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| photo credit: kudzu.com |
Every January, after the Christmas things get put away, I get the urge to rearrange the living room. It's a combination of that new year's urge to make a fresh start and the extra spare time that is the inevitable result of winter weather. (Nothing else to do when I can't drive anyplace.Yes, I know I should pray more, but there it is.) This year the redecorating bug has extended to the layout of Coffee&Canticles. I hope you like the new look. (the link to Amazon on the book cover has also been fixed. I think.)
Starting today I'll be toying with a new feature: a weekly or bi-weekly Divine Office factoid. Short, good- to- know items about the various elements of the Liturgy of the Hours, rubrics, variations among breviaries, etc. Maybe a little history thrown in here and there.
Today's factoid: The Invitatory Psalm
The Invitatory Psalm is an optional element (although heavily favored by tradition) with which one might begin the day's liturgical hours. It is said before either the Office of Readings or Morning Prayer, whichever of these is your first hour of the morning, i.e.,you don't say the Invitatory psalm before the Office of Readings if you custom is to do the OOR the previous night, or later in the day after morning prayer.
Although it is not spelled out in the General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours, the sense one gets from reading it is that you would NOT use the Invitatory psalm if the first and/or only hour you do each day is daytime prayer, evening prayer, or night prayer.
The Invitatory Psalm (generally Psalm 95, although 100, 67, or 24 may be substituted) has it's own opening verse: O Lord, open my lips/and my mouth shall proclaim your praise, which is said while tracing the sign of the cross over one's lips with one's thumb. This is followed by an antiphon, recitation of the psalm, the Glory Be, and a repeat of the antiphon. If praying in a group, the antiphon may be repeated after each strophe as in the responsorial psalm at mass. This is not required for individual recitation.
If you say the Invitatory Psalm, you will then move right into the first liturgical hour WITHOUT the usual opening verse (O God, Come to my assistance, etc.)
And let this suffice for the Invitatory.
Unless, of course, you have questions or comments.
