Sing a New Psalm:
Communicating with God Through
the Prayers of the Church
Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline
Lesson 19 Like an Owl Among the Ruins
Invitatory: Psalm 100 (RSVCE)
Psalm 74 (RSVCE), Psalm 79 (RSVCE), Psalm 83 (RSVCE), and Psalm 102 (RSVCE)
Tuesday Vigils (Week II)
Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition*
New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE)*
Catechism of the Catholic Church
ex libris (in our library)
glossary for Volume II of Sing a New Psalm
next lesson: Your Statutes Have Become My Song
This material coordinates with Lesson 19, “Like an Owl Among the Ruins,” on pages 71–74 in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline. Our Catholic Bible study is based on
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, a translation of the psalms prepared by the monks at Conception Abbey in 2010 and first published as The Revised Grail Psalms. The Abbey Psalms and Canticles is a revision of that work, finished in 2020 and published by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). Wording and numbering of some psalms and verses in other translations may differ. The Abbey Psalms and Canticles is being added to Liturgy of the Hours books used in the United States. While the Turning to God’s Word study book is based on The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translation, all online links to the psalms are to the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. A separate copy of The Abbey Psalms and Canticles is needed to read the translation on which the psalms in this study are based.
“Unlike other prayers in sacred Scripture, the prayers contained in the psalms are not inserted into a narrative story that specifies their meaning and function. Instead, the psalms are given to the believer precisely as a text of prayer. Since they are the Word of God, the believer who prays the psalms speaks to God using the very words that God himself has given to us. Thus, in praying the psalms we learn to pray. The psalms are a school of prayer.”—Pope Benedict XVI
welcome to our continuing in-depth study of the psalms
We invite groups and individuals to check out the sample Introduction and Lesson 1 from this 29-
lesson Turning to 
God’s Word Catholic Bible study. Our online study pages include additional questions, commentary, and prayers based on the psalm texts, plus an online glossary. Both Volume I and Volume II of Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church have been granted imprimaturs. A digital version of Volume I: Lauds & Vespers can be purchased from our website shop. Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline is available in hard copy. If you have a Bible-related question or comment, click on one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons on any online study page.
open with prayer
It’s always wise to begin any Bible study with prayer, whether reading the Scriptures alone or meeting with others in a discussion study group. You can pray using your own words, pray one of the psalms in this lesson, or use one of the opening prayers on our website. We especially like the following:
Lord Jesus, you promised to send your Holy Spirit
to teach us all things.
As we read and study your word today,
allow it to touch our hearts and change our lives. Amen.
think about praying Compline every night
In addition to the sample for this Bible study, Turning to God’s Word is providing a copy of Lesson 29 In Peace I Will Lie Down, which addresses the nightly Compline prayers based on Psalm 91, Psalm 4, and Psalm 134. The monks at Conception Abbey pray these short psalms each evening—Psalm 91 on Sunday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday; Psalm 4 and Psalm 134 on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday.
about the psalms in this lesson**
Three of the five psalms prayed for Tuesday Vigils Week II at Conception Abbey—Psalm 74, Psalm 79, and Psalm 83—are communal laments attributed to Asaph, while the other two are by unknown composer. Psalm 100 (the Invitatory) is a hymn of thanksgiving, but its author remains unidentified. The composer of Psalm 102, classified as an individual or personal lament, also is anonymous.
classifying the psalms
The classification of the psalms, though somewhat standardized, retains an arbitrary nature. Some psalms are classified according to form or type; such forms include the hymn, the lament, and the song of thanksgiving. Psalms also may be classified according to subject matter—royal psalms, for instance, portray the political king of the descendants of Jacob as both the representative of God to the community and the representative of the community to God—or they may be classified according to their use; scholars generally think that hymns exalting Zion were part of a ritual reenactment of the great deeds of God in maintaining Mount Zion and Jerusalem as a home base. Turning to God’s Word is indebted to Fr. Felix Just, a Jesuit priest and biblical scholar, for his organized listing of the psalms by classification and author.
Psalm 100 (the Invitatory) is one of 19 psalms classified as a hymn
In addition to Psalm 100 (the Invitatory) in this lesson, the other 18 psalms classified as hymns are: Psalm 8, Psalm 19, Psalm 29, Psalm 33, Psalm 103, Psalm 104, Psalm 111, Psalm 113, Psalm 114, Psalm 117, Psalm 135, Psalm 136, Psalm 145, Psalm 146, Psalm 147, Psalm 148, Psalm 149, and Psalm 150.
the largest number of psalms are laments
Forty-three of the psalms, including Psalm 102 in this lesson, are classified as individual laments. The word “lament” means “a passionate expression of regret.” An additional 18 psalms are classified as communal laments, which means they were written to be used by an entire community. These include Psalm 74, Psalm 79, and Psalm 83. Refer to the above-mentioned work of Fr. Felix Just for a complete online listing of psalms classified as individual or communal laments.
what is a lament?
Because the word “lament” as a verb means to wail, moan, or sob in sorrow, when the same word “lament” is used as a noun it means an expression of mourning. It is this meaning that it holds in Psalm 26, Psalm 28, and Psalm 39. In addition to the laments in the psalms, Scripture also includes a book called Lamentations (sometimes referred to as the Lamentations of Jeremiah, although many scholars contest the prophet Jeremiah’s authorship of that work). A lament frequently refers to a funeral dirge, elegy, or burial hymn.
who was Asaph?
Asaph was a Levite appointed chief musician after David moved the ark of the covenant to Jerusalem. Asaph played the cymbal and also was a prophet. Asaph founded a prominent guild of temple singers called the “sons of Asaph,” whose members continued musical worship for generations. Asaph or members of the sons of Asaph are credited with composing Psalm 50 and Psalms 73–83. In Psalm 74, Psalm 79, and Psalm 83, communal psalms in this lesson attributed to Asaph, the descendants of Jacob are encouraged not to delay turning to God in times of need.
one of several psalms omitted from Liturgy of the Hours books
A difficulty for Christians who wish to incorporate the psalms into their prayers is that in some of these ancient hymns the Psalmists blatantly curse their enemies and ask the LORD to deal harshly with those enemies. This is disturbing enough that the editors compiling the four-week Liturgy of the Hours books chose to leave out a few problematic verses—in the case of the psalms included in this lesson (Tuesday Vigils Week II prayed by the monks at Conception Abbey), Psalm 83 is omitted entirely. The editors of Liturgy of the Hours books also chose to omit two other passages from this lesson—Psalm 79:6–7 and Psalm 79:12. Consider why the editors of Liturgy of the Hours books might have felt that Psalm 83 and the passages from Psalm 79 should be excluded.
all omissions are noted in this study
Only two other psalms are completely omitted from the current four-week Liturgy of the Hours books, and all three psalms are in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline. Psalm 58 is included in Lesson 10 In the Shelter of God’s Wings and Psalm 109 is included in Lesson 27 God Has Kept an Account. The four-week Liturgy of the Hours books also omit verses from 20 other psalms; all of which are addressed in Volume I and Volume II. For a complete list, click on this link, which includes a comparison of the two-week cursus (schedule) used at Conception Abbey and in both volumes of our study with the four-week Roman cursus followed by current Liturgy of the Hours books.
thanksgiving—you could look it up in our archives
Psalm 100 (the Invitatory) in this lesson, is by an unidentified composer but is classified as a hymn of thanksgiving suitable for an entire community to pray. To learn about the link between giving thanks and the sacrament of the Eucharist, read Lost in Translation, an online column in which Turning to God’s Word author Matthew Phelps helps readers connect with ideas expressed in the original languages of the Scriptures. New Lost in Translation entries are posted on Mondays, and past entries are archived on our website. Contact us if you’d like to receive Lost in Translation by email every week.
a couple of questions about thanksgiving
It’s fitting that we be mindful when we go to Mass that the sacrament of the Eucharist is a sacrament about giving thanks to God.
? When was the last time that you considered thanking God for the many blessings he has given you?
? What’s the most important thing that God has done for which you would like to offer thanks?
now is the best possible time to practice mercy
In The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translation of Psalm 102:14 in (Psalm 102:13 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions), an unidentified Psalmist suggests that the time has arrived for God to have mercy on his people. The flip side of this is that if now is the time for God to act in mercy, the time for men and women to show mercy to others probably is well past.
turn to God now
In his First Letter to the Thessalonians 5:2, Paul reminds early Christians: “For you yourselves know well that the day of the Lord will come like a thief in the night.” And in the Gospel According to Luke 12:39–40 Jesus seems to be equating his own Second Coming with that of a thief when he teaches: “But know this, that if the householder had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would have been awake and would not have left his house to be broken into. You also must be ready; for the Son of man is coming at an hour you do not expect.“
read the Catechism—about the gift of God’s name
Paragraph 212 in the Catechism of the Catholic Church, which cites Psalm 102:27–28, points out that the Lord’s name is holy and given as a gift to men and women who have proven to trust God.
212 Over the centuries, Israel’s faith was able to manifest and deepen realization of the riches contained in the revelation of the divine name. God is unique; there are no other gods besides him. He transcends the world and history. He made heaven and earth: “They will perish, but you endure; they will all wear out like a garment … but you are the same, and your years have no end.” In God “there is no variation or shadow due to change.” God is “He who Is,” from everlasting to everlasting, and as such remains ever faithful to himself and to his promises.
two translation differences probably related to meter
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 74:7: “They have set your holy place on fire; they have razed and profaned the abode of your name.” The Revised Grail Psalms adds “O God,” at the beginning of the same verse. In a similar manner, The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 74:11: “Why do you hold back your hand? Why do you keep your right hand hidden in your cloak?” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same verse: “Why, O Lord, do you hold back your hand? Why do you keep your right hand hidden in your cloak?“ (Note that it is not possible to link to either The Abbey Psalms and Canticles or The Revised Grail Psalms; all links on the online pages are to the Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE].)
a translation difference: caves vs. each cave
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 74:20: “Look to the covenant; for caves in the land are places where violence makes its home.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “Look to the covenant; each cave in the land is a place where violence makes its home.” Reflect on how this change might affect the meaning of Psalm 74.
trading the sequence of two phases
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 102:2 (Psalm 102:1 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “Hear my prayer, O LORD, and let my cry come to you.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “O LORD, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.” Which translation do you prefer, and why?
one more translation difference: bones and flesh vs. skin and bones
The Abbey Psalms and Canticles translates Psalm 102:6 (Psalm 102:5 in Revised Standard Version Catholic Editions): “Because of the sound of my groaning, my bones hold fast to my flesh.” The Revised Grail Psalms translates the same passage: “Because of the sound of my groaning, my skin clings to my bones.” What might have motivated this translation change?
the best Catholic commentary about Scripture
To find out more about how Church teaching is supported by passages in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline, check out the Index of Citations in the Catechism of the Catholic Church. Links to the primary Scripture passages in the lesson (Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition [RSVCE*]) and relevant paragraphs in the Catechism are provided here. Not every passage in the biblical text for this study is referenced in a Catechism paragraph, however, including Psalm 74, Psalm 83, and Psalm 100 (the Invitatory) in this lesson.
Psalm 79:9—paragraph 431
Psalm 102:27–28—paragraph 212
ways our glossary might prove helpful
In addition to providing extra information about geographical locations, our glossary also points out 
persons or places mentioned in the biblical text under more than one name or more than one spelling. If you can remember a name but aren’t sure in which lesson it shows up, you can find it in the glossary, which lists every proper noun that appears in the biblical text for every lesson in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline.
don’t forget about our indexes & extra online material
If you’re trying to locate information about a passage in Scripture, you can look it up in the index at the back of the study book. If you want to revisit a particular commentary, you can look that up by title in the topics index. If you want to learn more about another book of the Bible for which there’s a Turning to God’s Word study, you can read the online commentaries and watch any accompanying videos by going to the online study directories. Finally, if you have a question or would like to make a comment about any of our studies, you can use one of the “ask us your question” or “what do you think” buttons to email our authors.
ex libris—Church documents & books about religious topics
You can find links to magisterial documents referred to in Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible studies 
at ex libris—magisterial documents. This page includes a listing of significant recent encyclicals as well as a number of historical Church documents. Recommended books related to Scripture study can be found at ex libris—main bookshelf.
wondering how to pronounce some of these words?
The following links are to readings from the New International Version (NIV) Bible. To listen, open one of the links and click on the audio icon above the printed text. Although not taken from the translations used in our study materials, the NIV readings provide an audio guide to pronunciation of words in this lesson’s primary biblical texts. An online version of the translation of the Bible used in Catholic liturgy in the United States as well as an audio guide for daily Mass readings for the current three months can be found on the website of the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB).
Psalm 100, the Invitatory (NIV)
Psalm 74 (NIV)
Psalm 79 (NIV)
Psalm 83 (NIV)
Psalm 102 (NIV)
close with a psalms-based prayer for Tuesday Vigils (Week II)
Many of our Catholic study groups like to conclude their discussions with a prayer based on the scriptural focus of their lesson. If you’re uncomfortable composing your own Bible-based prayers, you can follow our four easy steps. If you prefer, you can pray any of the psalms in this lesson, or you can use the following short prayer.
O Lord, you encourage us to seek you now
rather than waiting until it’s too late.
Grant that we may recognize the urgency
of turning to you in repentance and love
and be with us and help us in our attempts
to communicate with you in prayer.
We ask this in the name of your Son, Jesus,
who never lost sight of what he came to earth to do. Amen.
Lesson 20 Your Statutes Have Become My Song, Tuesday Day Prayer (Week II)—Psalm 119:49–56, Psalm 119:57–64, and Psalm 119:65–72
Lesson 18 I Reach Out to Your Commands, Monday Day Prayer (Week II)—Psalm 119:25–32, Psalm 119:33–40, and Psalm 119:41–48
you also may like our study of the book of Exodus
You Shall Have No Other Gods: The Book of Exodus, a 28-lesson Catholic Bible study with an imprimatur, provides an in-depth look at how significant events in biblical history that occurred thousands of years ago to descendants of Jacob remain relevant and even critical for present-day Christians to understand. The deliverance of the Hebrews from slavery in Egypt and the giving of Ten Commandments are examined along with the development of Moses’ relationship to God. Click here to view a sample of the first lesson.
start a Turning to God’s Word Bible study
Thank you for your interest in Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II. 
Information about beginning a Turning to God’s Word Bible study can be found at start a Bible study. Tami, Matthew, and I are available to answer questions. Contact us if you’d like to start one of our studies or have your schedule listed with other TtGW study groups on our website. —Jennifer
*There are seven deuterocanonical books in the Old Testament—Baruch, Judith, Sirach, Tobit, Wisdom, and First and Second Maccabees—and there are some deuterocanonical passages in the Books of Daniel and Esther. Protestants usually refer to these works as “apocryphal,” a word that means “outside the (Protestant) canon” because they’re excluded from most Protestant Bibles. Deuterocanonical means “second canon”; Catholics use that word to refer to any section of the Catholic Old Testament for which there are no extant, or existing, Hebrew manuscripts. All of the deuterocanonical books appear in the Septuagint, the earliest remaining versions of which date to the 1st century B.C. This Greek translation of the Old Testament was in common use by Jews at the time of Jesus. Learn more by reading How Do Catholic & Protestant Bibles Differ?
**You can learn more about the psalms by viewing a sample lesson from the Turning to God’s Word Catholic Bible study Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church. The first volume covers psalms prayed at Lauds and Vespers; the second covers psalms prayed at Vigils, Day Prayer, and Compline. Numbering of psalms and verses may vary in other translations.
Turning to God’s Word printed Bible studies use the 2006 Revised Standard Version Second Catholic Edition (RSV2CE) translation for all Scripture references except those to the psalms, which are taken from The Abbey Psalms and Canticles, prepared by the Benedictine monks of Conception Abbey and published in 2020 by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops (USCCB). All Scripture links for the online study pages for Sing a New Psalm: Communicating with God Through the Prayers of the Church—Volume II: Vigils, Day Prayer & Compline are to the 1966 Revised Standard Version Catholic Edition (RSVCE) translation. The New International Version (NIV) audio recordings follow the same chapter and verse numbering as the RSV Catholic translations, but the NIV translation doesn’t include the deuterocanonical books and passages.
The 1966 RSVCE uses archaic pronouns and verb forms such as “thee,” “thou,” and “didst” in the psalms and in direct quotations attributed to God. The 2006 RSV2CE replaces these with more accessible English. The few significant translation changes in the RSV2CE include rendering almah as “virgin” in the Book of Isaiah 7:14 and restoring the term “begotten” in the Gospel According to John 3:16.
Numbering for some passages in this Bible study will vary. Turning to God’s Word studies (print and digital) follow the numbering in the Revised Standard Version Catholic translations (RSV2CE and RSVCE). Discrepancies in the New American Bible Revised Edition (NABRE) are noted in the Index of Scripture Citations in the study book.