These ancient words of lament, combined with a haunting medieval traditional Irish melody, express the human longing to see God’s face in times of sorrow. The original tune ‘The Lament of the Three Marys/Coaineadh na dTrí Muire’ depicts the three Marys’ cries of sorrow at the tomb of Jesus - a moving complement to this prayer expressing sorrow and abandonment, and the yearning for signs of hope.

Get your accompanying journal, which includes further questions for reflection and some invitations to prayer and practice

Paid subscribers receive a free journal PDF, or you can purchase a paperback version

Visit the Celtic Psalms website for scores/books, mp3s, CDs, and videos for How Long

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A Psalm of praise to the Creator of the wonders of nature, this Psalm also contains a call to action - that in our status “underneath the angels,” we need to take responsibility for caring for creation. Set to the Irish tune ‘Far, Far Beyond the Mountain,’ and through the slightly ominous tones of the arrangement, we hear anew the sobering reminder to show respect and dignity to the world we live in.

Get your accompanying journal, which includes further questions for reflection and some invitations to prayer and practice

Paid subscribers receive a free journal PDF, or you can purchase a paperback version

Visit the Celtic Psalms website for scores/books, mp3s, CDs, and videos for Majestic

Find out more about the Habits for the Spirit course: an 8-week online course exploring habits and daily spiritual practices to promote wellbeing in body, mind, and spirit

Follow Kiran’s monthly reflections on Bless My Feet

Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

The very first Psalm, set to the tune ‘Bán Chnoic Éirann Ó,’ speaks of following the “law” of God – and so we remember the greatest commandment: to love God, neighbor and self. When we grow in connection to this love, we can flourish and thrive like trees planted by streams of water. In times of weariness and anxiety, grief and loss, anger at injustice, longing for peace, we can plant ourselves in what is life-giving, with what allows us to experience and express love, with what taps us into the wellspring of true delight.

Get your accompanying journal, which includes further questions for reflection and some invitations to prayer and practice

Paid subscribers receive a free journal PDF, or you can purchase a paperback version

Visit the Celtic Psalms website for scores/books, mp3s, CDs, and videos for Their Delight

Find out more about the Habits for the Spirit course: an 8-week online course exploring habits and daily spiritual practices to promote wellbeing in body, mind, and spirit

Follow Kiran’s monthly reflections on Bless My Feet

Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

A Psalm for Christmas Eve: Sing to the Lord (Psalms 98, 99 and 100).

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*Lamp photo from Unsplash

This Advent, I’ll be sharing four Psalms for the season leading up to Christmas. We may not think of Psalms during Advent, but they have been part of Advent liturgies for generations.

Today’s Psalm is Psalm 85: Love and Mercy. Pick up a free printable journal when you become a paid subscriber, or order a paperback version copy here.

For a deeper exploration of this Psalm, listen to Ep. 11 with Paul Hutchinson.

Check out my Resilient Spirit offerings ~ a membership, courses, and 1:1 sessions.

Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

*Lamp photo from Unsplash

This Advent, I’ll be sharing four Psalms for the season leading up to Christmas. We may not think of Psalms during Advent, but they have been part of Advent liturgies for generations.

Check out my Resilient Spirit offerings ~ a membership, courses, and 1:1 sessions.

Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

*Lamp photo from Unsplash

In this episode of Psalms for the Spirit, I’m joined by Rev. Julie Hoplamazian, an Episcopal priest in New York City and the founder of Faith on Pointe ~ a ministry exploring ballet as a spiritual practice and theological language. A lifelong dancer, Julie weaves together her grounding in ballet, her Armenian heritage, her love for stories and art, and her recent journey through cancer with a deep, honest faith.

Julie reflects on the Psalms that speak to her most and shares how these ancient words have met her in seasons of fear, recovery, and resilience, and how dance became part of her healing journey.

Through her ministry, Julie teaches ballet not as performance, but as prayer: a way of listening to the body, noticing the movements of the heart, and letting the Spirit speak through breath, balance, opposition, and grace. Her insights gently invite us to consider how movement can help us know God, know ourselves, and reconnect with hope in difficult times.

“Our bodies know things before our minds do ~ sometimes healing begins with simply lifting your heart.”

This conversation is a beautiful reminder that God meets us in every posture: in grief that folds inward, in courage that rises slowly, and in the unexpected moments when mourning really does turn into dancing.

Learn more about Rev. Julie here:Website: faithonpointe.comInstagram: @faith_on_pointe

Featured Song:

Psalm 30: You Have Turned My Sorrow

Proclaiming God’s power to transform sorrow into ‘dancing and song,’ this Psalm is sung to the uplifting Irish melody, “Green Grows the Laurel.” It’s a testament to coming through a time of sorrow and mourning, and finding dancing, song, and joy once again.

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Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.

In this episode of Psalms for the Spirit, I’m joined by Brendan McManus, a Jesuit priest from Lisnaskea, Northern Ireland. After years in the computer industry, Brendan felt a deeper call that led him into the Jesuits and into a lifelong exploration of Ignatian spirituality, pilgrimage, and finding God in everyday life. He now serves as a spiritual director, retreat leader, and author of Finding God in the Mess and other works rooted in hope and discernment.

Brendan reflects on how the Psalms have shaped his own journey—from the joy of Psalm 139’s reminder that we are “fearfully and wonderfully made,” to the cry of Psalm 130’s “Out of the depths,” and the trust of Psalm 23’s walk through the valley of darkness. He shares stories from the Camino de Santiago—times of deep encounter and unexpected struggle—and the wisdom that emerged from injury, loss, and renewal.

“When life feels like a storm, keep walking. Look at your feet and trust that God is on the path with you.”

This episode invites you to embrace the pilgrimage of your own life ~ to find God not in perfection, but in the sacred mess of the journey itself.

Featured Song:

Psalm 23: The Lord’s My Shepherd

This beloved psalm, describing God shepherding us through green pastures and dark valleys, is set to the well-known air, “The Parting Glass.”

Check out my Resilient Spirit offerings ~ a membership, courses, and 1:1 sessions.

Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.