The Liturgy of the Hours displeases many who
are new to it because, as human beings, we
don't like wandering in the dark. It's
not satisfying to recite psalms at random
and we really can't meditate on them until
we can shake this feeling of disorder.
We need to be conscious of the arrangement
of the Psalter so that we may make it our
own.
There are 150 Psalms in the Bible and all of
them except for Psalms 58, 83 and 109 are
included in the LOTH Psalter. Psalm
119 has 176 verses, so it is broken into
parts. There are psalms that relate to
different times of day and they are recited
at those times. There are some psalms
judged to be "more important" by the Church
that are read more frequently in the
schedule than the rest--these would be the
first we should memorize! The
Psalter in the LOTH is divided into four
weeks, so we recite the entire book of
Psalms (almost) every 4 weeks when we pray
the LOTH consistently. That's
motivation enough to be consistent!
The following chart shows the normal
schedule for reciting the Psalms in the LOTH.
By studying this chart, you can begin to see
the patterns built into the Psalter.
Let's consider some of the points:
-
Psalms 4 and 134 are recited every
Saturday at Night Prayer
-
Psalm 118 is recited every Sunday.
-
Psalms 23 and 76 are recited every other
Sunday at Daytime prayer.
-
Psalm 110 is recited every Sunday at
Evening Prayer.
-
Psalm 91 is recited every Sunday at
Night Prayer.
-
Psalm 119 is read over the course of 4
weeks at Daytime Prayer.
-
Psalm 86 is read every Monday at Night
Prayer.
-
Psalm 143 is read every Tuesday at Night
Prayer.
-
Psalms 31 and 130 is read every
Wednesday at Night Prayer.
-
Psalm 16 is read every Thursday at Night
Prayer.
-
Psalm 51 is read every Friday at Morning
Prayer.
-
Psalm 88 is read every Friday at Night
Prayer.
Now, this weekly schedule is contained
in each volume of your LOTH set, for it
is the same throughout the year.
Take some time to flip through the
psalter and see that the schedule below
is the schedule of your preadings.
If you notice any other patterns, let me
know! I'm praying with you.
William Michael
wmichael@classicalliberalarts.com
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