Devotion to Mary

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heavy_hand said:
I have been seriously considering The Little Office.
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The Little Office is at the heart of the Church.

The last revision of it was in 1961. And, although it is not contained explicitly within the revised editions of the it is nonetheless part and parcel of the Liturgy of the Hours.

The 1961 version is the prayer of the Church. Newer versions are not.

The Little Office is the prayer of priests in particular. It is no longer required for priests to recite it daily. It hasn’t been required for centuries. I am under the impression this is because Mary wants Her priests to come to Her out of true devotion and not out of being forced to by a prescription in liturgical law.

The Little Office is quite wonderful and is quite ancient. Reciting it faithfully will rain graces upon you.

(A note on the English language contained in the Little Office. It is stylistic and lends itself toward vocal recitation… if not audibly, it should at least be at a whisper so that your breath is spirating from your mouth. The odour of sweetness rising from the breath is an integral part of the prayer of the Church.)
 
JimmytheButcher said:
…
(A note on the English language contained in the Little Office. It is stylistic and lends itself toward vocal recitation… if not audibly, it should at least be at a whisper so that your breath is spirating from your mouth. The odour of sweetness rising from the breath is an integral part of the prayer of the Church.)
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How lovely.
 
Shalom.

I have stated in my first reply the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary and prayers from the pieta. I have found another prayer the Litany of Our Lady (Litany of Loreto) in a book titled “The Treasury of the Holy Spirit” written and compiled by Mgr Michael Buckley.

God bless.
 
Everyone’s mentioned the Divine Office. I highly encourage you to use the 1961 version because of the opposite of what most people say: there isn’t much variety. That means that within a short time span, if you commit to just two or three offices a day, you begin to really memorise the psalms which is a very, powerful spiritual practice. The psalms are the prayerbook of Israel and the prayerbook of the Church and soon you will find yourself falling into ejaculatory prayer much easier. So many lines begin to resonate with you! Everytime I see a beautiful Church, I so often think, “I have loved, oh Lord, the beauty of thy dwelling place!”

Other than the Divine Office, buy a scapular and say the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary or the Akathistos hymn. The latter is particularly beautiful for meditation on her virtues.
 
frteatao said:
Shalom.

I have stated in my first reply the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary and prayers from the pieta. I have found another prayer the Litany of Our Lady (Litany of Loreto) in a book titled “The Treasury of the Holy Spirit” written and compiled by Mgr Michael Buckley.

God bless.
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I had a bookmark with the Rosary of Loreto on the back. Basically it is the regular rosary with the Litany of the Blessed Virgin Mary added. If I remember correctly, it also included praying for vocations, the Bishop of your particular diocese, and the pope.
 
Just to clarify a few items. The Breviarium Romanum, and those peculiar to Religious Orders prior to Vatican II did not usually have any musical Notation, there were Antiponals, Vesperals, as well as the most comprehensive book, the Liber Usualis which has the musical notation for both the Masses and Office of the the Roman Rite for the entire year. Most Seminarians used the Liber to learn and sing the Mass and Office, By the time they were bound to the Office as a Sub-Deacon, most of the melodies for the Office would have been committed to memory and they would not need the Liber if they sang the Office for the most common chants.

The Little Office is bound into the Brevarium Romanum and other Breviaries, and was encouraged among the Clergy, however like many other prayers that are bound into the Breviary are not part of the Official Office that priests and Professed Nuns were bound to. You will also find various common blessings, prayers reccomended to priests before and after Mass, Litanies, the rite of Extreme Unction, The Commendation of Souls, the Itinerary (prayers before starting a trip or voyage) Blessings before and after meals, Blessings of Scapulars and Rosaries etc. Like the Little Office they were bound into the volumes of the Breviary as a convenience for the priest.

There were some Religious and Third Order members who were not bound to the Office, but were bound to the Little Office, although Third Order members could substitue the Little Office with another devotion with the consent of their Spiritual Director or Confessor. and I beleive, (I’ll have to check) the Carmelites and a few others who were boud both to the Official Office of their Order and the Little Office.
 
heavy_hand said:
Other than the Rosary, what is a good devotion to Our Lady? I have been seriously considering The Little Office. Has anyone prayed this and has it brought you closer to Our Lord?
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I was at the adoration chapel yesterday with the Little Office and noticed the guy in front of me had one too. Highly recommended.
 
heavy_hand said:
Other than the Rosary, what is a good devotion to Our Lady? I have been seriously considering The Little Office. Has anyone prayed this and has it brought you closer to Our Lord?
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In addition to what’s been said above, I strongly recommend the Servite rosary of the Seven Sorrows.
 
It is good to start your day off by making an act of offering all to the Sacred Heart thru the Immaculate Heart and hands of Mary. Just a short prayer said from your heart offering everything that day thru Mary to Jesus. And to do everything that day with love and with joy.

Just a thought.
 
My favorite Marian devotion after Rosary is the Akathist Hymn.
Although originally it came from Byzantine tradition, it is highly regarded in the West too although not too popular.
John Paul II revived the Latin Church interest in the Akathist Hymn when on the year of great jubilee he celebrated it publicly and enrich it with the same indulgence and condition as the Rosary.
 
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