Septem Psalmi Poenitentiales: History, Demise, and Rebirth of an Ascetical Tradition

“This day, brethren, warns me to think more attentively about the burden I carry.”¹ It is a safe bet that few homiletics professors would recommend this as an opening line for a homily celebrating the anniversary of one’s ordination, and yet, this is precisely how St. Augustine began his preaching one day sometime in the year a.d. 425. Looking back upon his years in ministry, Augustine did not shrink from calling his ministry what it was—a burden. “The very day is a reminder to me to think about this burden; in addition, such a reading as that is chanted (Ez 33) to strike great fear into my heart, and make me think about what I am carrying; because unless the one who placed it on my shoulders carries it with me himself, I am bound to fail.”² In an age in which homilies too often begin with a joke, Augustine’s approach would strike most modern congregations as dour and joyless, which may reveal more about our modern expectations than anything else. Certainly, there is a need for joy and there is even a place for a good sense of humor. Yet at the core of the sacred liturgy, we are about the serious work of worshipping almighty God, which is anything but a trivial pursuit.

The good bishop explained the source of his burden. He reminded the people that “you are only going to render an account for yourselves alone, while I shall be giving one both for myself and for you.”³

While one could carry this thought to an extreme, effectively absolving members of the flock from personal responsibility, it is likely that those in attendance understood perfectly well their bishop’s point. There is indeed a weighty duty that accompanies ecclesial ministry and one may rightfully speak of accountability with respect to the actions of the ministers of the Gospel, especially for those called to the episcopacy. In the past decade the Catholic priesthood has felt a crushing burden, a modern day sarcina,⁴ primarily due to the grievous sins of sexual misconduct by our brothers, and in some cases, the lack of proper ecclesiastical oversight from the episcopacy. To help the Church bear this heavy burden, I propose that she rediscover one of her venerable traditions—praying the penitential psalms.

Recovering an Important Spiritual Tradition

Praying the penitential psalms is a tradition that was inexplicably discarded following the Second Vatican Council, but it need not be irretrievably lost. Augustine was thoroughly steeped in the psalms and, understandably, passed that knowledge along to his flock. “I nourish you with what nourishes me. . . . I offer to you what I live on myself,” he once told his congregation.⁵ At the same time, Augustine’s episcopal duties too often prevented him from pursuing the intellectual life to the degree he desired. Many bishops today would heartily agree with him when he said, “Little force would be needed to make me to lead a life of leisure instead. . . . There could be nothing more enjoyable than rummaging around in the divine treasure chest with no one to plague me. . . . Preaching, arguing, correcting, building God’s house, having to manage for everyone—who would not shrink from such a heavy burden? But the Gospel terrifies me.”⁶

Augustine was not alone, even if he was rather bold in describing his responsibilities as he did. At the dawn of Vatican II, the Church’s liturgy was remarkably candid with respect to the burden of the sacred ministry. In the conclusion of the 1962 ceremony for the conferral of Minor Orders, the Roman Pontificale reveals a striking similarity to the homily referenced above. The closing reads, “Dearly beloved sons, carefully consider the order which you have received today and the burden which has been laid upon your shoulders. Endeavor to live holy lives devoted to religion and to be pleasing to the almighty God, that you may obtain His grace. May He in His mercy deign to bestow it upon you.”⁷ What happened next in...