"vale of tears": 2009

Sunday, December 13, 2009

Monday, August 17, 2009

PSALM

Commonly Philippine Student Alliance Movement

The word psalms is derived from the Greek ψαλμοί (psalmoi), originally meaning "songs sung to a harp", from psallein "play on a stringed instrument".

New Testament references show that the earliest Christians used the Psalms in worship, and the Psalms have remained an important part of worship in most Christian Churches. The Eastern Orthodox, Roman Catholic and Anglican Churches have always made systematic use of the Psalms, with a cycle for the recitation of all or most of them over the course of one or more weeks.

In the early centuries of the Church, it was expected that any candidate for bishop would be able to recite the entire Psalter from memory, something they often learned automatically during their time as monks.

Several conservative denominations sing only the Psalms (some churches also sing the small number of hymns found elsewhere in the Bible) in worship, and do not accept the use of any non-Biblical hymns; examples are the Reformed Presbyterian Church of North America, the Westminster Presbyterian Church in the United States and the Free Church of Scotland.

Some Psalms are among the best-known and best-loved passages of Scripture, with a popularity extending well beyond regular church-goers.

Psalm 22 is of particular importance during the season of Lent as a Psalm of continued faith during severe testing.
Psalm 23, The Lord is My Shepherd, offers an immediately appealing message of comfort and is widely chosen for church funeral services, either as a reading or in one of several popular hymn settings;
Psalm 51, Have mercy on me O God, called the Miserere from the first word in its Latin version, is by far the most sung Psalm of Orthodoxy^{[citation needed]}, in both Divine Liturgy and Hours, in the sacrament of repentance or confession, and in other settings;
Psalm 103, Bless the Lord, O my soul, is one of the best-known^{[citation needed]} prayers of praise;
Psalm 137, By the rivers of Babylon, there we sat down and wept, is a moody meditation upon living in slavery, and has been used in at least one spiritual^{[citation needed]}, as well as one well-known reggae song^[7]; the Orthodox church often uses this hymn during Lent.

New translations and settings of the Psalms continue to be produced. An individually printed volume of Psalms for use in Christian religious rituals is called a Psalter.

The Psalms have always been an important part of Roman Catholic liturgy. The Liturgy of the Hours is centered on chanting or recitation of the Psalms, using fixed melodic formulas known as psalm tones. Early Catholics employed the Psalms widely in their individual prayers also; however, as knowledge of Latin (the language of the Latin rite) became uncommon, this practice ceased among the unlearned. However, until the end of the middle Ages it was not unknown for the laity to join in the singing of the Little Office of Our Lady, which was a shortened version of the Liturgy of the Hours providing a fixed daily cycle of twenty-five psalms to be recited, and nine other psalms divided across Matins.

Protestant usage

Psalm 1 in a form of the Sternhold and Hopkins version widespread in Anglican usage before the English Civil War (1628 printing). It was from this version that the armies sang before going into battle

The psalms are extremely popular among those who follow the Reformed tradition.

Following the Protestant Reformation, verse paraphrases of many of the Psalms were set as hymns. These were particularly popular in the Calvinist tradition, where in the past they were typically sung to the exclusion of hymns. Calvin himself made some French translations of the Psalms for church usage. Martin Luther's A Mighty Fortress is Our God is based on Psalm 46. Among famous hymn settings of the Psalter were the Scottish Psalter and the settings by Isaac Watts. The first book printed in North America was a collection of Psalm settings, the Bay Psalm Book (1640).

But by the 20th century they were mostly replaced by hymns in church services. However, the Psalms are popular for private devotion among many Protestants and still used in many churches for traditional worship. There exists in some circles a custom of reading one Psalm and one chapter of Proverbs a day, corresponding to the day of the month.

Tuesday, August 11, 2009

What is a Friend?

In life every one will meet many people that say that they are your friend, but you will make only a few true friends.

What is a friend?

In the dictionary a friend is defined as one that is not hostile, or one attached to another by affection or esteem, a favored companion. a person attached to another by feelings of affection or personal regard.

A friend is much more than that. A friend is someone that will stand by you, even during the toughest times.

Friendship is about believing in your friends and helping them to achieve all they can or want to do in life. We are there for each other with hugs, advice, kind words, fights, and anger, whatever comes along. When the day ends, we are still friends who have each other no matter what happens.

We all have a desire to have friends. It is what makes us reach out of our shells and take the chance of being hurt. It is not easy figuring out who is a friend and who is not.

The relationship between people who have forged ties that include commitment, love, trust, and loyalty create some of the strongest bonds that are possible between individuals.

Sometimes these friendly relationships have histories that date back to childhood while other people seem to instantly become friends almost from the moment they meet.

Regardless of how friendships start, they should be valued and cherished. Best friends do not have to be constantly reminded about how strong the bonds are that they have with each other, but it adds strength to the relationship when there is a special time of the year that is dedicated to celebrating friendships.

There are many valuable things in life, but friendship may be one of the most important.
To live life without the experience of friendship, is life without living. Human interaction is a necessity to survival, but developed friendships are an essential to the successful well being of anyone.

A friend is a person whom one knows, likes and trusts. but to all, friendship has no defined terminology..