Inside the Psalms - (Monastic Wisdom) by Maureen McCabe (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

The psalms are at the very heart of monastic prayer. Recited seven times a day in the liturgy and reflected upon in the mind through the day during work and lectio divina, they provide those who recite them regularly with a privileged way into continual mindfulness of God. allowing Christians to pray as Christ prayed, the psalms form Christians in Christ, and become a vital part of the formation process, both in monastic life and in Christian living.

After teaching Scripture to women in monastic formation at Mount Saint Mary's Abbey in Wrentham, Massachusetts, for many years, Sister Maureen McCabe shares her insights into these biblical songs with those outside the cloister. In reflecting on the psalms in an integral and sapiential way, she strives to meet novices in a way that respects both the unifying elements of the life as well as the heart's search for a wisdom and meaning. Always in the background there is solid exegesis, but exegesis is at the service of persons who are discerning a commitment to alive wholly ordered to contemplation.

Review Quotes

This is a beautiful book! The best thing I can say is `Tolle, lege' (Take and read)... It is definitely a volume to return to again and again... And it's not for novices only!Cistercian Studies Quarterly

Sharing in McCabe's heartfelt sensitivity to the psalms she chose to dwell on will enrich the prayer-life of all who treasure the psalter's profound wisdom. Prairie Messenger

This is a serious book and deserves total attention to read from cover to cover. Maureen McCabe, OCSO, gives us an example, those of us who pick up our office books hour after hour, day after day. We need to note what she says, but more than that, do what she does.Meg Funk, OSB