Day 333: The Psalms

The Psalms constitute the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament. They present two inseparable qualities: the personal and the communal. They extend to all dimensions of history, recalling God's promises already fulfilled and looking for the coming of the Messiah. Prayed and fulfilled in Christ, the Psalms are an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church. They are suitable for men of every condition and time. CCC 2596-97

Today's reading from the Catechism is set oddly, consisting of just an In Brief starting at CCC 2590. It really should begin at 2585, where King David and the Psalms are discussed, given the title for today. In CCC 2586, we see that "the Psalms both nourished and expressed the prayer of the People of God" from the time of King David to the present day. They were used in the liturgy of the Temple, and continue to be used in the Mass. We see how they continue to "teach us to pray" and praise God in the Psalter (CCC 2587).

The Catechism Compendium summarizes the importance of the Psalms in prayer:

The Psalms are the summit of prayer in the Old Testament: the Word of God becomes the prayer of man. Inseparably both personal and communal, and inspired by the Holy Spirit, this prayer sings of God’s marvelous deeds in creation and in the history of salvation. Christ prayed the Psalms and brought them to fulfillment. Thus, they remain an essential and permanent element of the prayer of the Church suited to people of every condition and time. (#540)

The Catechism Companion Vol III has some good commentary on this:

Praise is essential in our prayer and in our relationship with God. Many of the psalms are prayers glorifying God. The psalms can become our prayer. They nourish us, but they also express the depths of our hearts. Jesus himself recited the psalms, and the psalms point to him. The psalms remind us of God's goodness and faithfulness. We pray the psalms because they remain the Word of God. They remain an ever-present and ever-powerful way to pray... We need to hold on to this in our prayer: a constant characteristic of simplicity, humility, trust, and confidence that even in the darkest of days, even the darkest of moments, God is still with us. (p. 182)