Great rescource. Although I am old-fashioned, I like having it my hands as opposed to reading it online.
One of the things that shocked me when I was still Protestant was how many of these works were read in the churches as an addition to Scripture. Obviously the New Testament works were read, but so also were Clement (read widely and very nearly made it into the NT canon in the 5th century), but also the Didache, Hermes, and others. It was the TRADITION they held in high esteem, the NT works being part of that tradition.
I think if Protestants (excepting some "Catholic/High Anglicans) knew just how reverent the Catholic Faith is and how truly devoted it is to scripture and prayer they would faint in shame for ever calling Catholics “non-biblical” and feel silly to imagine they thought they were “above” Catholics in their spirituality. It’s really laughable as much as it sad.
Most Protestants just do not have much historical grasp and so do not understand that what most of them are “into” is a secular Christianity which was never before seen in Christendom until the so called “reformers” came along to reform the necessity for striving to be “holy as God is holy” right out of the lifestyle. That “old” “Catholic” idea just didn’t fit in with the new Protestants Pharisaical “forensic” justification theories, theories that looked more like a plagiarism of
antinomianism than it did apostolic Christian).
The early Christian Communities often integrated their faith into a pious-religious lifestyle – praying daily and reverenced God as often as they could within their work, home-life and daily habit – especially the Jewish converts (e.g. all the apostles). To the early Christian the church community was for them their true society and their true social-lifestyle and even their government within whatever nation-governments they happened to land in as God blew His Christian-seed wherever He choose. The Catholic monastic/eremitical lifestyle (religious communities devoted to prayer, contemplation of sacred scripture, chastity etc.) evolved very early on in the Church (2nd century) and the Monks who’s habit was to daily pray the 150 psalms helped formalize the Divine Office as we have today. As early as the fourth century, the characteristics of the canonical hours more or less took their present shape.
But most Protestants (and sadly some less informed lay Catholics) have never heard of the Catholic “
Liturgy of the Hours/Divine Office”. Our Orthodox brothers, also being very spiritual embrace this too.
This living tradition of prayer centered around the psalms, gospel readings, the hymns and writings of the Early Church Fathers and the Saints that is prayed at 7 prescribed times daily – and more in some religious monasteries. It is essentially a non-stop 24/7 east-to-west liturgical continuation of the Holy Mass for public worship of God. ALL consecrated Catholic religious are canonically obligated to pray these daily and increasingly the laity are getting excited about it and are also electing of freewill to join in too; the latter often electing the
Little Office of Our Ladyof only 2 daily prayer periods (morning/evening) due to limits of work and family obligations. The Divine Office/LoH is the way that Catholics world wide commune with each other and God in continuous prayer as “One Holy People” set apart for God.
The inspiration for the Divine Office is ancient and comes from the practices of the OT Jews where God commanded the Aaronic priests (c.1280 BC) to offer a morning and evening sacrifice (Ex. 29:38-29). During the Babylonian Exile (587-521 BC), when the Temple did not exist, the synagogue services of Torah readings and psalms and hymns developed as a substitute for the bloody sacrifices of the Temple, a sacrifice of praise. The Psalmists words form the core inspiration: “
Seven times a day I praise you” (Ps. 119:164), as well as, “the just man mediates on the law day and night” (Ps. 1:2).
The Jews had Morning and Evening Prayer to accompany the sacrifices and the new exile tradition of prayer at the Third, Sixth and Ninth Hours of the day.
The Acts of the Apostles notes that Christians continued to pray at these hours (Third: Acts 2:15; Sixth: Acts 10:9; 10: 3, 13). And, although the Apostles no longer shared in the Temple sacrifices—they had its fulfillment in the “breaking of the bread” (the Eucharist)—they continued to frequent the Temple at the customary hours of prayer (Acts 3:1).
And so we Catholic continue to worship God not only in our daily mass 24/7 around the world but also in the 7 prayer hours of each day. And to this day we have the canonical hours of: Lauds (Morning Prayer) offered at sunrise, Prime (1st hour of the day), Terce (3rd hour, or Mid-morning), Sext (6th hour or Midday), None (9th hour or Mid-Afternoon), Vespers (Evening Prayer) offered at sunset, and Compline (Night Prayer) before going to bed. Catholic Monks being prayer warriors also rose from their sleep all through the night and wee morning hours to give prayer.
More here:
Summary of Liturgy of Hours/Divine Office
Universalis: Online Daily Liturgy of the Hours
James
