Discovering the Breviary
Starting the Day Right with Invitatory Psalms
I still remember one of our lessons in Chinese class way back in high school, “好的开始就是成功的一半。” (“A good start is half success.”) Indeed, having a good plan at the onset would help one succeed in one’s endeavors. Perhaps, the same can be said in our daily prayer lives. I am saying this from my experience when I discovered the Breviary.
In the Roman Breviary, the Invitatory is always said at the start of one’s day. We start with the words, “Lord, open my lips. And my mouth will proclaim your praise.” Then, we proceed with either Psalm 95, Psalm 24, Psalm 67, or Psalm 100. I would recommend starting the day meditating on either of these Psalms even if you don’t use the breviary.
Of these, I particularly like Psalm 95 as it starts with an inviting tone fitting for when one wakes up from a good night’s sleep:
Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord;
cry out to the rock of our salvation.
(Psalm 95:1, NABRE)
It is an invitation for us to sing to the Lord for giving us a new day — a fresh start to praise and thank the Lord. Farther into the psalm, we hear the reason behind the praises and the thanks. It is the greatness of God — King over all the gods, Creator of all things, and our Divine Shepherd.
Midway into the psalm, we are then reminded to make today holy not just by praising God, but also by living upright lives:
Oh, that today you would hear his voice:
Do not harden your hearts as at Meribah,
as on the day of Massah in the desert.
There your ancestors tested me;
they tried me though they had seen my works.
(Psalm 95:7b-9, NABRE)
Here, we hear that it is a new day. It is a new day for us to have a fresh start. It is a day to turn away from sin and finally return back to God. It is a day to move forward in the race of holiness.
When we start the day using any of these psalms to pray, to meditate, and to praise God, we start the day right by inviting the Holy Spirit to come into our lives and strengthen us throughout the day that we may make every day holy. And I can see how doing so has helped me live good days in my life.
Note: This is the second article in a series on Discovering the Breviary.
