"For God alone, my soul waits in silence; from him comes my salvation. He alone is my rock and my salvation, my fortress; I shall never be shaken." (Psalm 62:1-2 NRSV) "My soul waits silently for you From  you comes my deliverance Only you are my rock and my redemption My haven:  I shall not... Continue Reading →

Still in these wonderfully challenging Psalms, especially today 59, 60, and 61.  These are Psalms of crying out, of looking to God to lead in battle, of resistance against oppressors.  My first thought when reading them this morning was that I haven't really resonated with them in my life--and that maybe that is because I... Continue Reading →

I am deep into what could be understood as the perilous Psalms, or the Psalms that are an account of those crying out to God for salvation in the midst of turmoil.  This morning, we have Psalm 56, 57, and 58.  They are wonderful in their images, in the way they give us 'room,' as... Continue Reading →

This evening finds me in the space of supplications, offered by Psalms 53, 54, and 55.... "Fools say in their hearts, 'There is no God.'"  from 53, NRSV. These are heartfelt psalms, words of pleading and searching, wanting God to be present and helpful in overcoming their adversities. "God looks down from heaven on humankind... Continue Reading →

Today is the Feast of St. Bede, the wonderful yet enigmatic historian from whom we know so much about early English history. Today's psalms--at least on my cycle of Daily Lectio--land us at Psalms 50 to 52.  50 is another of the very unfamiliar ones to me, and nothing really hooked me as I read... Continue Reading →

I have a new favorite Psalm.  Why have I never really delved into Psalm 49?  I've spent time with it this evening, drinking tea and resting with my cold...  This psalm, to me, epitomizes the way "lectio" works...read something slowly and notice when one gets hooked, when a word or image resonates with one's life...and one... Continue Reading →

Pentecost Morning....I'm home with an awful cold, so I have the chance to spend a bit of time with the Psalms. On this day, the Church celebrates, remembers, the coming of the Holy Spirit to the fledgling church--as we would call it looking back on the group of disciples and Blessed Mary.  The Spirit came... Continue Reading →

Today, a day of rest....and an awful cold.  So, rest is good... And this evening, sitting and spending time reading the appointed psalms for this day, for my continued practice, looking toward my promises as a Camaldolese oblate.  I arrive at Psalm 42, one of my favorites.  But first, another wonderful pairing, with Psalm 41:... Continue Reading →

Mortality.  It's not a word that our culture wants to reflect on, yet it is an absolute fact of our existence.  I had a wonderful conversation with my friend Shirley Banks last week, and we were reflecting a bit on interfaith dialogue--Christian and Buddhist specifically.  Within Buddhism, there are the four noble truths:  all being... Continue Reading →

This morning finds me with Psalms 35 and 36, two texts that are quite  unfamiliar to me.  You know how we all have our "canon within the Canon," the texts that resonate with us.  I have to say that these two psalms have never really been on my radar. But they're powerful!  Psalms of pleading,... Continue Reading →