![]() Many monasteries have their own liturgies, some examples include Benedictine Daily Prayer and The Saint Helena Breviary. So to pray the entire Liturgy of the Hours would entail 5 to 7 times of prayer each day, with a total time commitment of approximately two hours! the Office of Readings (which can be prayed at any time during the day it is equivalent to the Vigil, or Night Office, that monks pray typically around 3 AM or 4 AM.Noonday Prayer (which can be divided into three “Little Offices” to be prayed at approximately 9 AM, noon, and 3 PM.For example, the current version of the Catholic Daily Office includes: This is because the liturgy involves what has been called “fixed-hour prayer” - praying at certain, specific, times of the day. For a monastic person, the key to praying the daily office is simply showing up, in the chapel, every time the bell rings.įor those of us who don’t live in a cloister, then the prospect of praying the Divine Office - day in and day out - means making a commitment that will impact our daily life in a significant way. Monks and nuns have it relatively easy, in that they live in a community of brothers or sisters, all of whom share their commitment to spiritual growth and to daily prayer. When you pray the liturgy on an ongoing basis, you become immersed in the spirituality of the sacred scriptures - and slowly, imperceptibly but steadily, the words of the Bible begin to shape your worldview, your values, and your sense of God’s presence in your life.īut it’s not an easy practice to begin - or to sustain. The heart of the Daily Office is the Psalms and canticles, prayers and poems of devotion and praise found throughout the Bible. And the roots of the liturgy go back even further. The liturgy is the “engine” of monastic spirituality: monks and nuns have been praying the Divine Office since the days of the desert mothers and fathers, back in the third century. Your question is really, “How do I deepen and expand my daily prayer practice?” As you have recognized, the Liturgy of the Hours - also known as the Daily Office or the Divine Office - is a rich resource for nurturing a meaningful and rich prayer life. That’s the most important point, and it’s something to celebrate. So keep in mind - you are already praying on a daily basis. It’s a great question so it deserves a post of its own.įirst of all, I’m so happy to hear that lectio divina and silent prayer are already a daily part of your life. The above comment was posted recently to a previous post on this blog, Seven Reasons to Pray the Divine Office. I’m captivated with praying the Daily Office, but I’m struggling how to incorporate Matins, Vespers, and Compline into my day. I have an established practice of Lectio Divina and Centering Prayer in the early morning and Examen and Centering Prayer in the late afternoon. I'd recommend it.What does it take to get started with a daily practice of praying the Liturgy of the Hours?Ī reader of this blog asks the following question: Even if I can't say the prayers when the bell chimes its sound throughout the day is a nice reminder to pray.Īnyway, if you're a busy, on the go kind of person, or simply struggle with the discipline of prayer, you might really like the Divine Office app. This function rings a bell on your phone, like text message alert, when it's time to say one of the Offices. Finally, I also like the notifications function, which can be customized. The app also includes a liturgical calender which is handy in finding dates for Holy Days and seasons. I've also been using the app a lot while walking the dog.īeyond the audio, the Divine Office app also gives you all the text for every prayer. I also listen to evening prayer on the way home from work. So on days when I can't sit down and read the Office before work I turn on the audio and listen to the prayers while getting ready and driving or riding my bike to work. The Divine Office app provides you with audio readings of all the prayers. But sometimes I just don't get up early enough to do this before I have to head off to work. In the mornings I try to pray through the Office of Readings and Morning prayer. You should check it out (works for Android as well). The Liturgy of the Hours is for Catholics what the Book of Common Prayer is for the Anglican Communion.Īnyway, I wanted to let you know that I recently purchased the Divine Office app for my iPhone and have been enjoying it very much. A few months ago I shared a post about how to begin using The Liturgy of the Hours (also called the Divine Office) for daily prayer.
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