Liturgy of the Hours: The prayer of the Church for all faithful

Are you familiar with the Liturgy of the Hours?   This is the prayer that priests, deacons and religious are obligated to prayer daily and also many laity choose to pray as well. It is the prayer of the Church and the Catechism comments on it in section 1175:

The Liturgy of the Hours is intended to become the prayer of the whole People of God. In it Christ himself "continues his priestly work through his Church." His members participate according to their own place in the Church and the circumstances of their lives: priests devoted to the pastoral ministry, because they are called to remain diligent in prayer and the service of the word; religious, by the charism of their consecrated lives; all the faithful as much as possible: "Pastors of souls should see to it that the principal hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and on the more solemn feasts. The laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually."

You can see above that the laity is also invited to prayer as well.   I was vaguely familiar with it prior to entering formation for the diaconate.  A publication I had subscribed to, the Magnificat, has an abbreviated version, and it was laid out in an easy to follow format.  The morning and evening prayers came prior and after the daily Mass reading and reflection.  If you are considering dipping your to in the waters to start praying the Liturgy of the Hours this may be a good introduction. If you are interested in finding out how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours there is a recent article on the American Catholic blog I just read referring to a book that would be helpful.

My introduction to the Liturgy of the Hours was at the first gathering of deacon aspirants newly selected for the next formation class.   We were all given the brief version of the Liturgy, Shorter Christian Prayer, and instructed to open to the hymn.   After that about half the rest of the group and I were lost.   It was pretty comical seeing the confused and bewildered look on so many faces.  I think it was assumed that many of us had prayed the hours before, but obviously we had not.

I have grown accustomed to the Liturgy of the Hours and it is now part of my daily prayer routine and if I miss part of it something does not feel right.  I really enjoy praying the Liturgy of the Hours in community, but most often I pray it on my own.  It is centered on the Psalms along, a reading from Scripture, and then the Canticle of Zechariah (Evening Prayer) or the Magnificat (Morning Prayer), followed by intercessions, the Our Father, and a closing prayer.  It takes about 10-15 minutes to pray. 

There are several print versions that are in single volumes, Shorter Christian Prayer, Christian Prayer, and the four volume set that has two volumes for Ordinary Time, one for Lent/East and another for Advent/Christmas.  If you are interested in getting started you may want to start with one of the single volume editions.   There are also apps for iPhone and Android as well.  Divine Office is a version that I enjoy very much.   Besides having the text of the prayers all in order there is the option of playing audio that you can also use which offers the feeling of prayer in community.   You can also prayer along while exercising or driving.   Some other apps, Roman Catholic Calendar, and Laudate, are other versions for providing the text of the prayer.

It’s the mid-way point of Lent and if you are still looking for something to add to your daily routine to bring you closer to God consider starting to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.   I’d suggest picking either Morning or Evening Prayer as a start.   If you would like an introduction the DADS (Dedication and Devotion to our Divine Savior) prays this on Monday evenings at 7:00 pm.  If your interested and like to do this in community let me know and I will schedule a time to do so either before of after a daily Mass.   May God bless you.