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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
Liturgy of the Hours	Deacon Ray	Monday, December 28, 2009
Question: Can you tell me why some of the pslams in the Liturgy of the hours have a psalm prayer and some do not. What determines which psalm has a psalm prayer and why did they choose to put them where they are?
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM Dear Deacon: The Psalm-Prayers are supplement to the Divine Office and are designed to help the pray-er to better understand the psalm just read from a Christian point-of-view. The General Instruction for the Liturgy of the Hours explains: 112. Psalm-prayers for each psalm are given in the supplement to The Liturgy of the Hours as an aid to understanding them in a predominantly Christian way. An ancient tradition provides a model for their use: after the psalm a period of silence is observed, then the prayer gives a resume and resolution of the thoughts and aspirations of those praying the psalms. Not every Psalm has a Psalm-Prayer because not every Psalm needs further explanation to understand it as a Christian. Those charged with compiling the Divine Office texts are the ones that determine which Psalms need additional explanation. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary P.S. I just opened up the Divine Office Forum so questions on the Divine Office can be asked over there from now on. It has been offline for a couple months as we were moving the site to a new server. Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

Liturgy of the Hours

Deacon Ray

Monday, December 28, 2009

Question:

Can you tell me why some of the pslams in the Liturgy of the hours have a psalm prayer and some do not. What determines which psalm has a psalm prayer and why did they choose to put them where they are?

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM

Dear Deacon:

The Psalm-Prayers are supplement to the Divine Office and are designed to help the pray-er to better understand the psalm just read from a Christian point-of-view. The General Instruction for the Liturgy of the Hours explains:

112. Psalm-prayers for each psalm are given in the supplement to The Liturgy of the Hours as an aid to understanding them in a predominantly Christian way. An ancient tradition provides a model for their use: after the psalm a period of silence is observed, then the prayer gives a resume and resolution of the thoughts and aspirations of those praying the psalms.

Not every Psalm has a Psalm-Prayer because not every Psalm needs further explanation to understand it as a Christian. Those charged with compiling the Divine Office texts are the ones that determine which Psalms need additional explanation.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

P.S. I just opened up the Divine Office Forum so questions on the Divine Office can be asked over there from now on. It has been offline for a couple months as we were moving the site to a new server.

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum