076: Psalm Basics for Catholics

It's the book quoted by God the Father. It's the book quoted by Christ on the Cross. It's the one book we read at almost every Mass. It's the Psalms. While many view the Psalms as merely a collection of beautiful poetry (which it is), there's a whole more going on in this amazing book of the Bible. In fact, it's no exaggeration to say it's one of the most important in all of Sacred Scripture. Yes, they're all important, but the Psalms are special. St. Basil the Great said that the Psalms actually train the soul. He declared they are "the elementary exposition of beginners, the improvement of those advancing, the solid support of the perfect, the voice of the Church" (On the Psalms). In other words, they'll help you get to heaven. So I brought in one of the most popular Art of Catholic guests to illuminate us even more. Dr. John Bergsma is the author of a new book titled Psalm Basics for Catholics. It's the latest in his line of best-selling "Basics for Catholics" books. But he's more than an author. He's one of the popular teachers at Franciscan University of Steubenville. (He's been voted Teacher of the Year...twice!) In this episode we're going to dive into the book of Psalms. Among other things, we'll discuss: Why the Psalms are really five different books How the Psalms are directly connected to the Eucharist Why the Psalm 23 ("the Lord is my shepherd...) is totally Catholic Why St. Athanasius said the Psalms are a synopsis of the entire Bible How the Psalms can form your prayer life A reading plan for the Psalms All that and more on another bang-up episode of the Art of Catholic podcast. God bless! Matthew   P.S. I'm heading back to Italy! Join me in March 2019 for an amazing pilgrimage to Rome, Assisi, Orvieto, LaVerna, and much, much more! Check it out here!   “All who have been lost were lost because they did not pray.” St. Alphonsus Liguori. Don't be lost! Grab your FREE copy of my quick guide to deeper prayer 8 Ways To Jumpstart Your Prayer Life!  It's an easy step-by-step summary of the spiritual giants of the Church designed to help you rocket to God!     Podcast links mentioned: 06: Bible Basics With John Bergsma 043: (More) New Testament Basics with John Bergsma Speaking Events: May 3 - Pine Haven Boys Center Gala Dinner, Nashua, NH May 11 - St. Andrew Catholic Church May 12 - St. Paul Center event in Arlington, TX