Psalms & Canticles
The Invitatory: Psalm 95 (Venite, Exultemus)
Psalm 95, known by its Latin opening as the Venite, is the Invitatory — the first psalm of the day in the Liturgy of the Hours and in the Anglican Book of Common Prayer's Morning Prayer.
Psalm 95, Coverdale Psalter (Book of Common Prayer, public domain)
About the prayer
Its place at the head of the day is very old: St. Benedict assigned it to the opening of the night office in the sixth century, and it has held that position ever since. The psalm has two movements. It begins as pure invitation and praise, then turns sharply at "Today, if ye will hear his voice" into warning, recalling Israel's hardness of heart in the wilderness. That turn is deliberate. The Church begins each day by summoning herself to worship and, in the same breath, refusing to let the worship become routine. The translation here is from the Coverdale Psalter of the Book of Common Prayer, public domain.
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