Introduction to Psali Prayers

The praise “My Heart and My Tongue” (or “Apahyt nem palac”) is a Psali Adam for the second Canticle (Hos), and is chanted during the 7&4 praises in the month of Kiahk. The word “Psali” comes from a Greek word meaning “a chant,” and is a group of poetic verses used to praise the Lord, St. Mary, or any of the martyrs or saints. 

A Psali is often arranged in alphabetical order, with each verse starting with the subsequent letter of the Coptic alphabet. There are 3 Psali tunes for the different seasons (Annual, Kiahk, or Festive) and in each season, there are two unique tunes (Adam or Watos). Adam tunes are to be chanted during Adam days (Sunday – Tuesday), while Watos tunes are chanted during Watos days (Wednesday – Saturday). 

The “My Heart and My Tongue” Psali is chanted before the second Canticle (Hos). Its purpose, like most of the praises chanted during Kiahk, is to help the worshipper contemplate the theme of the upcoming hymn or praise. In this instance, the fathers wanted the worshiper to prepare his or her heart and remind him/her that true prayer first must come from the heart. 

Let us first contemplate the theme of the second Canticle so that we may better understand the purpose of its preceding Kiahk Psali, “My Heart and My Tongue.”

Additional verses

This journey in praise can be seen by contemplating the remaining verses of the Psali:

After chanting the refrain, the worshiper begins to look around him and realizes that the heavenly and earthly are offering a higher deeper praise to God. He realizes that his praise is not completely from the heart so he looks to God and says “everyone praises You and worships.” 

Realizing his/her shortcomings, the worshiper begins to contemplate saying “For You are our God and great Savior” because God is the Great and no one is greater. Because He is our savior, all praise is due to Him.

“The Master Lord came and saved us” - during this Advent season, we are engulfed with the coming and incarnation of God to save us, and so we thank and praise Him. Without His coming, our destiny would be eternal death; therefore, it is fitting that we praise Him.

“For the sake of your true commandments, teach me Your justice” – here we remember what happened with Adam and God’s love for us; He who came and carried Adam’s sin onto the Cross to grant us forgiveness from sin.

This is why, in the next verse we chant, “Many are Your mercies.” We see God, who with this mercy, emptied Himself, accepted suffering and, died on the Cross. Truly Your mercies, Lord, are too much. “Grant us Your salvation”

“I took refuge in You” – I am unable to be complete before You, therefore I seek You and take refuge in You. I put myself before You. The original Coptic translation here implies a very fervent desire of the believer quickly rushing to take refuge in God.”

“Yours is the power and glory, O King of glory” – despite being born in a manger among animals, He is the King of glory. Likewise, in Holy Week, we see His suffering on the Cross, but he conquers death as the victorious Lord. Truly you, Lord, emptied yourself, born of a poor girl in a lowly place, yet Yours is the glory. Truly despite your humility, You are the King of Glory.

“Jesus is our hope, in our tribulations” – no one else can help us.

Praise is higher than normal prayers. Through it we do not seek anything physical or financial, but rather things much deeper. We are more concerned with the spiritual and with thanksgiving and glorification. Therefore, we say, “You are blessed O Son of God, deliver us from temptation,” as the chanter is entrenched between two thoughts – “praise” and “deliverance from temptations.”

“All nations praise You O Christ the King” – anyone praising often contemplates the heavens and the earthly and how they too are praising God.

Then we ask for another spiritual supplication – “Grant us Your peace, heal our sicknesses.” Here, sickness is not only referring to physical illnesses, but also the spiritual ones. 

“You are the compassionate, and the Merciful” – no one else can show us mercy like You.

“You are blessed, we praise and bless You” – again we are entrenched between these two thoughts, praise, and spiritual supplications.

“Truly great is the Just judge” – here, we see how God seeks justice for His children, and saves them as he did with the children of Israel. Truly, He is patient, yet also just.

“Your Name is blessed O the True Logos” – perhaps if we were only reliant on ourselves in prayer without the help of the words of the fathers, we might forget to praise God and magnify His name. However, when we use praises and words of the Father, it makes up for our shortcomings. We then use praise and spiritual supplications to account for anything that we might forget.

“Guard us O Christ, with Your Goodness” – we are confident that God is watching over us, yet we ask it again. 

The spiritual person asks for himself or herself, and while engulfed and sanctified in prayer, he or she begins to imagine others praising God. Simultaneously, one contemplates those who are deprived from this praise, and longs for everyone to join in praise; therefore, he or she asks “Hearken unto the sinners in their tribulations” – asking God to help everyone with their troubles.

As we start by saying My heart and My tongue, now we say “My soul and my mind” for we want the whole being to praise God. We continue with “Raise them up to heaven” because we yearn to lead a true spiritual life, as a stranger to earth, and long for the true dwelling in heaven.

“O Son of our God, grant us Your salvation” – another spiritual supplication.

“God the merciful, the long suffering” – This is another request for mercy and reaffirms our asking for the same in every verse in the refrain.

“Holy, Holy, Holy, O Son of the Holy” – offering praise and sanctification to God.

“The souls of our fathers, give rest to them O Savior” – This reminds us not to forget those before us. We also ask mercy for those who have reposed.

“O our Master remember us, in Your heavenly kingdom” – We long to return to our true dwelling and ask God to remember us in heaven for when we may return.