“O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.” – Ps. 51:17
Over the past two years I have fallen in love with the Liturgy of the Hours. It is the universal prayer of the Church, recited throughout the day by priests, religious, and the lay faithful alike. The words of the opening prayer for the first “hour” of the day are always the same: “Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.” This verse comes from Psalm 51, which also happens to be the Responsorial Psalm at Mass for this upcoming Sunday. In this reflection, I would like to draw your attention to a few significant and beautiful details surrounding this snippet from Sacred Scripture.
The Little Sisters of St. Francis of Assisi come together for prayer. These sisters are CARITAS' ministry partners for our Catholic child sponsorship programs in Uganda.
One thing this verse emphasizes is the importance of making our very first words of the day a prayer. Imagine a quiet country monastery, just before dawn. Ringing bells echo through the early morning twilight, rousing the monks from their beds. One by one, they rise silently and begin to shuffle toward the chapel. Only the padded footsteps, swishing vestments, creaking pews, and rustling pages can be heard as they settle into their spots.
Once all is still, a single, clear voice cuts through the silence: “Lord, open my lips…”
The rest of the friars respond in unison, “and my mouth shall proclaim your praise.”
The leader again intones, “Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit…”
And again they all reply, “as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen. Alleluia!”
This scene characterizes how the monastic life of countless contemplative religious orders is filled with silence and punctuated by prayer. It’s remarkable that the very first thing that nuns and friars like these say every morning – before they utter anything to anyone else – are words of praise to God. What a beautiful reminder that God is the origin of our life and that our relationship with Him ought to be the highest priority of our day.
This theme – that we ought to give the best, or first, portion of all we have to God – runs deeply throughout the Old Testament. Here are just a few examples from the Mosaic Law:
You shall give [the LORD] the firstborn of your sons (Exodus 22:28).
The choicest first fruits of your soil you shall bring to the house of the LORD, your God (Exodus 23:19).
You shall consecrate to the LORD, your God, every male firstling born in your herd and in your flock (Deuteronomy 15:19).
Indeed, it is right and just that we offer the finest portion of our goods back to God, because everything that we have comes from Him. He is the primary actor, not us. This is the second idea that I would like you to notice in Psalm 51:17. God is the one who must “open our lips” before we can give Him any kind of praise. He is the one who puts the breath in our lungs and words on our tongues. Our praise itself comes from God!
It is an act of humility to acknowledge that our life is a gift from God, and it is an act of love to give our lives back to Him. We can do this by donating the first portion of our income to the Church and her charities. We can also do this by making the very first thing we say each day a word of praise to God.
Merciful Father, please forgive us for the times we have forgotten you on the Sabbath. Make us holy, as You are holy, through Christ our Lord. Amen.
