Awareness of Liturgy of the Hours

[OraLabora]

Well, that’s your opinion, which is fine. I don’t think that the general instructions are clear. If they were clear, then they would address the issue with more clarity as regards the specific role/duty of the clergy, religious, and laypersons in relation to praying the Divine Office. It doesn’t do that.

It’s not “my opinion”, it’s the mind of the Church. From the Apostolic Constitution of Paul VI promulgating the Liturgy of the Hours in 1970:

The liturgy of the hours clearly expresses and effectively strengthens this sublime truth, embodied in the Christian life.

For this reason the hours are recommended to all Christ’s faithful members, including those who are not bound by law to their recitation.

And from Sacrosanctum Concilium:

1. In order that the divine office may be better and more perfectly prayed in existing circumstances, whether by priests or by other members of the Church, the sacred Council, carrying further the restoration already so happily begun by the Apostolic See, has seen fit to decree as follows concerning the office of the Roman rite.

It seems pretty clear to me especially when combined with what’s written in the General Instructions.

I would suggest that an Apostolic Constitution by a pope takes precedence over the opinion of a priest no matter how holy he may be.

It is one of the blessings of Vatican II that the laity now can now fully participate in the public prayer of the Church with an Office that is particularly suited to prayer outside of community or clerical life.

 

[TradCatholic34]

The opinion of Father Z on this matter displays a certain odd clericalist bent. Indeed, the Office is liturgy, no matter who prays it. Obviously some people will have a Benedicine spirituality, for example, and pray the various forms of the monastic breviary; others the Roman (older and new); others the Dominican; etc. But it’s liturgy, and not just when a priest, deacon, or consecrated religious prays it.

 

[OraLabora]

The opinion of Father Z on this matter displays a certain odd clericalist bent. Indeed, the Office is liturgy, no matter who prays it. Obviously some people will have a Benedicine spirituality, for example, and pray the various forms of the monastic breviary; others the Roman (older and new); others the Dominican; etc. But it’s liturgy, and not just when a priest, deacon, or consecrated religious prays it.

Exactly. Also in my quote from the GILH:

1. Lay groups gathering for prayer, apostolic work, or any other reason are encouraged to fulfill the Church’s duty, [103] by celebrating part of the liturgy of the hours. The laity must learn above all how in the liturgy they are adoring God the Father in spirit and in truth; [104] they should bear in mind that through public worship and prayer they reach all humanity and can contribute significantly to the salvation of the whole world. [105]

Finally, it is of great advantage for the family, the domestic sanctuary of the Church, not only to pray together to God but also to celebrate some parts of the liturgy of the hours as occasion offers, in order to enter more deeply into the life of the Church.

Note that it says lay groups celebrating part of the liturgy of the hours, not part of a private devotion based on the LOTH. Moreover the French translation of the above quote from the GILH is even more clear:

Il faut qu’ils apprennent avant tout à adorer Dieu le Père en esprit et en vérité dans l’action liturgique

Which is in direct contradiction to Fr. Z’s assertion that laity praying the LOTH alone are not executing a “liturgical action”.

I’ve noted this clericalist tendency even among many posters on CAF regardless of their place on the liberal-conservative spectrum, as if they feel a need to belittle the liturgical participation of the faithful who pray the LOTH, whether Benedictine oblates like myself, lay members of other Church organizations, or simply laymen and women who want to be part of the public body of prayer of the Church.

We certainly learn in our oblate formation that we are indeed carrying out the liturgy of the Church when we pray the Divine Office.

Also, for Denise, the GILH and rubrics are very clear on the specific things one does or does not do in the LOTH whether one is praying in community, in private, with a priest or deacon presiding, or as laity praying in a group or alone, for example:

1. In the absence of a priest or deacon, the one who presides at the office is only one among equals and does not enter the sanctuary or greet and bless the people.

 

[Denise1957]

It’s not “my opinion”, it’s the mind of the Church. From the Apostolic Constitution of Paul VI promulgating the Liturgy of the Hours in 1970:

And from Sacrosanctum Concilium:

It seems pretty clear to me especially when combined with what’s written in the General Instructions.

I would suggest that an Apostolic Constitution by a pope takes precedence over the opinion of a priest no matter how holy he may be.

It is one of the blessings of Vatican II that the laity now can now fully participate in the public prayer of the Church with an Office that is particularly suited to prayer outside of community or clerical life.

It’s clear to you, and that’s okay. Have you asked any Benedictine superiors with whom you are associated with about their views on the matter?

I may send an email the Clear Creek Benedictines in Oklahoma, since I’m on their mailing list. Hopefully they will be willing to comment on the matter. I’ll get back to you if they do. Until then, I’ll not comment further on it.

 

[OraLabora]

It’s clear to you, and that’s okay. Have you asked any Benedictine superiors with whom you are associated with about their views on the matter?

I may send an email the Clear Creek Benedictines in Oklahoma, since I’m on their mailing list. Hopefully they will be willing to comment on the matter. I’ll get back to you if they do. Until then, I’ll not comment further on it.

It is taught to us in formation, and moreover our Oblate Director (and priest) is in fact giving us a series of conferences on liturgy. In fact I’m just translating (from French to English) one of his conferences on the subject, and he speaks (in the context of oblates) of our “liturgical lives”.

Clear Creek is in the same congregation as the abbey I’m associated with. Oblate participation in the Liturgy is not a new concept as oblates have been around for quite a long time.

Beyond that I don’t know what more I can say. It’s the clear teaching of the Church, and I’m not sure I understand why you (and some others I’ve encountered) are so hung up over denying that we participate even as laity in the liturgy of the Church when we pray the LOTH

 

[Barzillai]

It is taught to us in formation, and moreover our Oblate Director (and priest) is in fact giving us a series of conferences on liturgy. In fact I’m just translating (from French to English) one of his conferences on the subject, and he speaks (in the context of oblates) of our “liturgical lives”.

Clear Creek is in the same congregation as the abbey I’m associated with. Oblate participation in the Liturgy is not a new concept as oblates have been around for quite a long time.

Beyond that I don’t know what more I can say. It’s the clear teaching of the Church, and I’m not sure I understand why you (and some others I’ve encountered) are so hung up over denying that we participate even as laity in the liturgy of the Church when we pray the LOTH

Thank you, interesting discussion. At Saint Leo Abbey in sunny Florida the issue has not been addressed directly, but everyone seems to have the understanding you expressed. And besides that how can a son of Dom Guéranger, O.S.B., be wrong about anything!!

*At Advent too, let us devote ourselves to tearful prayers, to reading and compunction of heart, and to abstinence.
*

 

[OraLabora]

Thank you, interesting discussion. At Saint Leo Abbey in sunny Florida the issue has not been addressed directly, but everyone seems to have the understanding you expressed. And besides that how can a son of Dom Guéranger, O.S.B., be wrong about anything!!

*At Advent too, let us devote ourselves to tearful prayers, to reading and compunction of heart, and to abstinence.
*

Thanks.

More on this from the Code of Canon Law:

Can. 1173 Fulfilling the priestly function of Christ, the Church celebrates the liturgy of the hours. In the liturgy of the hours, the Church, hearing God speaking to his people and recalling the mystery of salvation, praises him without ceasing by song and prayer and intercedes for the salvation of the whole world.

Can. 1174 §1. Clerics are obliged to carry out the liturgy of the hours according to the norm of ⇒ can. 276, §2, n. 3; members of institutes of consecrated life and societies of apostolic life, however, are bound according to the norm of their constitutions.

§2. Other members of the Christian faithful, according to circumstances, are also earnestly invited to participate in the liturgy of the hours as an action of the Church.

Can. 1175 In carrying out the liturgy of the hours, the true time for each hour is to be observed insofar as possible.

And from our Oblate Statutes:

1. The measure and form of this participation in the Divine Office cannot be uniformly codified for all. According to his condition in life and his personal tastes, each may choose with the advice of his spiritual director:
   • Part of the Divine Office as it is celebrated at the monastery (ed. note Monastic Schema B
   • Part of the Divine Office using a different schema (ed note: LOTH)
   • An abridged Office (e.g. Shorter Christian Prayer).

The oblate recognizes that his participation in the liturgy has as goal the promotion, maintenance and deepening of his continual prayer.

Again I think it’s pretty clear what the mind of the Church is on this. I should point out though, that this is probably fairly recent development. Though oblates were praying some form of Office well before the Vatican II, prior to Vatican II not even the non-ordained brothers of a monastery prayed the Divine Office. They had their own “little office” and the Divine Office was only prayed by choir monks who were, generally, priests or monks being formed to become priests. This was not however the intent of Saint Benedict. The Work of God (as he often called the Divine Office) was intended for all monks; in the early days few monks were in fact priests. Eventually in the middle ages a form of clericalism set in, that was a major departure from Benedictine spirituality where all monks were to be considered equal and priest-monks were only to be distinguished from non-priest monks by service at the altar.

Vatican II in fact restored Benedictine (and also Cistercian) life back to what it was intended in Saint Benedict’s Rule. No longer was it necessary to be a choir monk to participate in the Divine Office. At the abbey I’m associated with, by the early 1980s all monks were raised to the rank of solemnly professed monks and participated fully in the Divine Office in choir.

 

[Ignatius]

Would I be right in thinking that few Catholics have much experience of the Liturgy of the Hours?

I have talked to quite devout Catholics who seem to be almost unaware of the Liturgy of the Hours.

Yup, quite a few. I pray the Divine Office and quite a few people I know do or have. But my impression is that a lot of folks never have and some don’t even know what it is.

 

[otjm]

OraLabora;12549378:

No, that’s wrong. Whether a layperson prays it privately, with others, in community, or in a church or monastery, it is the public

prayer of the Church (provided the rubrics and approved texts are used). The General Instructions themselves make this very clear:

According to one website (Fr. Z), when a cleric recites the divine office he is doing something liturgical, and that consecrated religious are probably doing something liturgical and not just devotional. But when laypersons recite any of the Divine Office, they are praying, but they are not doing so in the name of the Church as an official act of the Church’s prayer life, but rather they are associating themselves with it. (I assume that this means it’s devotional for laypersons).

wdtprs.com/blog/2010/06/quaeritur-do-laypeople-pray-liturgically-when-praying-the-office/

Father Z might have been referring to some specific difference; however, the text which Ora quoted is from the Vatican. That is not to say that Father Z is wrong; there are circumstances where reciting the LOTH can be a private prayer and not a liturgical act. But according to the Vatican, there are times where it is a liturgical act of and by the laity.

And at the very bottom line: who ever is praying is doing just that. Praying. Liturgical act or not, it is still prayer; if one wishes to do it as a part of the official Liturgy of the Church, then one needs to review the commentary from the Vatican and follow it.

Either way, God is pleased with out prayer.

 

[OraLabora]

It actually is a liturgical act even if prayed privately. Only when not prayed according to the rubric or with approved texts does it lose its liturgical character. There are liturgical elements in the LOTH that are licit when prayed by a layman either privately or in public. The opening verses “Lord come to my assistance…”, or “Lord, open my lips…” are distinct liturgical acts that open the entire liturgy. Similarly, there blessing formulae that are proper to either ordained clergy (“The Lord be with you… etc.”) where the clergy presiding bless the faithful as part of their sacerdotal or diaconal ministry; there is a closing formula that on the other hand is proper to use when no ordained clergy are present, again either privately or with others (“May the Lord bless us…”), where the presider calls on God to shower His blessings on the faithful. Between those opening and closing liturgical acts, is the prayer of the entire church herself.

The readings, responsories, intonation of the antiphon before each psalm, leading the intercessions, and recitation of the Lords Prayer and collect are also liturgical gestures that fall within the realm of the laity. In fact the only liturgical act that cannot be done by the laity is the clerical blessing at the end, although some parts normally are deferred to a priest or deacon if one is present (reciting the Lord’s Prayer and the collect in particular). One must keep in mind that the LOTH is prayed daily in many women’s communities (nuns and sisters) and not all are consecrated religious as some sisters live under a promise and not a vow. So the notion of people other than clergy or consecrated religious performing a liturgical act has been around for a very long time.

Interestingly, last year at the World Oblate’s Congress, I was responsible for one of the coaches taking us on various excursions during the congress. On the longer excursion to Monte Cassino, coach leaders were to lead the singing of Lauds on the bus. Our chaplain for the congress, a priest from Africa, was on board my bus, so I thought my role would be limited to being cantor. I asked him to do the priest’s parts but he declined and told me to lead the entire prayer (he was very tired from all his responsibilities at the congress and wanted to rest on the bus). Obviously I used the closing formula applicable to laity! I was honoured, but somewhat nervous to say the least.

 

[otjm]

Yup, quite a few. I pray the Divine Office and quite a few people I know do or have. But my impression is that a lot of folks never have and some don’t even know what it is.

As to the question why many Catholics are unfamiliar with it: a few random thoughts.

About 25% of Catholics attend Mass regularly.

Out of that 25%, how many see the Mass as “obligation”? Much has been said about that mindset and I won’t reiterate, other than to say it seems like an attempt to slide into Heaven, as one might slide into home plate during a baseball game, hoping to avoid being “thrown out”.

Many, if not most parishes, rarely or ever do even one of the hours (Vespers seemingly most poplular) and that has the danger of running smack into a 5 or 5:30 p.m. Sunday Mass.

In other words, except perhaps at daily Mass (after or before), it is not seen by most Catholics.

It is not an “obligation” - and if one has that mindset, it is not overly likely one is going to explore other prayer forms (the rosary possibly being the exception to the rule).

And even among those who try to more actively live out the faith, it is not something that most people are going to stumble across, unless they meet someone who has. It is just not out there to be seen much.

 

[Magdalen2013]

Well, my RCIA team were really surprised when I told them that I had acquired the one volume “Christian Prayer” and was really enjoying attempting to do it. Our priest helped me with my ribbons and encouraged me to do the Office of the Dead too.

All the seminarians that helped our group were delited when I asked questions, and one of them told me when I got the chance to take a look at the Office of Readings as well.

From their reactions I gathered my interest in, and enjoyment of learning the LOTH was unusual. That’s a pity, because that and Adoration were a real help throughout the RCIA process.

 

[otjm]

It actually is a liturgical act even if prayed privately. Only when not prayed according to the rubric or with approved texts does it lose its liturgical character. There are liturgical elements in the LOTH that are licit when prayed by a layman either privately or in public. The opening verses “Lord come to my assistance…”, or “Lord, open my lips…” are distinct liturgical acts that open the entire liturgy. Similarly, there blessing formulae that are proper to either ordained clergy (“The Lord be with you… etc.”) where the clergy presiding bless the faithful as part of their sacerdotal or diaconal ministry; there is a closing formula that on the other hand is proper to use when no ordained clergy are present, again either privately or with others (“May the Lord bless us…”), where the presider calls on God to shower His blessings on the faithful. Between those opening and closing liturgical acts, is the prayer of the entire church herself.

The readings, responsories, intonation of the antiphon before each psalm, leading the intercessions, and recitation of the Lords Prayer and collect are also liturgical gestures that fall within the realm of the laity. In fact the only liturgical act that cannot be done by the laity is the clerical blessing at the end, although some parts normally are deferred to a priest or deacon if one is present (reciting the Lord’s Prayer and the collect in particular). One must keep in mind that the LOTH is prayed daily in many women’s communities (nuns and sisters) and not all are consecrated religious as some sisters live under a promise and not a vow. So the notion of people other than clergy or consecrated religious performing a liturgical act has been around for a very long time.

Interestingly, last year at the World Oblate’s Congress, I was responsible for one of the coaches taking us on various excursions during the congress. On the longer excursion to Monte Cassino, coach leaders were to lead the singing of Lauds on the bus. Our chaplain for the congress, a priest from Africa, was on board my bus, so I thought my role would be limited to being cantor. I asked him to do the priest’s parts but he declined and told me to lead the entire prayer (he was very tired from all his responsibilities at the congress and wanted to rest on the bus). Obviously I used the closing formula applicable to laity! I was honoured, but somewhat nervous to say the least.

I have not looked through a Magnificat recently, but my recollection was that part of Lauds and part of Vespers was presented for those who used the booklet, and I would presume they do not follow the liturgical format sufficiently to be part of the liturgical act of the Church - but it is still prayer.

 

[OraLabora]

I have not looked through a Magnificat recently, but my recollection was that part of Lauds and part of Vespers was presented for those who used the booklet, and I would presume they do not follow the liturgical format sufficiently to be part of the liturgical act of the Church - but it is still prayer.

Indeed it’s not liturgy, but it is prayer which in itself is valid. The nice thing about the Magnificat version is that it gives a taste of regular prayer, to help make a habit of it. Our Oblate Director does say, however, that you can “attach” the Magnificat prayer (or any other form of prayer) to the liturgical prayer of the monks. In a sense you pray with them. For those pressed for time, it’s a nice way of at least praying with and for those engaged in liturgical prayer.

 

[otjm]

Indeed it’s not liturgy, but it is prayer which in itself is valid. The nice thing about the Magnificat version is that it gives a taste of regular prayer, to help make a habit of it. Our Oblate Director does say, however, that you can “attach” the Magnificat prayer (or any other form of prayer) to the liturgical prayer of the monks. In a sense you pray with them. For those pressed for time, it’s a nice way of at least praying with and for those engaged in liturgical prayer.

And it is a good way to get a taste of the LOTH. Some will be encouraged to go farther.