What if you could pray with words inspired by God Himself, words that Christ Himself prayed?
The Psalms are more than ancient poetry. They are the Church’s universal prayer book, offering comfort, praise, and guidance for every soul seeking God. For centuries, Christians have turned to the Psalter to give voice to their deepest joys and sorrows, and you can, too.
Why Pray the Psalms?
The Psalms are uniquely powerful because they capture the full range of human emotions—from gratitude to lamentation, from despair to unshakable hope in God. St. Athanasius, one of the early Fathers of the Church, said in his letter to Marcellinus:
“[…] the Psalms comprehend the one who observes the commandment as well as the one who transgresses, and the action of each. […] And it seems to me that these words become like a mirror to the person singing them, so that he might perceive himself and the emotions of his soul, and thus affected, he might recite them. For in fact he who hears the one reading receives the song that is recited as being about him, and either, when he is convicted by his conscience, being pierced, he will repent, or hearing of the hope that resides in God, and of the succor available to believers — how this kind of grace exists for him — he exults and begins to give thanks to God” (A Letter of Athanasius, Our Holy Father,
Archbishop of Alexandria, to Marcellinus on the Interpretation of the Psalms).
In other words, no matter what you are experiencing, the Psalms have words to help you pray through it. That’s why St. John Chrysostom called the Psalms “an excellent master” of prayer because they teach us to glorify God, repent, and intercede with fervor. Whether you’re new to prayer or a seasoned soul longing for renewal, the Psalms invite you to draw closer to God by joining the prayer of Christ and His Church.
How to Pray the Psalms in Three Weeks
In the Byzantine custom of the Orthodox Christian Tradition, the Psalter is divided into 150 Psalms, arranged into 20 sections called Kathismata (a Greek word meaning “sittings”). Each Kathisma is further divided into three parts, or stases, making it easy to pray the Psalms in manageable portions. By following a simple schedule, you can complete the entire Psalter every three weeks.
First, take the Kathismata traditionally assigned to each day for a weekly Psalter cycle.
| Sunday | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | |
| Matins | 2, 3 | 4, 5 | 7, 8 | 10, 11 | 13, 14 | 19, 20 | 16, 17 |
| Vespers | 6 | 9 | 12 | 15 | 18 | 1 |
Next, use the date of the month to determine which part (stasis) of the day’s Kathismata to pray:
- If the date is divisible by 3, pray the third stasis.
- If the remainder is 1, pray the first stasis.
- If the remainder is 2, pray the second stasis.
For example, on the 6th of the month (6 ÷ 3 = 2 remainder 0), you would pray the third stasis of the day’s Kathisma. On the 7th, you’d begin with the first stasis of the next day’s Kathisma.
This rhythm ensures variety and keeps the Psalter fresh, even for beginners. As the days pass, the Psalms will begin to resonate more deeply, guiding your heart and mind into communion with God.
If you are worried about how Psalms are grouped together into Kathismata – don’t worry. There are a variety of Psalters in both contemporary and traditional English that are already organized this way.
Here are a few:
- The Holy Psalter: An Orthodox Christian Translation
- A Pocket Psalter for Prayer – Holy Trinity Publications
- The Pocket Psalter
- The Holy Psalter – St. Ignatius Orthodox Press
- The Ancient Faith Psalter
If you prefer to use your Bible, you can refer to the following chart. Be sure to determine which Psalm numbering your Bible uses – most modern Bibles (including Catholic ones) will use the Hebrew numbering. Older Bibles, and Eastern Catholic or Orthodox Christian ones, will use the Greek.
Greek Numbering of Psalms | Kathisma | Hebrew Numbering of Psalms | ||||
| Stasis 1 | Stasis 2 | Stasis 3 | Stasis 1 | Stasis 2 | Stasis 3 | |
| 1-3 | 4-6 | 7-8 | I | 1-3 | 4-6 | 7-8 |
| 9-10 | 11-13 | 14-16 | II | 9-11 | 12-14 | 15-17 |
| 17 | 18-20 | 21-23 | III | 18 | 19-21 | 22-24 |
| 24-26 | 27-29 | 30-31 | IV | 25-27 | 28-30 | 31-32 |
| 32-33 | 34-35 | 36 | V | 33-34 | 35-36 | 37 |
| 37-39 | 40-42 | 43-45 | VI | 38-40 | 41-43 | 44-46 |
| 46-48 | 49-50 | 51-54 | VII | 47-49 | 50-51 | 52-55 |
| 55-57 | 58-60 | 61-63 | VIII | 56-58 | 59-61 | 62-64 |
| 64-66 | 67 | 68-69 | IX | 65-67 | 68 | 69-70 |
| 70-71 | 72-73 | 74-76 | X | 71-72 | 73-74 | 75-77 |
| 77 | 78-80 | 81-84 | XI | 78 | 79-81 | 82-85 |
| 85-87 | 88 | 89-90 | XII | 86-88 | 89 | 90-91 |
| 91-93 | 94-96 | 97-100 | XIII | 92-94 | 95-97 | 98-101 |
| 101-102 | 103 | 104 | XIV | 102-103 | 104 | 105 |
| 105 | 106 | 107-108 | XV | 106 | 107 | 108-109 |
| 109-111 | 112-114 | 115-117 | XVI | 110-112 | 113-116:9 | 116:10-118 |
| 118:1-72 | 118:73-131 | 118:132-176 | XVII | 119:1-72 | 119:73-131 | 119:132-176 |
| 119-123 | 124-128 | 129-133 | XVIII | 120-124 | 125-129 | 130-134 |
| 134-136 | 137-139 | 140-142 | XIX | 135-137 | 138-140 | 141-143 |
| 143-144 | 145-147 | 148-150 | XX | 144-145 | 146-147 | 148-150 |
Praying with the Heart of the Church
The beauty of praying the Psalms is that you are never alone. St. Augustine reminds us that the Psalms are the voice of Christ and His Body, the Church:
“Whether the Psalm contains words of joy or sorrow, of praise or lamentation, Christ is speaking in it, sometimes in the form of the Head, and sometimes in the form of His Body” (St. Augustine, Enarrationes in Psalmos (Expositions on the Psalms), as quoted in various commentaries on his theological reflections on the Psalter.)
When you pray the Psalms, you are joining millions of believers across time and space who have used these same words to lift their souls to God. Begin this timeless practice today, and discover the Psalms as your own prayer — your own song to the Lord.