“Behold, how good and how pleasant it is when brothers dwell together! It is like the precious oil poured upon the head, running down on the beard, on Aaron's beard, and running down to the hem of his garments. “It is like the dew of Hermon falling on the mountains of Zion, for there the LORD commands the blessing, and life everlasting” (Psalm 133:1-3).
These verses from the book of Psalms comprise the entirety of Psalm 133, and its message of unity and hope is particularly important in today's difficult times, a Catholic priest told Fox News Digital this week.
“Every weekend, in places of worship across the United States, Jewish and Christian communities of diverse traditions turn to the Book of Psalms as a source of prayer,” said the Rev. Jeffrey Kirby.
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Kirby is pastor of Our Lady of Grace Catholic Church in Indian Land, South Carolina. He hosts the morning devotional “Morning Offering with Father Kirby.”
The psalms, which are sometimes sung by a cantor or choir, “reveal the inner movements of the human heart as we seek to find God,” he said, and “are truly a rare collection of snapshots of the human psyche and its desire to see and understand God.”
The Rev. Jeffrey Kirby of South Carolina reflected on Psalm 133 in the wake of the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump in Butler, Pennsylvania, last week. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Jeffrey Kirby)
“The 150 psalms are filled with laments and songs of praise. They express every possible emotion of the human soul,” Kirby said.
They are “spontaneous, fluid and give profound expression to the beauty and chaos of the human heart,” he said.
Psalm 133 is especially poignant in light of recent events.
“In our times, marked as they are by polarization and division, and recently heightened by the shocking assassination attempt on a former president and prominent political candidate, we can follow the example of countless generations before us and turn to the Book of Psalms,” Kirby said.
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Psalm 133, he said, “can lift our hearts and give us guidance and encouragement.”
Kirby said: “The psalm was one of the psalms of ascent, as it was sung by people as they approached Jerusalem for one of the most important feasts. Yet the power of its call to unity and the conviction of its hope for peace among peoples is evident and moves believers of all generations.”
“In our times, marked as they are by polarization and division, and recently heightened by the shocking assassination attempt on a former president and prominent political candidate,” said a South Carolina priest, “we can follow the example of countless generations before us and turn to the Book of Psalms.” (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)
“In typical psalm fashion,” Kirby said, “which reads the human heart and gives it words, Psalm 133 expresses the deepest feelings of many Americans today.”
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To put it in context, Kirby said, “The use of oil in ancient Israel was a sign of favor and blessing. It was used to designate God's presence and purpose.”
It is “biblically rich” that the concept of unity was compared to this kind of oil on the mantle of Aaron, “the spiritual father of the temple priests in the Old Testament,” he said.
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“The psalmist tells us that unity is a divine gift, linked to the worship of God and the prayers of humanity.”
“As we pray this psalm, we feel it resonate in our own souls and in the soul of our nation.”
Additionally, Mount Hermon had special significance in biblical times that the modern reader may not be aware of, Kirby said.
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Mount Hermon “is the largest and most visible mountain range in the Holy Land,” he said.
Psalm 133 shares a message of unity, a Catholic priest in South Carolina said. (iStock)
“Because of its height, the dew of Hermon was considered to fall symbolically upon the entire earth. Hermon was a sign of God's blessings and the assurance of his gift of life.”
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The psalmist compares unity to “the dew of Hermon,” Kirby noted.
“Unity is also shown as a brilliant manifestation of God’s blessing upon us.”
“Just as the mountain range provided defense, security and springs of fresh water to the people of God, so too does unity provide protection, stability and refreshment to society,” he said.
Just as Mount Hermon was a sign of God's blessings, “unity is also shown as a brilliant manifestation of God's blessing upon us,” he said.
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“As we pray this psalm, we feel it resonate in our own souls and in the soul of our nation,” Kirby said.
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“As Americans, our hearts yearn and long as we turn and ask God today for the ‘precious oil’ of unity and for the precious peace that comes with ‘the dew of Hermon.’”
