We begin a new prayer series, looking at the Catecheses on the Psalms and Canticles of the Liturgy of the Hours by Pope John Paul II.
Beginning March 2001 until his death (and continued afterwards by Pope Benedict XVI), St. John Paul II gave a series of catecheses on the Psalms and Canticles found in the Liturgy of the Hours, a prayer that is important not just for clergy and religious, but for the entire Church.
John Paul II explains that the Psalms, though ancient, remain an ideal source of Christian prayer and help us grow in “the art of prayer.” Why does praying the Old Testament Psalms have such spiritual significance for Christians?
“The Fathers were firmly convinced that the Psalms speak of Christ. The risen Jesus, in fact, applied the Psalms to himself when he said to the disciples: ‘Everything written about me in the law of Moses and the prophets and the psalms must be fulfilled.'”
The Pope highlights how the early Church embraced the Psalter as its primary prayer book. Praying the Psalms connects believers both to Christ and to one another, reminding Christians that authentic prayer to the Father is inseparable from communion with our brothers and sisters.
John Paul II emphasizes how in praying the Psalms, Christians experience a profound harmony between “the Spirit present in the Scriptures and the Spirit who dwells within” through baptism. When we pray the Psalms, we are not merely using our own words but joining in Christ’s own prayer to the Father: “More than praying in his own words, he echoes those ‘sighs too deep for words’ mentioned by St Paul, with which the Lord’s Spirit urges believers to join in Jesus’ characteristic invocation: ‘Abba! Father!'”
The Pope traces how the early Church gradually shaped its prayer rhythm around specific times of day, transforming Jewish prayer practices while maintaining their essence. He explains that Christians selected particular Psalms for different moments, illuminating them with the Trinitarian doxology (“Glory be to the Father…”) to reflect Christian faith. This daily prayer cycle connects to the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection: “Christian prayer is born, nourished and develops around the event of faith par excellence: Christ’s paschal mystery.”
The Pope concludes with Origen’s wisdom that “one who prays ceaselessly is one who combines prayer with work and work with prayer,” showing how the Liturgy of the Hours helps fulfill Jesus’s command to “pray always” while integrating prayer with daily life.
Read:
Catechesis 1. Psalter is ideal source of Christian prayer
Catechesis 2. The Spirit prays through us in the Psalms
