Why are the Psalms central to Catholic liturgy and prayer?
The 150 Psalms of the Old Testament are the inspired prayer book of God's People, expressing every human emotion—praise, joy, lament, sorrow, fear, repentance, and thanksgiving. Jesus Himself prayed the Psalms during His earthly life and quoted Psalm 22 on the Cross. In the Mass, the Responsorial Psalm responds to the First Reading, and in the Liturgy of the Hours, the Psalms form the continuous heartbeat of the Church's unceasing prayer throughout every day, training our hearts to pray in Christ's own voice.
Sources
- Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 2585-2589
- Psalm 22:1
Awaiting review by the chaplaincy. Written in our own words; the Church's own texts are the authority.