A Few Quick Questions on the Liturgy of the Hours

[Paxvobis]

Hello,

I’ve been contemplating playing parts of the Liturgy of the Hours over the past several months, but I’ve been putting off because I’m not sure on a few issues. Maybe some of you can help me.

First, what if we don’t know the melody of the hymns? Do we just recite the hymn in that case?

Second, do we need to chant any of the prayers?

Third, what is the difference between the Liturgy of the Hours, the Divine Office, and the Roman Breviary? Are they synonyms or just similar?

Fourth and Finally, if one is praying the 1962 version, do they have to pray it in Latin?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

 

[odile53]

Since laypeople are not required to pray the Liturgy of the Hours or the Divine Office (which are the same thing,) you can pray as much or as little of it as you want to or feel comfortable with. That includes the hymns (which I don’t do.)

“Roman Breviary” is the Latin-English form (which is older,) “Divine Office,” as far as I know, is the older English translation, and “Liturgy of the Hours” is the more recent English translation. They are all the common prayer of the Catholic Church which is not Mass, and they are all sacred. The only difference, for the purpose of lay people, is how traditionally you want to pray them. I wouldn’t call “Christian Prayer” a “dumbed-down” version; it’s simply more practical for the lay person who is active in the world. You’ll find plenty of adherents to all of the forms. Generally speaking, most clergy use the “Roman Breviary,” but not necessarily in Latin. Some religious orders chant the Office in choir, in English or Latin, some recite it privately. Generally speaking, most people don’t chant when praying the Hours privately. You don’t even need to say it aloud.

An easy way to learn the melody of the hymns, if you really want to do them, is to pick them out on a piano keyboard. If you can’t read musical notation, there are websites that will teach you the basics, and I think there are even some programs or apps that will let you pick them out on your computer keyboard if you have a computer with sound (that would be just about all of them nowadays.)

You can use the English side of the Latin-English Breviary (which is also pretty much the same thing as the Liturgy of the Hours,) or the Latin side if you’re competent in Latin or brave.

Personally, I have the Christian Prayer book (the large type one.) I do Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer, Morning before I go to work, and Evening just after getting home from work (helps me shift gears from the rat race as well as worship God and put my mind on a higher plane.) If I can get to daily Mass after work, I do that before coming home from work, then do Evening Prayer just before dinner. I do the Lunchtime Examen at my computer terminal at work (at lunchtime,) and then do the Examen again just before bedtime.

That’s one beauty of LOTH as a lay person: You can “customize” prayer time, and still be praying with the rest of the Church throughout the world! So pick it up and launch into whatever you can manage at the time. As you get into it, you’ll find yourself doing more.

 

[hilde_the_dog]

Personally I pray the LOTH early in the morning and on the train into work. Singing outloud would not be prudent. I have not seen in the instruction any requirement to sing outloud. sing to yourself. Make up a melody. Songs are not the scriptures. You can add and delete. By the way - many different orders on priest and monks, religious and secular priests will pray the LOTH differently. There is a lot of latitude for you, let God move you. It may not or probably will not work for you to do all the prayers at the perscribed times unless you are a secluded/cloistered monk/nun. If need be you can recite the evening prayer at 11:30pm in front of your car on a highway. (Apriest I know has told me of fellow priests who have done that).

I did to much at first Invitatory, OOR, Morning , Midmorning, Midday, Midafternoon, evening and night. It was to much. Now Invitatory, OOR, Evening. BTW deacons are only required in this diocese (Northern VA) to pray the morning and evening as part of their office. There is much flexibility, and many will say “this is how it must be done” - no it need not be unless maybe you are a carmelite monk, in which case listen to your abbott.

 

[OraLabora]

You can chant, recite or read as your circumstances permit.

For the hymns, you can recite them as well; as is always the case in the LOTH, and Gregorian chant, the words are primary, the melody secondary and meant to enhance the words.

That said, for octosyllabic hymns, you can use one of the very simple Gregorian melodies found in Liber Hymnarius. Works in English or French.

In current usage, Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office is the same thing. The “breviary” is the book from which the Offices are recited.

Lastly if using the 1962 version yes, you have to pray it in Latin. There is no approved translation. However you can use a Latin-English version, pray the latin and use the English to help you understand what you are praying.

There are different approved versions of the current LOTH for different religious orders. For example the Benedictines have 4 approved schemas, the Cistercians have their own (one of which is equivalent to the one of the Benedictine versions). The big differences between the Monastic and Roman offices are:

1. the calendar (highlighting many saints from the order)
2. the psalmody, for the monastic orders, usually on a 1 or two week cycle instead of the 4-week cycle.

The rest is the same.

The Monastic schema A is the oldest version of the Divine Office currently approved for use, it is the basic psalm schema laid out by St. Benedict some 1500 years ago, and as such predates the 1962 breviary by several centuries!

 

[czap]

You will have very little problems. If you are not sure of something do it the way you feel best until you find out for sure. You are actually not obliged by any set in concrete rules, not being clergy. But what ever you do don’t not do it, because once you get settled in, you will never regret it.

 

[OraLabora]

You will have very little problems. If you are not sure of something do it the way you feel best until you find out for sure. You are actually not obliged by any set in concrete rules, not being clergy. But what ever you do don’t not do it, because once you get settled in, you will never regret it.

Well you do have to follow the rubrics and calendar, otherwise is isn’t liturgy. Liturgy is the community prayer of the Church. As laymen we can of course pray only part of the office, but we do have to pray it correctly.

That said, there is no requirement to chant the LOTH, but if you can (I can and do), then by all means do so.

I’ve travelled with monks as I am a Benedictine Oblate; I had one read the office aloud to us in the car while I drove; with another one we stopped to pray Tierce, Sexte and None on a bike ride on his recreation day; we recited the office, and did not chant it.

 

[czap]

Thank you for the correction. I didn’t mean any harm but was encouraging one to get started. I am sure God would not mind that as an armature you started at page one and read five pages a day until all were completed. My hopes are that once started faith, like a magnet, would drawl you into a want of deeper understanding. Most start walking with the first step and when they find they like it, they learn to dance.

 

[Brywan]

Hello,

I’ve been contemplating playing parts of the Liturgy of the Hours over the past several months, but I’ve been putting off because I’m not sure on a few issues. Maybe some of you can help me.

First, what if we don’t know the melody of the hymns? Do we just recite the hymn in that case?

Second, do we need to chant any of the prayers?

Third, what is the difference between the Liturgy of the Hours, the Divine Office, and the Roman Breviary? Are they synonyms or just similar?

Fourth and Finally, if one is praying the 1962 version, do they have to pray it in Latin?

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks.

If you have a smart phone–Surgeworks has a great app for the Divine Office–I downloaded it a couple weeks ago and have been very impressed–the invitatory, office of readings, morning prayer, evening prayer, night prayer are all recited–sometimes in chant, depending on the day–and the hymns are all sung. The only hour not available in audio is the mid-day prayer–but that’s on the file in written form. There’s also a button you can hit to see how many other people are praying the office at the same time you are.

The only negative I see to this is that the people doing the reading may read the passages too dramatically, or, not dramatically enough–depending on your taste–but that would happen in a community reading of the office as well.

All in all, though, I say well done!!! to Surgeworks for providing this app…it is $14.99 and well worth every penny…

 

[TrueLight]

If you have a smart phone–Surgeworks has a great app for the Divine Office–I downloaded it a couple weeks ago and have been very impressed–the invitatory, office of readings, morning prayer, evening prayer, night prayer are all recited–sometimes in chant, depending on the day–and the hymns are all sung. The only hour not available in audio is the mid-day prayer–but that’s on the file in written form. There’s also a button you can hit to see how many other people are praying the office at the same time you are.

The only negative I see to this is that the people doing the reading may read the passages too dramatically, or, not dramatically enough–depending on your taste–but that would happen in a community reading of the office as well.

All in all, though, I say well done!!! to Surgeworks for providing this app…it is $14.99 and well worth every penny…

I have this. It’s awesome.