The Responsorial Psalm
After the first reading at Mass comes the Responsorial
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Psalm. This part of the Liturgy of the Word is a bit different
as it is participatory. The congregation joins as one
voice to chant or sing a response between verses.
While there are a few exceptions, the Responsorial Psalm is normally
taken from the Book of Psalms. Most often at Sunday Mass,
the Responsorial Psalm is sung. The leader or cantor will sing an
antiphon and then the congregation repeats it. The cantor will then
sing a number of verses, and the congregation repeats the antiphon
at the end of each stanza.
I always tell Catholics that they know a lot more Scripture than
they think. The Responsorial Psalm is a great example of this.
While many people may have a hard time remembering the spoken
word, music tends to stick with us, especially when it is something
that we sing over and over again. That’s exactly what the Responsorial
Psalm does. Instead of having just a Top 40, the Church has
a Top 150! (There are 150 Psalms in the Book of Psalms.)
Interestingly, in the New Testament, the most often quoted Old
Testament book is the Book of Psalms. So when we sing the
Psalms, we’re in good company!
For further study:
The Book of Psalms
Notes