vii F O R E WO R D This book contains a collection of Psalms and canticles from the Bible in a translation that has been chosen and approved by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB) for use in the Church’s Sacred Liturgy. The Biblical Psalms and Canticles The Psalms are “the masterwork of prayer in the Old Testament,” for both the individual believer and for the community (Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2585). “In the Psalms David, inspired by the Holy Spirit, is the first prophet of Jewish and Christian prayer. The prayer of Christ, the true Messiah and Son of David, will reveal and fulfill the meaning of this prayer” (CCC 2579). Jesus prayed the Psalms. As he was dying on the cross, he prayed the words of Psalm 22:2: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” Following his Resurrection, he told his disciples that the Psalms as well as the law of Moses and the prophets spoke of him and “must be fulfilled,” and he “opened their minds to understand the scriptures” (Lk 24:44-45). The New Testament writers frequently quote the Psalms in presenting the mystery of the person and work of Christ.
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