The Liturgy of the Hours
Compiled by Fr. Felix Just, S.J., Ph.D.

Index of Psalms and Canticles
used in the Four-Week Psalter

NOTES:

• The first column gives the biblical references of the Psalms and Canticles, in canonical order.
  • For the full names of biblical books, see my page explaining Biblical Abbreviations.
  • The sigla (I&II) or (I&II&III) or (IV&V&VI) indicate that a single psalm is broken up into two or more sections within the Psalter.
  • Psalm 119 is broken up into twenty-two sections, not only in modern translations but already in the ancient manuscripts of the Hebrew Bible.
  • In most cases, the entire psalm is used in the Psalter; only when some verses are omitted are the verse numbers explicitly listed above [click here for more details].
• The second column indicates the week(s), day(s), and hour(s) in which the psalm or canticle is used.
  • Psalms 4, 91, and 134 are not part of the 4-week Psalter, but used only during Night Prayer.
  • Psalms 58, 83, and 109 are completely omitted from the Liturgy of the Hours, since their content was deemed excessively violent. See the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, par. 131.
  • See also the webpages showing the complete Four-Week Psalter and the Tables for each Liturgical Hour.
• The third column lists the Epigraph (title or heading) printed above the biblical text in the published editions of the Liturgy of the Hours.
  • For Psalm 119, the epigraph is not printed above each section, but only the first time this psalm is used in each of the four weeks of the Psalter.
• Other Abbreviations:
  • MP = Morning Prayer, Lauds (normally prayed early in one's day)
  • DP = Daytime Prayer (can be used at any time between MP and EP)
  • EP = Evening Prayer, Vespers (normally prayed around sunset)
  • EP1 = Evening Prayer I of Sundays (used on Saturday evenings)
  • EP2 = Evening Prayer II of Sundays (used on Sunday evenings)
  • OR = Office of Readings, Matins (may be done at any time of the day)
  • NP = Night Prayer, Compline (normally prayed just before going to sleep)
• Seasonal Differences:
  • Psalms 78, 105, and 106 are used only during the ligurgical seasons of Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter;
    during Ordinary Time, Psalms 50, 55, 131, 132, 136 are used instead.

Related Pages on This Website:

• The Four-Week Psalter: Complete Charts
• The Four-Week Psalter: Sorted by Hour
• Psalms and Verses Omitted from the Psalter
• The Ordinary of the Liturgy of the Hours

Related Pages on Other Websites:

• General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours (HTML, at EWTN)
• General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours (PDF, at LiturgyOffice.org.uk)
• Liturgy of the Hours: The daily prayer of the Church (brief intro, from USCCB)

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This page was last updated on November 13, 2024
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