Liturgy of the Hours - Not just for Clergy & Religious

St. Paul tells us to pray always without ceasing. Did you ever wonder how this is possible? For centuries, clergy, religious and contemplatives pray/chant the Divine Office (Liturgy of Hours). It's a tradition of santifying certain times of the day.

Deacons are also obligated to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, specifically morning and evening prayer. Personally, this daily ritual allows me to connect with God and at the same time, fulfill an obligation to pray for the special intentions of the church throughout the world. We all know the power of prayer, hundreds of thousands of clergy, relgious and even lay people too are also joining their prayer with yours.

The Long Island Catholic reports: For many people, the Liturgy of the Hours evokes images of a priest reading a breviary alone or monks or sisters chanting the Psalms in unison. But the Liturgy of the Hours is “the common prayer of the Church” for everyone — a simple form of prayer that anyone can pray in a group or alone, said Sister of Mercy Sheila Browne, associate director of the diocesan Office of Worship.

The Liturgy of the Hours presents a way to be mindful of the gift of the different hours of the day. Someone can choose to say the Liturgy of the Hours just once, such as morning or evening prayer, or can mark each of the traditional seven hours. Though there are some variations, the format each time encompasses an opening prayer, a hymn, praying the Psalms, a reading from Scripture, intercessory prayer, the Lord’s Prayer or “Our Father,” and a concluding prayer, she noted. “It runs a few pages if you print it as a booklet,” Sister Sheila said. “It could take 10 minutes to pray by yourself, say if you’re riding the Long Island Rail Road.” Praying aloud with others generally takes 15 to 20 minutes.

“The custom of gathering at certain times of the day to pray is very, very ancient,” predating Christianity, Father DeGrocco said. There is evidence that the early Church prayed in common at certain hours.“It was later on that the Liturgy of the Hours became the prayer of the clergy and religious,” Sister Mary Alice said. “The rosary became more popular with the laity.”

“The Church has made great strides since the Second Vatican Council in opening up the Liturgy of the Hours to wider use,” Sister Sheila said. The clergy are still obliged to pray it. “There are some parishes that celebrate it weekly. Some parishes do so only during certain seasons, such as Advent and Lent,” Sister Mary Alice said. In addition, parishioners can pray it informally.

“In the diocesan Pastoral Formation Institute,” she continued, “we try to give our students an experience of Liturgy of the Hours and train lay people in how to lead the prayer.” “Every Christian has the obligation to pray unceasingly,” Father DeGrocco said, citing the words of St. Paul, according to his or her individual state of life and circumstances. “Praying the Hours is one way.

“You can get the book, ‘Liturgy of the Hours,’ at a religious book store,” Sister Sheila said. “Or it can be ordered from a liturgical press.” She added that there are simplified forms for use by groups or families. “There are also Web sites that you can download it from, such as www.universalis.com or www.ebreviary.com.”

Try it, you might like it!