Behind its simple form and easy practice, the Psalter of Our Lord has extraordinary spiritual riches. As previously explained, this Psalter of Our Lord is a combination or synthesis of two prayers originating from different Christian traditions. As a result, this prayer has not only a new form but also a different spiritual meaning and gift than the previous prayers.

But considering the purpose of this book or video series is only an introduction, we will not cover all of them. We will only discuss some of the most prominent meanings and need to be known by everyone who practices this prayer, including:

1. The Psalter of Our Lord as an Expression of the Spirit of Repentance

2. The Psalter of Our Lord as a Two-Way Communication with God

3. The Psalter of Our Lord as a Spiritual Weapon


The Psalter of Our Lord as an Expression of the Spirit of Repentance

This is the most obvious character of the Psalter of Our Lord, even to someone new to them. The first of the two main prayers in the Psalter of Jesus is taken from the Jesus Prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner." This prayer which expresses the spirit of repentance from sin is sourced from the Gospel verse about the parable of the publican's prayer (Luke 18:13) and also the cry of the blind (Luke 18:38).

About the parable of the publican who prayed by hitting his chest and humbled himself, "O God, have mercy on me a sinner," our Lord said, "...this man went down into his house justified by God rather than the other..." (Luke 18:14).

About the blind man near the city of Jericho who cried out, "Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me..." our Lord came to him and offered to give him whatever he needed, "What do you want Me to do for you?" The blind man wanted to see and our Lord immediately healed his eyes.

Likewise, to the person who says the prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner" earnestly, our Lord will justify that person just as He said to the publican. Not only that, our Lord is also ready to give spiritual gifts or whatever is needed, as He did to the blind near the city of Jericho.

Why does our Lord loves this simple prayer so much?

In the Gospel it says, "In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing among the angels of God over one repentant sinner." (Luke 15:10). If angels, who are only fellow creatures, rejoice because of the repentance of sinners, then even more so God who has created humans for His glory. Thus our Lord likes this simple prayer because He loves people who humble themselves before God and repent.

Pope St. Leo the Great said, "Repentance is the first step of returning to God." While Pope St. Gregory the Great said, "The first step on the road to perfection is the humble confession of one's sins." and St. Alphonsus Liguori also said, "The first step in the path of holiness is repentance"

From the statements of these saints we can conclude that repentance is the first step towards human perfection and holiness. And these circumstances will restore the human nature to be similar to God's image. So we can conclude, repentance is the first step for every human being to restore his nature to be similar to God's image.

Meanwhile, the restoration of our human nature, which was damaged by the disobedience of Adam and Eve, is one of the important reasons why our Lord came to earth to suffer and be crucified. So in every person who repents, the sacrifice of Christ's cross becomes meaningful! Human repentance is the answer "Yes" to our Lord's greatest love revealed on the cross. That is what pleases our Lord so much.

In the Psalter of Our Lord, this spirit of repentance is symbolically emphasized by grouping the first repetition of the prayer in the form of a decade, or 10 prayers in one group. In the Psalter of Jesus we say, "Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner" 10 times in a row. This grouping in the form of decades has a special meaning, namely it symbolizes the ten Commandments that we break with our sins. Thus every prayer "Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, have mercy on me a sinner" that we say, is symbolically an expression of our repentance for the sins we have committed against each of God's different commands, starting from the first commandment to the last commandment.

The second prayer, "Lord Jesus Christ, I love Thee" is taken from the Apostle Peter's answer to our Lord's question (John 21:15-17). Our Lord asked the same question three times because previously Peter had denied Him three times and Peter now repented. So we can interpret our Lord's question to Peter as a question of Peter's motive for repentance, "What prompted you to repent?"

By consistently answering, "O Lord, I love Thee," three times, Peter confirmed that he repented because he truly loved God. So also with the second prayer of the Psalter of Jesus, "Lord Jesus Christ, I love Thee" we must place it in that context. By saying the prayer "Lord Jesus Christ, I love Thee" then we declare to our Lord that the motive for repentance that we expressed in the 10 previous prayers is because we love Him. We do not repent because we are afraid of punishment or because we want the spiritual grace that comes from repentance, we repent primarily because we love God!

Pope St. Leo the Great put it this way, "The love of God is the only motive worthy of inspiring repentance." The same thing was also said by St. John of the Cross, "Repentance that springs from love is the only kind that pleases God." So we can say that there is no better motive for repentance than love for God. And repentance because of love for God is what we express in the Psalter of Our Lord.


The Psalter of Our Lord As Two Way Communication With God

One of the elements that distinguishes the Rosary and also the Psalter of Jesus from other repetitive prayers, both from Christian traditions and from other religions, is a series of meditations on the mystery of our Lord's life.

Repetitive prayers from Christian traditions such as the Jesus Prayer from the Eastern Christian tradition, as well as the Paternoster (150 times the Lord's Prayer), the Cistercian monk version of the Psalter of Mary (150 times the Hail Mary), and also the Chaplet of Divine Mercy which all come from Western Christian traditions, all of them are nothing more than ordinary repetitive prayers with different formulations. Even other religious traditions such as Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and including Islam which emerged after Christianity also have such repetitive prayers traditions with different formulations.

But to St. Dominic in the 13th century, Our Lady came to teach a new type of Marian Psalter by adding 15 meditations on our Lord's work of salvation, each of which is preceded by the Lord's Prayer. This is what became the forerunner of the Rosary we know today. This addition to the series of meditations on the mystery of the Rosary makes the new Psalter of Mary or the Rosary received by St. Dominic is on a different level from previous forms of repetitive prayer. Presumably Pope St. Pius X said, "The Rosary is the most beautiful and the most rich in graces of all prayers..."

The Psalter of Jesus also follow the pattern of the Rosary. The Psalter of Jesus divides the 150 Jesus Prayers from the Eastern Christian tradition over 15 decades, adds a second prayer at the end of each decade, and most importantly adds a series of meditations of the Lord's passion at the beginning of each decade. This addition makes the old Jesus Prayer transformed into a new prayer with a higher level than before. This is a new prayer that is now known as the Psalter of Jesus or Psalter of Our Lord.

Why does the addition of contemplation on the mysteries of our Lord in the Rosary Prayer and the Psalter of Jesus make both of them on a different level higher from all other forms of prayer?

Meditation on our Loor's mysteries, both in the Rosary Prayer and in the Psalter of Jesus, are none other than the essence of all of God's Word. All 15 mysteries in the Rosary are the core of God's work of salvation while all 15 mysteries of the passion story in the Psalter of Jesus are the core of our Lord's expression of love. The existence of the essence of God's Word in these two prayers is a significant differentiating factor. Both of them make the Rosary Prayer and the Psalter of Jesus not just one-way prayers where we talk to God, but also two-way communication where besides we talk to God through prayers, we also listen to God's Word through every mystery meditations. We do not see this type of prayer in any religious tradition, be it Christian or non-Christian. It is the addition of contemplation on God's mystery that makes the Rosary Prayer and also the Psalter of Jesus have a different higher level from all other forms of prayer.

Regarding the importance of listening to God, in the Gospel it is told about Mary and Martha who welcomed the Lord's arrival to their house in different ways (Luke 10:38-42). In this story, Martha is busy serving God while Mary sits listening to God's words. When Martha protested Mary's sitting and listening, God said, "Martha, Martha, you worry and trouble yourself with many things, but only one thing is necessary: Mary has chosen the best part, which will not be taken away from her." So according to the Lord, Mary who sat listening to His words had chosen the best part.

Likewise in the Psalter of Jesus, the meditation on the Lord's passion is the best and most important part of the entire series of prayers. It is in the contemplation of the Lord's passion that we listen to the Word of God just like Mary who chose the best part by sitting and listening to our Lord.

In the Gospel our Lord says, "No one can have greater love than to lay down his life for his friends." (John 15:13). So by contemplating the Lord's passion in the Psalter of Jesus, we not only choose the best part by listening to God but also listen to the best part of His Word, which is His greatest Love.

The Psalter of Our Lord as a Spiritual Weapon

Pope Pius XI said, "The Rosary is a powerful weapon to put the demons to flight and to keep oneself from sin..." Likewise St. Padre Pio said, "The Rosary is a weapon for these times..."

The idea that the Rosary is a spiritual weapon is not without reason. At first, the purpose of Our Lady for teaching this prayer to St. Dominic was to conquer the heresy albigensian which at that time greatly undermined the Church. So from the beginning this prayer was intended by Our Lady as a spiritual weapon. The power of the Rosary as a spiritual weapon was also tested when with the help of this prayer the Fleet of the Holy League succeeded in defeating the far stronger naval fleet of the Turkish Islamic Caliphate in the naval battle of Lepanto in 1571.

Earlier it was explained that meditation on the mysteries of the Gospel is the best and most important part of the Rosary Prayer because it is the essence of the Word of God. So in faith we believe that the main source of strength for the Rosary Prayer is also found in the meditation on the mysteries of the Gospel. It is the essence of God's Word that is wrapped up in the Psalter of Mary that becomes a frightening force for the devil and his followers.

The same is true of the Psalter of Jesus. The essence of God's Word contained in the Psalter of Our Lord in the form of contemplation on the Lord's passion becomes a powerful source of power that will defeat the devil and his followers. The tremendous power that comes from the core of God's Word makes the Psalter of Jesus have the same character as the Rosary, and thus it deserves to be a powerful spiritual weapon.

The core power of God's Word as a spiritual sword is even confirmed in the Book of Revelation, "And from his mouth came a sharp sword with which to strike many nations..." (Rev.19:15).

What is the meaning of the sword that comes out of God's mouth?

Jesus Christ is the Word of God itself, so what comes out of His mouth is not just the Word of God but the essence of the Word of God. Thus the meditation on the mysteries of the Gospel in the Rosary Prayer and the Psalter of Jesus, which are the essence of God's Word, is nothing but a sharp sword that comes out of our Lord's mouth and will strike all of His enemies.

Just as the character of the Psalter of Our Lord as a prayer of repentance is strengthened symbolically through its form which is divided into decades or the repetition of the prayer 10 times, so its character as a spiritual weapon is symbolically confirmed through its form and its name which uses the term 'Psalter'. ' What is the connection between the term 'Psalter' with spiritual weapons? We will understand the connection through the Rosary.

Before it became known as the Rosary, it was known for several centuries as the Psalter of Our Lady. The name 'Psalter of Our Lady' is even recognized in an official document by Pope St. Pius V. The use of the name Psalter of Mary is due to the fact that the prayer is formed from the repetition of the Hail Mary 150 times following the number of Davidic Psalter. Meanwhile, apart from being known as the writer of the Psalms, David is well remembered in his fight with Goliath where David managed to defeat Goliath using a very simple stone slinging weapon. We can say that the stone sling used by David is a typology or symbol of a spiritual weapon, namely a simple weapon capable of defeating God's enemies.

So by mentioning the prayer she taught St. Dominic as "My Psalter", Our Lady implicitly linked the prayer she taught with David, who with his stone sling was able to defeat Goliath. In this way Our Lady wanted to show St. Dominic and all of us that the new prayer she teaches is a simple but very powerful spiritual weapon to defeat even the fiercest enemies. That is the connection between the term 'psalter' and spiritual weapon.

The same is true for the Psalter of Jesus Prayer which follows the pattern of repeating the prayer 150 times. The use of the name the Psalter of Jesus also symbolically shows the function of this simple prayer as a powerful spiritual weapon that will be able to defeat all of God's enemies, even the most ferocious ones.

On the night of the last supper God said, "... And the one who has no sword must sell his cloak and buy one...." (Luke 22:36). The disciples then gave him two swords and the Lord said, "It is enough!" (Luke 22:38). We know the term sword that our Lord meant was not a physical sword because that night Peter used it but The Lord forbade it. Thus the two swords on that last night are a typology or symbol of the two spiritual weapons sufficient for Christ's disciples to face all of God's enemies, especially at the time of Calvary's suffering.

By realizing that the Rosary and the Psalter of Jesus both have the character of being spiritual weapons and both have different levels from all other types of prayers, then in faith we believe these two prayers are the two swords of Calvary which are sufficient for Christ's disciples to become spiritual weapons for them to face all the enemies of God. Especially at the time of Calvary suffering for the Church, the Bride of Christ, which we are currently experiencing.

This needs to be emphasized, because if we are not in the time of Calvary, the Rosary is already recognized as a powerful prayer and has been proven in history as a spiritual weapon for Catholics. But at the time of Calvary, the Bible has signaled the need for two spiritual weapons as sufficient provision for us to go through the suffering period experienced by His Church. It is in this context that the Psalter of Our Lord is present to accompany the the Rosary as the twin swords of Calvary's two, which are two spiritual weapons sufficient for Christ's followers in enduring the end times.