In the beginning was the Word . . . and the Word was God.
- John 1:1

Brothers and sisters, do you get the feeling sometimes at Mass that the Responsorial Psalm is just a song we throw in between the first two readings? Not so! We all know that, and have come to know that more over the years. The psalm response is a part of the Liturgy of the Word, and a part of the proclamation of the Word! We need to take great care in its presentation.

Are we just singing a song with "psalm lyrics?" Do we pause after the first reading, actually reflect on it's meaning in our own lives and in the lives of our Eucharistic community, and then stand and proclaim the response to the Word with the Word, by chanting, singing and praying the psalm text given to us in the Lectionary? The "pause" (prayerful silence) is as important as the psalm setting itself. Without it, how will we ever really hear the Word on a deeper level, and then respond? Will we respond not just with a sung psalm, but in our daily living? Remember, the General Instruction on the Roman Missal (GIRM) and the new liturgical document from the U.S. Bishops (Sing to the Lord) encourage a new form of "full, active and conscious participation" — that of listening, quiet reflection, silence.

Clapping and singing is not the goal of liturgy. Prayer and engagement of the heart, mind and soul is the goal of liturgy, an engagement that leads to transformation and conversion to Christ. Listen to Craig and Kristen Colson's setting of Psalm 1: Blessed Are They Who Hope in the Lord. It is a good example of a contemporary psalm setting that also employs a free/chant style to the verses. The psalm is not an opportunity for another song at Mass! It is a sacred moment and serious responsibility to proclaim the Word of God. For blessed are they who ". . . delight in the law of the Lord and meditate on his law day and night."