Psalms: A Spiritual Commentary

By M. Basil Pennington, OCSO and Phillip Ratner

Let the Psalms help you forge a deeper connection to the Divine.

Showing how the Psalms give profound and candid expression to both our highest aspirations and our deepest pain, the late, highly respected Cistercian Abbot M. Basil Pennington shares his reflections on some of the most beloved passages from the Bible’s most widely read book. In this companion volume to The Song of Songs: A Spiritual Commentary, Pennington is once again joined by Jewish artist Phillip Ratner, whose evocative works will lead you into more meaningful contemplation of the inner spirit of the Psalms.

Pennington describes how the monastic tradition of regular reflection on the Psalms—a technique St. Benedict called the “work of God,” or Opus Dei—can help you transform your everyday life into a powerful life of prayer. Enriched by Jewish and Christian faith, the drawings and meditations speak to every person wanting both to connect with their most human longings and to forge a vital connection with the Divine.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Turner Publishing Company
• Release date: Dec 7, 2011
• ISBN: 9781594734113

M. Basil Pennington, OCSO

M. Basil Pennington, OCSO was a monk for more than fifty years. He lived at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts and was the author of many modern spiritual classics, including Lectio Divina; Centering Prayer.

Book preview

Blessed Are They

Psalm 1

1   Blessed are they who enter

not the assembly of the ungodly,

nor stand in the gathering of sinners, nor sit with the scornful.

2   Their delight is in the Law of the Lord;

day and night they meditate upon it.

3   They shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water.

They bring forth their fruit in due season;

their leaves shall not wither.

Whatever they produce is good.

4   Not so the ungodly.

They are like the chaff that the wind drives away.

5   They, as evildoers, shall not stand in the judgment,

nor, as sinners, have a place in the congregation of the just ones.

6   The Lord watches over the way of the just

but the assembly of the ungodly shall perish.

Their delight is in the law of the Lord;

day and night they meditate upon it.

They shall be like a tree planted by rivers of water.

They bring forth their fruit in due season;

their leaves shall not wither.

Blessed Are They

Blessed are they." The whole tone of the inspired collection of wisdom songs we call Psalms is set in this little song, placed at the head. A prologue, as it were. The Psalms lead us, draw us, guide us into the way that leads to abundant blessings, a truly blessed and happy life.

First, we must make our choice. We are free. We hear again echo down the years that clear directive of the man to whom God spoke face-to-face, holy Moses: Choose life! (Deut.