9/9/2023 0 Comments Pray the divine office online![]() ![]() Today many independent breviaries are being published that follow specific themes, including special editions for the sister seasons of Advent and Christmas and Lent and Easter, as well as volumes drawing from Celtic spirituality or the rhythms of the seasons of the earth. Practitioners follow a breviary-a collection of Psalms, prayers, hymns, Scripture readings, and antiphons (responsive chants), the most widely known being the Book of Common Prayer within the Anglican Communion (containing the Daily Office) and the Divine Office within the Catholic church. The day begins with Matins or Vigils (midnight to dawn), followed by Prime (originally at 3am, but since omitted), Lauds or Morning Prayer (dawn), Terce or the third hour of the day (referring to daylight, usually around midmorning), Sext or the six hour (noon), None or the ninth hour (mid afternoon), Vespers or Evensong (twilight), and Compline or Night Prayer (before retiring, around 9pm). In the sixth century, St Benedict (there he is again!) formalized the practice by naming each hour, and it has since formed the basis of prayer for many monastics as well as those in religious life. The Church Fathers continued the practice with morning and evening prayers, and the Desert Mothers and Fathers, who were the founders of the monastic tradition, followed a similar liturgy of the hours to help them to “pray without ceasing.” The early Christians carried on this tradition ( Acts 10:3, 9 16:25), and with the rise of the Roman empire, the hours of prayer began to coincide with the hours of the bell that rang to mark the work day at 6am, 9am, noon, 3pm, and 6pm. Birthed out of the Jewish tradition, the practice of praying the hours can be found throughout the Psalms, where Psalmists proclaim, “Seven times a day I praise you” ( Psalm 119:164), “At midnight I will rise and thank you,” ( Psalm 119:162), and “In the morning I will offer you my prayer” ( Psalm 5:3). The Liturgy of the Hours is a rhythm of public or personal prayer set to specific hours of the day, an opportunity to regularly pause and sanctify the day with spiritual practice. Fill out my survey here and let me know what else you’d like to see! Have you followed along with the 40 Days to Pray series during the season of Lent? I’d love your feedback. For our final spiritual practice in the Lent 40 Days to Pray series, I invite you to join me in praying the hours in these last few days of Lent, whether you follow along with the liturgy of the Church (find resources below) or keep vigil with the gospel of your choice.Įaster isn’t the same without the descent that comes before it, and I have a feeling praying the hours during these final days and keeping vigil with Christ and his Church will leave you transformed. Scripture invites us to do just that, outlining in great detail each event of Jesus’ final days, allowing us to fully enter the scene as we keep watch and wait for the most powerful story to unfold. As we enter the throes of Holy Week, what better way to pray than with the hours? Even those accustomed to other translations will appreciate what Jack Figel has done for all of us.The time is drawing near Easter is nearly here.īut first, we must eat with Jesus in the Upper Room, pray with him in the garden, follow him to the court of Pontias Pilate, watch as he is crucified, and keep vigil as we wait for resurrection. If it does not improve your participation in the prayer of the Church, you will have only yourself to blame. Every priest, deacon, monastic and layperson should try this out. Now I also have the Divine Office with me as well. ![]() Sure, an app would be cool, but this is already such a great help. These are truly the church’s rich gifts, other than the eucharist, that God has given to us. The spirituality of these prayers which, when said with the heart, leaves nothing more to be said to God, as they allow a complete emptying of oneself in an effort to express love to God. There is no question in my mind that unless and until priests pray more than just the Daily Liturgy, God will not abundantly bless the works of his hands in his priestly ministry. I think this a great service that will inspire priests to pray more than just having the daily Divine Liturgy.
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