Lord, Hear My Cry

This book offers a reflection based on the traditional seven penitential psalms (Pss 6, 32, 38, 51, 102, 130, 143), which have been designated as such and prayed with during Lent since the seventh century. The author uses his own translation when needed for a verse or two from the original Hebrew as a foundation to offer a spiritual meditation/reflection based on life, prayer, and scripture. These core seven penitential psalms are complemented with other psalms used during Lent in the lectionary and work in conversation with one another.

The first three penitential psalms make references to the body’s bones as the visceral center of the psalmist’s lament. These “bone psalms” reveal a gut level reaction that serves as the entry point into a Lenten reflection or pilgrimage. These seven psalms highlight the fact that something in the past has gone very wrong for the individual or the collective group. Audiences today will notice how true that reality is for the world or for their own personal history; the fact that something went astray and somehow life has a way of catching up to the unreflective sojourner. The first step into wholeness, however, is discovered in the recognition to offer a prayer of healing. The psalmist makes this discovery, “Heal me, Lord, for my bones are shuddering” (Ps 6:3). This book will begin and end with a focus on “healing” as the essential prayer for Lent.

Victor M. Cancino SJ