Evening Prayer
The highlight here for me is Psalm 45, which is split in two parts: one about the bridegroom and one about the bride. Since the part about the bride is always the responsorial psalm on the feast of the Assumption and possibly other marian feasts, I have always thought of it being applied solely to Our Lady. But there is another interpretation which I read in The School of Prayer, and excellent commentary on morning and evening prayer from Liturgical Press. Thanks to Scott Hahn and other commentators, most of us are familiar with the exalted position of the Queen Mother in Israel. The “bridegroom” half of Psalm 45 ends with The Queen stands at your right hand arrayed in gold. This is the Queen Mother, since the bride doesn’t even enter until later in the “bride” half of the psalm, led to the king with her maiden companions. So, we see the Queen in gold as Mary, the mother of the King, Jesus. The bride of Christ is the Church, bringing along her maiden companions–people of all races and nations. Is that cool or what?