Thirst – Wisdom Chant

As the deer yearns for a running stream,
So my soul longs for You, living God.
O when shall I come in to see the face of Love?

Listen

I have at times felt ambivalent about the opening verses of Psalm 42. Whereas I love the image of the deer, the following verse seems to dissolve into teenage angst. This is definitely cataphatic prayer so I wasn’t sure that these words could find a place among a collection of contemplative chants.

However, as our spiritual journey progresses we can expect to come to a point where God seems to have gone elsewhere. Whatever consoling experiences we may have received hitherto dry up leaving us bereft in the desert. This, I believe, is what the Psalmist is writing about. John of the Cross coined the term ‘Night of Sense’ to describe what is usually a painful experience and taught that it constitutes an important step forward. God is weaning us off our dependence on reward to motivate our spiritual practice. From here on the journey is one of faith.

This last point is also made in the chant ‘Faith’ which serves as a companion to this one.