Thursday, September 5, 2013

What is the Liturgy of the Hours?


     The Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office, is a Catholic set of prayers emphasizing their deep connection with the Jewish faith.  When many Christians were not being allowed in the Temple or synagogues, these prayers developed out of the early Christian desire to “pray always and never lose heart,” Luke 18:1.  Early Christians, who were also Jewish, wanted to continue their customs so times of prayer were done at the third (9:00 a.m.), sixth (noon), and ninth (3:00 p.m.) hours.  Also, there were two major times of prayer:  Morning (Lauds) and Evening (Vespers).  These times coincided with the morning and evening sacrifices in the Jewish Temple.
     In the fourth century, when Christianity became legal, people started gathering around their bishop for brief prayer so that lay people, who had work, families, and other responsibilities, could participate.  This early version consisted of a psalm, antiphon (short verse), Scripture reading, homily, and intercessions.
     Later on, the “monastic office” became popular among the Religious.  Since monks and nuns had more time to devote to prayer, the Divine Office was lengthened. Support for this communal liturgical celebration died out in the Western church.  Then came the Franciscans.  Their founder, St. Francis of Assisi, bade his followers to travel light.  The Vatican then provided a condensed version of the Divine Office, called the “breviary” (from the Latin word for “abbreviated”).
     In the years since, the Church has been trying to regenerate the importance of this communal liturgical celebration that, according to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, “…is like an extension of the Eucharistic celebration…”(1178).  Today, lay people are encouraged to participate in the Divine Office either with a priest, each other, or individually.

     Following is the link for today’s Night Prayer.  This website offers all the prayers used in the Divine Office.

References:
http://divineoffice.org/liturgy-of-the-hours/
http://www.catholicculture.org/culture/library/view.cfm?recnum=264
http://www.usccb.org/beliefs-and-teachings/what-we-believe/catechism/catechism-of-the-catholic-church/epub/index.cfm

2 comments:

  1. Have you ever done the Liturgy of the Hours on a regular basis? -- Prof. Martin

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. At a weeklong camp during the summer, we participated in the morning prayer and night prayer. As of right now, no, I am not; though I wish I were. It's a beautiful prayer that even includes singing if you have a group large enough for it.

      Delete