How the Psalms are a gymnasium for the soul

St. Ambrose found great profit in reading the Psalms, suggesting that they are highly beneficial for anyone to read, calling them a "gymnasium for the soul."

One of the books of the Bible that the Church continually turns to is the book of Psalms. Traditionally attributed to King David, the Psalms are biblical poetry at its best.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church highlights them as well, explaining how they can teach us about prayer:

The Psalter is the book in which The Word of God becomes man’s prayer. In other books of the Old Testament, “the words proclaim [God’s] works and bring to light the mystery they contain.” The words of the Psalmist, sung for God, both express and acclaim the Lord’s saving works; the same Spirit inspires both God’s work and man’s response. Christ will unite the two. In him, the psalms continue to teach us how to pray.
CCC 2587

Gymnasium for the soul

St. Ambrose also praised the spiritual profit that can be gained from reading and praying the Psalms.

He wrote about his thoughts in his book Explanations of the Psalms:

Though all Scripture is fragrant with God’s grace, the Book of Psalms has a special attractiveness…In the Book of Psalms there is profit for all, with healing power for our salvation. There is instruction from history, teaching from the law, prediction form prophecy, chastisement from denunciation, persuasion from moral preaching. All who read it may find the cure for their own individual failings.

St. Ambrose then goes on to compare the Book of Psalms to a gymnasium and even a stadium:

All with eyes to see can discover in it a complete gymnasium for the soul, a stadium for all the virtues, equipped for every kind of exercise; it is for each to choose the kind he judges best to help him gain the prize.

While St. Ambrose was writing in the 4th century, his sense of a “gymnasium” was similar to our today.

Gymnasia were places for physical training as well as philosophical debate and study. St. Ambrose saw the Psalms as a similar place for the soul, where we can train for virtue and draw closer to God.

He also saw Psalms as a book that provides an apt summary of the Israelites’ journey:

If you wish to read and imitate the deeds of the past, you will find the whole history of the Israelites in a single psalm; in one short reading you can amass a treasure for the memory.

If someone is looking to read more of the Bible, a great place to start is the Psalms.