Book Reviews and More: You Shall Not Want 30 Days with the Psalms - Richard Chilson, John Kirvan and Caroline Myss

You Shall Not Want 30 Days with the Psalms

Great Spiritual Teachers

Richard Chilson (Complied)

John J. Kirvan (Editor)

Caroline Myss (Foreword)

Ave Maria Press

ISBN 9781594711565

ASIN B005JD2FRY

You Shall Not Want 30 Days with the Psalms - John Kirvan and Caroline Myss - Great Spiritual Teachers Series

This is the eighth volume in the Great Spiritual Teachers series I have read. It was originally released in 1996, and this book has been through 2 rebranding’s over the running of the series, with the latest in the last year or 2, though the eBook has not been updated as of the writing of this review. Last year the first I read in the series was Born to Do This: 30 Days with Joan of Arc by Jaymie Stuart Wolfe, and loved it and the concept of the series. I believe this is the only volume either currently in print, or older out of print in the series that does not specifically focus on a single author. Instead it looks at the Psalms and the central role that have played down through history, and how they can be meaningful and important to us today; even if we do not do the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Morning and Evening Prayers that rely heavily upon the psalms.

The description of this volume states:

“For over three thousand years the Psalms have been a source of comfort and wisdom to people of diverse faiths. Connect with the doubts, dreams and trials of the Psalmists through a month's worth of morning and evening readings. Take time to let the living tradition of the Psalms give voice to the longings of your heart and lead you to a deeper encounter with the God of all generations.”

About the series we are informed:

“Each book in the Great Spiritual Teachers series provides a month of daily readings from one of Christianity's most beloved spiritual guides. For each day there is a brief and accessible morning meditation drawn from the mystic's writings, a simple mantra for use throughout the day, and a night prayer to focus one's thoughts as the day ends. These easy-to-use books are the perfect prayer companion for busy people who want to root their spiritual practice in the solid ground of these great spiritual teachers.”

This volume lists two editors and an author that contributed the forward. Many of the oldest books in the series have the same attribution or some combination of the three. I believe there are 16 volumes in this series currently in print, including the first I read last year that was new and another new release this year. There are a few that are currently out of print, The oldest I have seen are from the mid 90’s and it looks like they went through a rebranding and format change in the mid 00’s, and they have undergone yet another rebranding in the 2020’s including some new titles available in the series. I must admit I do not recall running across this series prior to that first volume on Joan. I have however added a number of them to my ‘to be read list’. At this point if I can track them all down I plan to do about 1 a month till I have completed the series. I love the most recent rebranding, and hope Ave Maria completes the rebranding across all volumes, and brings back into print some of the volumes currently not available; specifically the volumes on John of the Cross, Evelyn Underhill, Mother Theresa and others. But back to this work.

While reading this I highlighted a few passages, some of them are:

“As mystics in their day, these great spiritual teachers knew that God expected a great deal of them. God was, first of all, their most intimate companion. They knew the Divine through direct experience, not through intellectual discourse. Their lives were a continual Holy Communion with the Divine.”

“Life is an ongoing journey of change and choice, a surrendering of the old and a trust in new beginnings. What these saints ultimately realized-and revealed to others-is that refining a relationship with God is the life choice on which all else is built.”

“These wonderful mystics are enjoying a renewed popularity precisely because so many people are recognizing the need to find the Sacred once again.”

“We need to clearly mark that well-worn path to the Divine on which we see footprints of these saints.”

“The Bible's Book of Psalms is a collection of prayers and hymns from the Israelite tradition, which Jews and Christians still share as their common prayer. These words and themes have shaped prayer in the West.”

“The purpose of this book is to open a gate for you, to make accessible the spiritual experience and wisdom of one of the world's great collections of prayers: the psalms.”

“This book was created to be nothing more than a gateway-a gateway to the spiritual wisdom of a specific tradition of prayer, a gateway opening on your own spiritual path. You may decide that the psalms are a form of prayer that provide an experience of God that you wish to explore more closely and deeply. In that case you should find a translation of their entire text that you find readable. Put it at your bedside; carry it with you. Pray it as you have prayed this journey.”

A sample day is:

“DAY Thirteen

My Day Begins

I waited patiently for the Lord

who inclined to me and heard my cry.

God drew me up from the desolate pit,

out of the miry bog,

and set my feet upon a rock,

making my steps secure.

God put a new song in my mouth,

a song of praise to our God.

Many will see and fear and trust God.

Blessed is the one who makes the Lord his trust,

who does not turn to the proud.

You have multiplied, O Lord my God,

your wondrous deeds and thoughts toward us;

none can compare with you!

Were I to proclaim and tell of them,

they would be more than can be numbered.

Sacrifice and offering you do not desire;

but you have given me an open ear.

I have told the glad news of deliverance

in the great congregation;

I have not restrained my lips, as you know, O Lord.

I have not hidden your saving help within my heart,

Do not, O Lord, withhold mercy from me.

For evils have encompassed me without number;

my iniquities have overtaken me, till I cannot see;

they are more than the hairs of my head;

my heart fails me.

O Lord, make haste to help me!

As for me, I am poor and needy;

but the Lord takes thought for me.

You are my help and my deliverer;

do not tarry, O my God.

All Through the Day

I wait patiently for the Lord who hears my cry.

My Day Is Ending

Take a few minutes in quiet now

to recall some time in your own life

when you were in trouble

and called out to God for help.

How did that aid come to you?

How might you share your story

with others so that they might

know of God’s goodness?

Night Prayer

Lord, I turn to you

when I am in distress.

Thank you for being there for me.

I will tell others of your mercy and love

so that all may come to know

your kindness.”

I hope those quotes and the sample day give you a feel for this excellent volume. I have now read 8 volumes in this series, and currently working on a ninth, and I can state this is an excellent offering. I find that some speak to me more than others. With one almost every day was like an ‘aha’ moment, others are more work and fewer moments. This one almost every day was a great experience. I can state I benefited from the month with each psalm being profiled. And if I went back and did a volume again at a different point or season in life I might interact with it differently. I already plan to circle back to both this volume and the volume on Joan and reread them once I have completed the series, or at least those I can track down.

This was one of the volumes I really connected with. This was a wonderful read, it is one I really enjoyed reading. I can easily recommend this volume and the series as a whole, and I look forward to reading others in the series. If you have not given any in this series a try this would be a great place to begin, but be warned it is very different than the rest.

Note: This book is part of a series of reviews: 2025 Catholic Reading Plan!