Psalms of Lament, Enemy-Psalms: Do They Have a Place in Prayer?

The psalms of lament, and notably imprecatory or enemy-psalms seem to have no place in Christian prayer. The missal and breviary exclude or censure them by omitting the problematic verses. The essay pleads for the importance of laments and enemy-psalms (E. Zenger’s ‘Gerechtigkeitpsalmen’, W. Brueggemann’s ‘psalms of disorientation’) notably for believers and communities experiencing deep crises, pain and injustice, by analysing Psalm 137 from the perspective of cultural trauma and cultural memory theory. The psalm reflects the trauma of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Babylonian captivity, deeply embedded in cultural memory, a major identity marker of the Jewish community. Psalms of disorientation enable a traumatised community facing despair, suffering and injustice to work through the trauma they have experienced together with God. These psalms cry out to God amid injustice and trauma, becoming expressions of trust in God.