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.
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.
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.
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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