N A PERFECT WORLD, those of us who sing liturgy in Latin would understand each word as well as if we were singing in our native tongue. The more we understand the words, the more effectively we can pray. The alternative is simply to focus on forming beautiful Latin vowels and presenting the music of the Mass according to the highest artistic standards. To adopt this hollow approach would be to miss the point of worship.
And so we strive to go ever deeper with the text. I almost never hand out a Latin motet that doesn’t provide an English translation somewhere on the page. Especially in a choir like mine with so many young singers, it’s essential to make sure everyone is not just forming words, but being formed by the words.
Of course, our challenge is to do more than simply know the translations of all our Latin texts. Nearly every word we sing comes from Scripture—and we Catholics recognize the danger of being one’s own interpreter. We defer to higher authorities for insights into the often obscure meanings of Biblical texts. That’s why I keep my Haydock Bible at the ready. It provides commentary from a variety of sources and keeps me from gliding through Masses with only a childish understanding.
If your choir, like mine, sings the full Gregorian propers at each Mass, then you’ve probably noticed that most propers come from the Psalms. Who among us understands the Psalms? Some of them seem transparent enough at first reading. But many contain symbolism that’s not apparent to the typical layperson. And even the Haydock Bible doesn’t explain every verse.
Turn to St. Robert Bellarmine
I don’t remember how I stumbled across it, but at some point I became aware that St. Robert Bellarmine—a Doctor of the Church—wrote an in-depth commentary on all 150 Psalms. Simply titled A Commentary on The Book of Psalms, this hefty tome provides the great saint’s insights on each verse of every Psalm.
As St. Robert explains in the dedication of the original edition, when he was called from his religious order to serve as a Cardinal, he vowed never to let his increased public duties interfere with his study and contemplation of sacred matter. He decided to focus on the Psalms for his meditation and explanation because he believed that although all clerics read the Psalms daily, few understood them. St. Robert explains: 
“Nor was I deterred by the number of those who had already taken great trouble in explaining the Psalms; for such is their obscurity that no amount of labor in explaining them would seem to be superfluous. I, therefore, spent any time I could spare from public duties, especially in the quiet of the night, in meditating on the Psalms of David, and not without pleasure and advantage to myself.”¹
By his own admission, St. Robert gives more attention to some verses than to others:
“[I]f I am not mistaken, all the Psalms have been explained with sufficient clearness, though not at equal length; and, no doubt, complaints will be made of my having been too sparing in my notes on some of the Psalms, especially on some of the first, fair enough withal and perhaps too diffuse, with some; but one’s devotion is not equally ardent at all times, nor is his mind equally active.”²
Nevertheless, I’ve found that St. Robert’s commentaries provide a depth of insight on the Psalms that I haven’t encountered elsewhere. I now consult his book as I prepare the propers for every sung Mass at my parish.
How to Use This Book
This past summer, I bought the Preserving Christian Publications edition of St. Robert’s commentary. It’s a solid, no-nonsense hardcover. Flip through the pages and you won’t see any woodcuts or fancy fonts. But you’ll see something much more important: each psalm is provided first in its entirety, and then broken out verse by verse with commentary under each verse. With this edition (and perhaps with others, but I haven’t shopped around), you won’t need to keep jumping back to your Bible. Everything you need will be right there on the page. 
As I’ve mentioned in previous articles, my choir sings the propers from printouts of Graduale Renovatum. For each proper, I’ll read St. Robert’s commentary, identify what I believe are the most helpful and least obvious tidbits, and then write notes on my propers. During our Sunday rehearsal, before we sing each proper, I’ll announce St. Robert’s description of the Psalm (for example, Psalm 24 is “A prayer for grace, mercy, and protection against our enemies”) and then summarize the saint’s commentary based on my notes.
My choir members listen with rapt attention. Several of them have mentioned how much they appreciate knowing more about the Psalms we sing. And while I’m hardly qualified to teach anyone Scripture, I figure that as long as I paraphrase St. Robert as carefully as possible, only good can come out of this new exercise within our rehearsals.
Now here’s the bad news: this book costs about $50. But you’ve been good this year. Consider asking Santa to bring you St. Robert’s A Commentary on The Book of Psalms—and then prepare to walk with King David through the new liturgical year.
NOTE: St. Robert’s commentary is available online for free here. But the website I’ve linked doesn’t include the text of the psalms—only the commentary. I don’t like having to jump back and forth between a Bible and the screen, but maybe it won’t bother you. At the very least, the website gives you a chance to preview the commentary and decide whether you want to invest in the book.
