Psalm 102: Affliction, Resurrection and Eternal Remembrance
Thou shalt rise up and have pity upon Zion, for it is time to have compassion on her, yea, the time has come.
The Lord from heaven has looked down upon the earth, to hear the groaning of them that are in chains, to loose the sons of the slain.
Psalm 102: 13, 19, 20 (LXX; Alleluia for Pascha)Thy remembrance is from generation and generation (Ps 102:12)
The title of this psalm labels it as a prayer for times of deep distress: A Prayer of the afflicted, when he is overwhelmed and pours out his complaint before the Lord.
One after another the verses of anguish spill out of the heart, and who can he blame except God?
For my days pass away like smoke, and my bones burn like a furnace.
My heart is smitten like grass, and withered; I forget to eat my bread.
Because of my loud groaning my bones cleave to my flesh…
I lie awake, I am like a lonely bird on the housetop.
All the day my enemies taunt me, those who deride me use my name for a curse.
For I eat ashes like bread, and mingle tears with my drink,
because of thy indignation and anger; for thou hast taken me up and thrown me away. (Psalm 102: 3-5, 7-10)
This personal prayer is also the collective prayer of the people of Israel. We can also say it is the prayer of the human race. And yet remarkably, the same prayer is transformed into a song of hope and victory sung as the Alleluia verses on Pascha night:
Thou shalt rise up and have pity upon Zion, for it is time to have compassion on her, yea, the time has come.
The Lord from heaven has looked down upon the earth, to hear the groaning of them that are in chains, to loose the sons of the slain. (102: 13, 19, 20)
In the Orthodox liturgical tradition the most frequently used verse from this psalm is Thy remembrance is from generation and generation (Ps 102:12). It is used at funerals, and all commemorations of the departed throughout the year as a reminder that whatever the distresses, the Lord will wipe away every tear and keep everyone in His eternal memory.
The Arvo Pärt Project at Saint Vladimir’s Seminary
For the last three years, Saint Vladimir’s Seminary has been working on a project that brings Orthodox Estonian composer Arvo Pärt to the US. The project is spearheaded by Prof Peter Bouteneff and Prof Nicholas Reeves and aims to show how deeply connected Pärt’s music is to the Orthodox faith. Pärt’s music is performed more than any other contemporary classical composer (it was used for example in the film Gravity) but few have understood or appreciated its Orthodox inspiration. A major article on the project appeared this week in The Wall Street Journal:
In the next few weeks, “The Arvo Pärt Project”—the inspiration of Peter Bouteneff and Nicholas Reeves, faculty members at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Theological Seminary in Yonkers—will bring the composer to Washington and New York. Tõnu Kaljuste, whose recording of Mr. Pärt’s “Adam’s Lament” won this year’s Grammy Award for Best Choral Performance, will conduct the Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir and the Tallinn Chamber Orchestra in works by Mr. Pärt, offering separate programs at the Kennedy Center on May 27 and at the Phillips Collection on May 29. The ensembles will then appear at Carnegie Hall on May 31. And on June 2, the choir will perform the composer’s intricate “Kanon Pokajanen” (1997), based on the Orthodox canon of repentance, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s Temple of Dendur. For the full article see online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702304536104579558173580370330.
Most of the events are sold-out, but tickets for Carnegie hall are still be available. For details see: www.svots.edu/events/buy-tickets-now-arvo-pärt-carnegie-hall-concert.