From the Rule of St. Benedict (Ch. 13):
“On weekdays the Morning Office shall be celebrated as follows. Let Psalm 66 be said without an antiphon and somewhat slowly, as on Sunday, in order that all may be in time for Psalm 50, which is to be said with an antiphon. After that let two other Psalms be said according to custom . . .”
One of my former priests once told me that she had a friend who, as a daily practice, did not speak after rising in the morning until she had said, “Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.” I thought that beginning the day by asking God to sanctify your lips and words was a great idea.
The practice of using psalms to begin the day with praise comes right out of the sixth century Rule of St. Benedict. The rite of Morning Prayer, still practiced today in the church, begins “Lord, open my lips and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.”
Praise forms a major part of morning worship, as Benedict described it in the Rule. Although he laid out an order of worship in which different psalms are chanted each day, Psalm 50 seems to be a constant, and one that Benedict didn’t want anyone to miss. Psalm 50 is the one that begins: “The mighty one, God the Lord, speaks and summons the earth from the rising of the sun to its setting.”
It ends: “Those who bring thanksgiving as their sacrifice honor me; to those who go the right way I will show the salvation of God.” In other words, the psalm begins by speaking dramatically of God’s power and concludes by saying that the best sacrifice we can offer God is the gift of thanksgiving. Making a habit of daily praise and thanksgiving develops in us a salutary spirit of gratitude, being thankful for our life and for all God has given us.
Prayer
Mighty God, I acknowledge your power and sovereignty. Thank you for my life with all its joys and challenges, and for all you have made and all you have given me. Amen.
Improbable Benedictine 