To begin the prayer, choose one or two songs of praise. Jesus
prayed these age-old prayers of his people. Christians have
always found a wellspring of life in them. The psalms place us
in the great communion of all believers. Our joys and sorrows,
our trust in God, our thirst and even our anguish find
expression in the psalms. One or two persons can alternate in
reading or singing the verses of a psalm. After each verse, all
respond with an Alleluia or another sung acclamation. If the
verses are sung they should be short, usually two lines. In some
cases, the congregation can hum the final chord of the
acclamation while the solo verses are being sung. If the verses
are read and not sung, they can be longer. It is not necessary
to read the entire psalm. Do not hesitate to choose just a few
verses, and always the most accessible ones Reading Scripture is
a way of going to “the inexhaustible wellspring by which God
gives himself to thirsting human beings” (Origen, 3rd century).
The Bible is a “letter from God to