Dear Folks,

You have perhaps learned that the Catholic Church is putting out a new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours. This is a practice older than the rosary and rooted in Jewish practice, and being liturgy, not a devotion, it is a way we can be one with Jesus, and He is speaking though us to the Father. As a Catholic practice it started at the cathedrals and became common at the monasteries. During the Middle Ages it became the practice of clergy and religious only. The Second Vatican Council called for lay people to once again get involved in the practice. I think this is a good opportunity to get more lay people involved in the practice. It centers around the Psalms, and most Catholics haven’t been taught much about the Psalms. We pray a Psalm, or part of a Psalm at every single Mass, but how much do we really know about the Psalms? 

I just finished reading “Psalm Basics for Catholics” by Dr. John Bergsma. It is an easy read, I would think for high school students or ever upper elementary (Not my area of expertise) but it has a lot of information in it, and I learned a lot of things that I didn’t know. 

There are 5 “books” in the book of Psalms, and most of the Psalms in each book move in a certain direction. Psalms 1 and 2 are an introduction to the thought of the Psalter, first from a wisdom perspective and then from a royal perspective. 

The “books” of psalms are: Book 1: Psalms 1-41; Book 2: Psalms 42-72; Book 3: Psalms 73-89, Book 4: Psalms 90-106; and Book 5: Psalms107-150. We will learn from Dr. Bergsma how the “books” fit into salvation history. 

Jesus certainly knew and prayed the Psalms. We see he quoted Psalm 82 “you are gods” in John 10:34; Psalm 22 “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me (Matthew 27:46), Psalm 31 “Father, into your hands I commend my spirit (Luke 23:46).” If you read Psalm 24 you know that “Blessed are the clean of heart, for they will see God” is not a new teaching. If you read Psalm 37 you will see that “Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the land” is not a new teaching. 

The Psalms give us ways to pray whether we are happy or sad, on top of the world or having our lowest day. They give us words to bring all of ourselves to God.

There are various books on how to pray the Liturgy of the. Hours (I was surprised how many are available) and I’m going through them, hoping to share some recommendations. In the meantime, this introduction to the Psalms is a good place to start.

More soon.

Blessings,

Fr. Jim