Glen Rose Retreat 2010

With Dr. Toni Cravens

& Dr. Sherri Reynolds

The Glen Rose Presenter, Dr. Toni Craven, Memory and the Psalms.

We were presented a number of reference pages to read, to get the idea that biblical texts are reinterpreted, reanimated by successive generations, which is in the nature of ‘memory.’ Earlier psalms were plagiarized (reanimated) in later psalms. Memories of the past for the sake of the future generation—filtered by the ‘present’ generation’s experience—is a new way of thinking about, opining, re-describing biblical texts.

Toni in her presentation underscored the notion that the epistemological test for memory (keeping and forgetting) is not whether it’s true but whether it’s useful, to future generations. Memory has two faces, looking back, and looking forward. “The spiritual needs and questions of the community are given voice through imaginative interactions of memory.”

Her presentation started out with bookends: She pointed out the first word of Psalm 1 was “Happy” and Psalm 1’s person was happy with rules. Then she jumped to the last verse of the last psalm, 150, whose person was happy with chaos of shofars and musical instruments and just breathing (living). And she pointed out the major category of psalms in between were laments. I think Toni was trying to give us an overall experience—in part autobiographical-- of keeping the happy and the dismal in harmony, like a psalmist’s lament that yet recapsulates the community’s experience of better times & God’s favor.

In her intro remarks she said “remaining Roman Catholic…concerns me…sustains me.” She ended Saturday afternoon with: “I’m not angry any more.., because [the church] is dying… I’m gentle with the church; I wish they could return that favor.” And quoting Bateson: “We’re crossing a bridge to somewhere, and we’re making the bridge as we go.” These words could end up reading like an authentic psalm of lamentation in a skilled psalmist’s hands.

Ray Szempruch