Cry from the heart

I always love it when I get a sign that “someone up there” is looking out for me. Case in point: this morning I went to the monastic library to select a volume from the Fathers of the Church series for my spiritual reading. I was looking especially for a book of homilies on  the psalms. I found a volume of St. Jerome’s homilies and decided I would give it a try. I brought it down to my room and when I opened the book I found a hidden bookmark which was a reproduction of one of my favorite paintings, in fact, one that hangs on the wall of my office. God-incidence! So I guess the book is meant for me.

Today I found a quotation from St. Jerome that helped shed light on many psalms: “The word ‘cry’ in Scripture does not refer to the cry of the voice, but to the cry of the heart.”

This teaching can help us find more personal connections to the psalm texts. Consider these verses from Psalm 55:

As for me, I will cry to God,

and the Lord will save me.

Evening, morning, and at noon,

I will cry and lament,

and he will hear my voice. (Psalm 55:17-18)

Let your heart sing out to the Lord and tell him what you need now, and now, and now.

God bless you! Have a nice weekend.