has mercy on those who accuse unjustly and they repent.
112 (113) So that God gives blessings to the poor
widow, so that she pays her debts and is saved from going to prison.
114 (116:1-9) So that God gives blessings and
comfort to the sad poor little children, so that they are not looked down upon
by the children of the rich and consequently feel depressed.
117 (118) So that God humbles the barbarians when
they surround the village and bring fear, and that He reverses their bad
intentions.
118 (119) So that God shatters the barbarians and
humbles their action when they slay innocent women and children.
119 (120) So that God gives patience and forbearance
to those people who have to live together with crooked and unjust people.
120 (121) So that God protects the slaves from the
hands of the enemy so that they are not mutilated before they are set free.
127 (128) So that the badness of the enemy never
approaches the homes, and that there is the peace and blessing of God in the
family.
128 (129) So that God cures the people who suffer
from migraines, or, so that God shows mercy to the hard and indiscreet people
who bring sorrow to the sensitive.
129 (130) So that God gives braveness and hope to
those who start a new job and do not know it well yet, so that they do not find
extreme difficulty in their work.
135 (136) So that God protects the immigrants when
they abandon their homes and leave so that they are saved from the barbarians.
137 (138) So that God illumines the masters of the
place so that people's requests are treated with understanding.
139 (140) So that God makes peaceful the head of the
family who has a very difficult character and brings suffering to all the
family.
141 (142) So that God makes peaceful the rebel who
is doing bad; then even if he is a Kurd he becomes a lamb. [St. Arsenios was
living in Asia Minor. Kurds, who were often soldiers, had a reputation among
other ethnic groups for being brutal fighters. --Trans.]
142 (143) So that God protects the mother throughout
the pregnancy so that she does not loose the child.
146 (147:1-11) So that God heals the people who have
been bitten and wounded in the jaws by bad people.
147 (147:12-20) So that God brings peace to the wild
animals so that they do not harm people or farm produce.
[These
were from St. Arsenios. The following two are from Fr. Paisios of the Holy
Mountain.]
149 (149) From gratefulness and thankfulness to God
for His many kindnesses and for the plenitude of His love, that knows no limit
and bears with us.
150 (150) So that God gives happiness and comfort to
our sad brothers and sisters who are in far places, and to those of our
brothers and sisters who are sleeping and are even farther away. Amen.
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PART TWO: TOPICAL INDEX
[IMPORTANT
NOTE: Only the Septuagint psalm number is given in this index.]
AGRICULTURE:
1, 26, 30, 50, 52, 62, 66, 71, 83, 124, 147, 148
ANIMALS,
Unfriendly: 63, 123, 147
CHILDREN:
22, 76, 109, 113, 114
DEATH
AND DEPARTED: 33, 150
DISASTERS:
17, 21, 30, 50, 62, 68, 85, 89
HEALTH,
Physical: 5, 12, 28, 36, 37, 44, 56, 58, 63, 79, 86, 88, 95, 102, 108, 122,
125, 128, 145, 146
HEALTH,
Psychological: 4, 7, 8, 9, 11, 24, 27, 41, 55, 56, 60, 61, 69, 70, 80, 81, 84,
97, 100, 103, 128, 136, 138
HEALTH,
Women's: 18, 19, 40, 67, 75, 106, 142, 145
LAW
AND GOVERNMENT: 14, 16, 32, 36, 47, 51, 59, 72, 82, 84, 93, 101, 108, 110, 137,
140, 141, 143
MAGIC
AND DEMONS: 5, 6, 8, 9, 13, 33, 57, 65, 90, 94, 96, 121
PEACE
AND WAR: 26, 33, 42, 73, 78, 93, 107, 111, 117, 118, 120, 127, 131, 132, 135,
140, 141, 143
PEACE
(among friends and family): 10, 19, 22, 35, 41, 43, 45, 54, 65, 76, 86, 94,
109, 116, 126, 127, 139
PROPERTY:
14, 15, 23, 47, 83, 103, 124
PROTECTION:
9, 13, 34, 47, 48, 57, 90, 133
SOCIAL
CONCERNS: 20, 32, 35, 38, 51, 53, 59, 77, 80, 81, 87, 93, 101, 110, 112, 113,
114, 119, 124, 137, 140
SPIRITUALITY:
3, 9, 24, 25, 29, 49, 50, 57, 72, 91, 98, 99, 100, 104, 105, 108, 115, 119,
130, 134, 136, 149
TRAVEL
AND EMIGRATION: 28, 29, 31, 92, 135, 150
WORK:
2, 38, 39, 46, 48, 51, 52, 57, 60, 64, 74, 81, 83, 100, 101, 103, 129, 137,
140,144
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The St. Pachomius Orthodox Library, Nativity of the
Forerunner 1995
Have
mercy, O Lord, upon Thy servants the Hieromonk Christodoulos, the translator
Vassilios, and Karen.
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THE END, AND TO GOD BE THE GLORY!
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