viii Many of the Psalms were originally composed for Jewish liturgical use, and since the time of Christ they have been used in the Church’s public prayer. The various types of Psalms—hymns of praise and thanksgiving, laments, poetic accounts of God’s saving works, royal Psalms, andwisdomPsalms—give eternal voice to the depth and richness of human experience. Psalms of hope and despair, joy and sorrow, faith and doubt can be prayed by people “of all times and conditions” (CCC 2588). Today they are an intrinsic part of nearly every liturgical celebration. In addition to the 150 Psalms, this collection includes translations of canticles from the Old and New Testaments that are part of the Church’s liturgy. These canticles are poetic Biblical passages that are similar to the Psalms in formand content, and they have been part of the Church’s public prayer since at least the fourth century. In the Liturgy of the Hours, Morning Prayer always includes an Old Testament canticle, such as the Song of Moses (Ex 15:1-12), the Canticle of Hannah (1 Sm2:1-10), or theCanticle of the ThreeYoung Men (Dn 3:57-88). There are three Gospel canticles that are prayed daily: the Canticle of Zechariah (Lk 1:69-78) at Morning Prayer, the Magnificat of Mary (Lk 1:4655) at Evening Prayer, and the Canticle of Simeon (Lk 2:29-32) at Night Prayer. Following the Second Vatican Council, additional New Testament canticles were also incorporated into the Liturgy of the Hours, particularly
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