Anatomy of the Soul: John Calvin, Collective Suffering, and the Spiritual Practice of the Psalms
Psalms for the SpiritShow Notes
Watch this episode on YouTube here. Paid Subscribers can view the video directly in Substack. In this episode of Psalms for the Spirit, Kiran Young Wimberly sits down with renowned theologian, author, and longtime Union Theological Seminary president, Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, for a profound conversation about trauma, healing, and the enduring power of the Psalms. Drawing from her influential book Trauma and Grace: Theology in a Ruptured World, Serene reflects on John Calvin’s beautiful description of the Psalms as “an anatomy of all parts of the soul.” Together, Kiran and Serene explore how the Psalms give voice to grief, rage, fear, hope, and healing — and how prayer, lament, singing, and communal worship can help people process trauma and rediscover courage, agency, and grace. The conversation touches on collective suffering in today’s world, the role of faith communities in healing, and the deep comfort of knowing that God can hold even our most painful cries. One especially moving reflection from Serene reminds us: “God is there holding you, listening to you, hearing your tears and your cries, your woes, not afraid of them, tough enough to hold them.” This episode is an invitation to bring every part of yourself before God — even the broken and wounded parts — and to discover how the Psalms continue to guide us toward hope, resilience, and healing. Rev. Dr. Serene Jones is a highly respected scholar and public intellectual, and the 16th President of the historic Union Theological Seminary in the City of New York. The first woman to head the 190-year-old institution, Jones occupies the Johnston Family Chair for Religion and Democracy. She is a Past President of the American Academy of Religion, which annually hosts the world’s largest gathering of scholars of religion. Jones came to Union after seventeen years at Yale University, where she was the Titus Street Professor of Theology at the Divinity School, and Chair of the University’s Program in Women, Gender and Sexuality Studies. She is the author of several books including Trauma and Grace and, most recently, her memoir Call It Grace: Finding Meaning in a Fractured World. Jones, a popular public speaker, is sought by media to comment on major issues impacting society because of her deep grounding in theology, politics, women’s studies, economics, race studies, history, and ethics. Learn more about Rev. Dr. Serene Jones here: BlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/did:plc:djxudgtenayfvh2bepg4s2kyUnion Theological Seminary:Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/unionseminary/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/unionseminary/Threads: https://www.threads.com/@unionseminaryBlueSky: https://bsky.app/profile/unionseminary.bsky.socialLinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/school/union-theological-seminary/ Featured Celtic Psalms Songs: Psalm 30: You Have Turned My Sorrow Psalm 137: By The Waters Psalms for the Spirit is a listener-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
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Set to the 18th-century Scottish air ‘MacPhearson’s Lament,’ this Psalm reflects on the comfort of God’s everlasting protection. It begins with the iconic image of the hills or mountains that remind us of where we can find our help, and it continues to unfold the image of God watching over us, never slumbering, offering us shade and shelter, and blessing us as we “come and go,” both now and forever. Continue your reflections with the 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 I Lift My Eyes up to the Hills 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 writer of this Psalm praises God for responding mercifully to the cry of the suffering: in return, this individual offers to serve God faithfully. Set to the uplifting Irish melody ‘Galway Shawl,’ this is a Psalm of thanksgiving for deliverance from suffering, a testament to the transformation that can come through God’s help, and a commitment to faithfulness in response. Continue your reflections with the 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 Psalms for the Spirit is a reader-supported publication. To receive new posts and support my work, consider becoming a free or paid subscriber.
Testifying to God’s power to redeem us in times of trouble, this Psalm is set to ‘The Meeting of the Waters.’ It tells story after story of God redeeming people from various situations ~ wandering in deserts, imprisoned by misery and grief, stormy waters ~ and it continues to return to the encouraging message passed on from those who have experienced redemption: “From trouble, God will redeem us still.” Continue your reflections with the 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 O Give Thanks 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.
Recounting the story of the Exodus of the Hebrew people from Egypt and the crossing of the Red Sea, this song is set to the English tune ‘The Snow it Melts the Soonest’ proclaims God’s compassion despite the people’s continued rebellion and doubt. Telling the tale plainly and with a slightly ominous tone, this Psalm invites us to confess our own propensity to turn away, even when God has done great things for us. Continue your reflections with the 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 Banks of the Nile 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.
This Psalm praises the God of creation and is based on an old version of the air ‘Thugamar Féin an Samhradh Linn,’ rediscovered by singer Pádraigin Ní Uallacháin, which marks the arrival of summer. It moves through various aspects of the natural world, considering how God is behind it all, and as the Psalm concludes, we are led into thankfulness for all of life’s “good things,” for life and breath, for which we might sing our undying praise. Continue your reflections with the 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 Praise the Lord All the Earth 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.