Scripture Meditation: Memorizing Scripture: The Monastic Tradition

The Rule of St. Benedict required monks to memorize the entire Psalter (150 Psalms) within their first year. This was not merely an intellectual exercise but a way of internalizing Scripture so deeply that it became the monk's native language. The Psalms then provided a vocabulary for prayer at all times -- in joy and sorrow, in health and sickness, in solitude and community.…