Out of the depths (Sixth Penitential Psalm: Ps 130)
My child, listen to my voice listen to my word. Be vigilant and on guard, watch the signs of the times. Prepare for the coming of Jesus. This month, the month of Elul *, prepare for my highest holidays the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah *) and the day of forgiveness (Yom Kippur *).
Take stock and observe yourself; purify yourself -
repent and return to me;
turn away from your wrong ways;
turn to me and ask for my forgiveness of your sins.
But don't just ask me for forgiveness,
but ask your neighbor for forgiveness and forgive him too.
Look for peace with me and your neighbor. be ready!
'For the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not mean.' (Matt 24:44)
Many of you think that you still have a lot of time,
but you do not understand my calculation of time!
My child wake up, turn on your light and expect your bridegroom.
Take enough oil with you, be wise just like the wise and foresighted virgins. (Matt 25: 1 ff)
Be wise!
Be prepared!
In love your Heavenly and Eternal Father
One of the prayers that are prayed daily during this time is the sixth penitential psalm:
A song of ascents.
1 Out of the depths I cry to you, Lord;
2 Lord, hear my voice. Let your ears be attentive to my cry for mercy.
3 If you, Lord, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand?
4 But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
5 I wait for the Lord, my whole being waits, and in his word I put my hope.
6 I wait for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning.
7 Israel, put your hope in the Lord, for with the Lord is unfailing love and with him is full redemption.
8 He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins. (NIV)
Explanations
* The month of Elul (Hebrew: אֱלוּל) is the twelfth and last month of the civil Jewish calendar and the sixth of the religious Jewish (God or Enoch) calendar as counted in the Jewish calendar. In this month we are preparing our souls to meet our God. The Israelites (and we Christians too) remember our first return to God in Elul: After leaving Egypt, Moses climbed Mount Sinaj three times. The first time he was reminded of the Shavuot * (festival of the week / later Pentecost), he received the Torah, i.e. the ten commandments. The second time he asked God for forgiveness after the Israelites erected a golden calf for worship. On the first Elul, Moses climbed the mountain a third time so that God could graciously accept the people again. Moses stayed up for forty days, that is, through the whole month of Elul until Yom Kippur, when sin was "erased and totally forgiven." So the month of Elul is a special time of grace - a favorable time for serious prayer (like Psalm 130).
The following information is from the Jüdischen Rundschau 2019: The Hebrew name of this month Elul is made up of the letters Alef, Lamed, Vav and Lamed and, according to tradition, is a reference to the verse in Song of Songs 6: 3: “Ani leDodi veDodi Li” - “I belong to my beloved and my beloved me". The following parable was also told about the month of Elul: A king who normally sits in his palace is out of reach for ordinary people. However, when the king goes for a walk into the field, his subjects have the rare opportunity to meet him there, speak to him and tell him his worries and wishes. This also applies to the month of Elul: during the year God, the King of the world, sits in His “castle”, almost out of reach for us. However, in the Elul He comes “into the field”, closer to us, where we can “meet” Him more easily. * Shavuot (festival of the week / Pentecost) www.glaubensbotschaft.de/gottes-ruhe-und-feiertage?lang=en * Rosh Hashanah (Trumpet Festival) www.glaubensbotschaft.de/gottes-ruhe-und-feiertage?lang=en * Yom Kippur (Day of Forgiveness) www.glaubensbotschaft.de/gottes-ruhe-und-feiertage?lang=en
