On further analysis, there's way more room than I thought to fit the imprecatory psalms. It turns out that something like 22 psalms are entirely doubled on different days in the cycle. This includes a few psalms which have good traditional reasons to be repeated regularly, specifically repeating Psalm 51 for Friday penance, Psalm 118/117…
On further analysis, there's way more room than I thought to fit the imprecatory psalms. It turns out that something like 22 psalms are entirely doubled on different days in the cycle. This includes a few psalms which have good traditional reasons to be repeated regularly, specifically repeating Psalm 51 for Friday penance, Psalm 118/117 every Sunday, and Psalm 110/109 every Sunday; but aside from that it seems to be a mishmash of psalms. (NAB/Grail) 8, 24, 34, 44, 45, 50, 55, 57, 67, 76, 80, 90, 92, 100, 117, 132, 136, 145, and 150 are repeated somewhat less obviously (some more obviously than others). In addition, there are some fragments of Psalm 119 scattered throughout the non-Daytime Prayer Offices. I intended to finish this project by trying to find where the imprecatory psalms were excised from, but there are too many options. There would be more than enough room to reinsert the imprecatory psalms and the "privileged" psalms 105, 106, and 78, with that amount of repetition, in any number of ways.
I agree that the imprecatory psalms (and verses) are a good help against suppressing strong emotions, and regular prayer of those psalms is as helpful as regular prayer of the joyful psalms one might not always feel. Learning to pray them on a schedule rather than as needed is challenging when coming from the new breviary, but it's beneficial, even if they do get a spotlight sometimes. (And I really do appreciate the very pastorally laid out, efficient, one-week Office of the early 1900s. Realizing that they had to make a few compromises to do it, it's much MUCH more approachable for a busy layman than the earlier Office ever would have been.)
On further analysis, there's way more room than I thought to fit the imprecatory psalms. It turns out that something like 22 psalms are entirely doubled on different days in the cycle. This includes a few psalms which have good traditional reasons to be repeated regularly, specifically repeating Psalm 51 for Friday penance, Psalm 118/117 every Sunday, and Psalm 110/109 every Sunday; but aside from that it seems to be a mishmash of psalms. (NAB/Grail) 8, 24, 34, 44, 45, 50, 55, 57, 67, 76, 80, 90, 92, 100, 117, 132, 136, 145, and 150 are repeated somewhat less obviously (some more obviously than others). In addition, there are some fragments of Psalm 119 scattered throughout the non-Daytime Prayer Offices. I intended to finish this project by trying to find where the imprecatory psalms were excised from, but there are too many options. There would be more than enough room to reinsert the imprecatory psalms and the "privileged" psalms 105, 106, and 78, with that amount of repetition, in any number of ways.
I agree that the imprecatory psalms (and verses) are a good help against suppressing strong emotions, and regular prayer of those psalms is as helpful as regular prayer of the joyful psalms one might not always feel. Learning to pray them on a schedule rather than as needed is challenging when coming from the new breviary, but it's beneficial, even if they do get a spotlight sometimes. (And I really do appreciate the very pastorally laid out, efficient, one-week Office of the early 1900s. Realizing that they had to make a few compromises to do it, it's much MUCH more approachable for a busy layman than the earlier Office ever would have been.)