Divine office question

[Paul_theApostle]

With the introduction to morning prayer ,in my prayer book it says that we begin with-

O God come to our aid
Lord make haste to help us

But it says this introduction is omitted when we use the Invitatory along with-

Lord open our lips
And we shall praise your name

So is it our choice which intro to use every morning?

Which one do I use?

2nd question

In morning/evening prayers when we say the psalmody

For example we say the 1st antiphon then the psalm reads-

I love the Lord for he has heard*
the cry of my appeal
For he turned his ear to me*
In the day when I called him

I see An asterix at the end of many verses,do we have to say something where the star/asterix is?

And sometimes there is a cross at the end of a verse also.

Any body know ?

 

[Lapey]

With the introduction to morning prayer ,in my prayer book it says that we begin with-

O God come to our aid
Lord make haste to help us

But it says this introduction is omitted when we use the Invitatory along with-

Lord open our lips
And we shall praise your name

So is it our choice which intro to use every morning?

Which one do I use?
COLOR]

2nd question

In morning/evening prayers when we say the psalmody

For example we say the 1st antiphon then the psalm reads-

I love the Lord for he has heard*
the cry of my appeal
For he turned his ear to me*
In the day when I called him

I see An asterix at the end of many verses,do we have to say something where the star/asterix is?

And sometimes there is a cross at the end of a verse also.

Any body know ?

The invitatory psalm with it’s proper anthiphon is an option, I use it every morning before the first office of the day. But you can choose the appropriate hymn instead. The first office of the day, whether you use the invitatory or not should start with, “Lord open my lips…” then each other office prayed during the day after that starts with “God come to my assistance…”

My brievary does not have the “*”, I cant help yoou with that one.

 

[JGMendes4049]

In the Liturgy of the Hours, the opening versicle for the Invitatory is:

Lord, open my lips,
—And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

The rubrics say that The Invitatory may be said for the first “hour” recited in the day. So you may add the Invitatory to beginning of the first hour (probably either Morning Prayer or the Office of Readings) that you recite. Here’s the beginning of the psalmody for today’s Invitatory:

Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
or: Come, let us sing to the Lord, as we celebrate the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Psalm 95
A call to praise God

Encourage each other daily with it is still today (Hebrews 3:13).

Come, let us sing to the Lord *
and shout with joy to the rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving *
and sing joyful songs to the Lord.

Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
or: Come, let us sing to the Lord, as we celebrate the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Then the rest of Psalm 95 is recited, with the antiphon between each set of verses, then the Glory to the Father is said, followed by the antiphon.

If you say Invitatory, with the

Lord, open my lips,
—And my mouth will proclaim your praise.,

then you don’t do the opening versicle of the hour itself, which is

God, come to my assistance.
—Lord, make haste to help me.

In those verses, you see an asterisk (*). That’s for when you say the Office in choir in the manner of a monastery. One side of the monastery sings the first half, and the other side sings the second half. Each side has a cantor who intones the half of the verses for their side, up until the asterisk.

The cross you mention is actually a dagger (†). It’s called a flex, and it denotes that the part of the verse that comes before the asterisk is two lines. Here’s an example, the first two strophes of the psalmody from the Office of Readings this morning:

Ant. 1. Mary received a blessing from the Lord and loving kindness from God her savior.

Psalm 24
The Lord’s entry into his temple

Christ opened heaven for us in the manhood he assumed (Saint Iranaeus).

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, *
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas; *
on the waters he made it firm.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? *
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart, †
who desires not worthless things, *
who has not sworn so as to deceive his neighbor.

And then the psalmody continues.

Does that make sense? I can be very confusing at times, coupled with the fact that the Divine Office is very confusing. I hope that helps you.

 

[Paul_theApostle]

In the Liturgy of the Hours, the opening versicle for the Invitatory is:

Lord, open my lips,
—And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

The rubrics say that The Invitatory may be said for the first “hour” recited in the day. So you may add the Invitatory to beginning of the first hour (probably either Morning Prayer or the Office of Readings) that you recite. Here’s the beginning of the psalmody for today’s Invitatory:

Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
or: Come, let us sing to the Lord, as we celebrate the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Psalm 95
A call to praise God

Encourage each other daily with it is still today (Hebrews 3:13).

Come, let us sing to the Lord *
and shout with joy to the rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving *
and sing joyful songs to the Lord.

Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
or: Come, let us sing to the Lord, as we celebrate the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Then the rest of Psalm 95 is recited, with the antiphon between each set of verses, then the Glory to the Father is said, followed by the antiphon.

If you say Invitatory, with the

Lord, open my lips,
—And my mouth will proclaim your praise.,

then you don’t do the opening versicle of the hour itself, which is

God, come to my assistance.
—Lord, make haste to help me.

In those verses, you see an asterisk (*). That’s for when you say the Office in choir in the manner of a monastery. One side of the monastery sings the first half, and the other side sings the second half. Each side has a cantor who intones the half of the verses for their side, up until the asterisk.

The cross you mention is actually a dagger (†). It’s called a flex, and it denotes that the part of the verse that comes before the asterisk is two lines. Here’s an example, the first two strophes of the psalmody from the Office of Readings this morning:

Ant. 1. Mary received a blessing from the Lord and loving kindness from God her savior.

Psalm 24
The Lord’s entry into his temple

Christ opened heaven for us in the manhood he assumed (Saint Iranaeus).

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, *
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas; *
on the waters he made it firm.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? *
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart, †
who desires not worthless things, *
who has not sworn so as to deceive his neighbor.

And then the psalmody continues.

Does that make sense? I can be very confusing at times, coupled with the fact that the Divine Office is very confusing. I hope that helps you.

Thank you for that .

My book has Alternative Invitatory psalms,can i use these at anytime instead of psalm 94?

And these Alternative psalms in my book dont have a (Antiphon) signal for us to say after each verse like in psalm 94.

Whats that about?

Yes i have prayed lately morning prayer with some religous friars and i saw them take turns in saying the verses,i didnt follow a book though.

With the dagger sign ,would it matter if it wasnt shown?

i see that it is shown after two lines,but cant the choir see that there is no asterisk anyway?

whats the point of it?

Thank u

 

[Batfink]

My book has Alternative Invitatory psalms,can i use these at anytime instead of psalm 94?

And these Alternative psalms in my book dont have a (Antiphon) signal for us to say after each verse like in psalm 94.

You may use any of the Invitatory Psalms (94, 99, 66 or 23) any day, as the mood takes you. All of them use the same antiphon in the same way as Psalm 94 (it is optional to say it after every verse; you must say it at least before the beginning of the psalm and after the Glory Be). If you choose to use one of the others and it comes up that day somewhere else in the psalmody, you substitute Psalm 94 the second time. Personally, I just say Psalm 94 every day, it’s easier…but it is a legitimate choice for you to make.

Yes i have prayed lately morning prayer with some religous friars and i saw them take turns in saying the verses,i didnt follow a book though.

With the dagger sign ,would it matter if it wasnt shown?

i see that it is shown after two lines,but cant the choir see that there is no asterisk anyway?

If the friars are saying the Office, it still doesn’t make much difference even when they say it antiphonally (one side at a time). The asterisk and dagger really come into play when it’s chanted as then the tone will be based on a two line tune and if there are three lines, the first is a sort of run-on to the second. It would be easier to show you the chant sheet to explain but I don’t have one on computer, maybe someone else will be able to help. The choir could see the absence of asterisk, but it sounds off if they get it wrong so it doesn’t hurt to give a little extra hint to make sure people get the message!

 

[Evan]

A chant for the invitatory can be found at usml.edu/liturgicalinstitute/projects/psalter/psalter%20links.htm

 

[OraLabora]

In the Liturgy of the Hours, the opening versicle for the Invitatory is:

Lord, open my lips,
—And my mouth will proclaim your praise.

The rubrics say that The Invitatory may be said for the first “hour” recited in the day. So you may add the Invitatory to beginning of the first hour (probably either Morning Prayer or the Office of Readings) that you recite. Here’s the beginning of the psalmody for today’s Invitatory:

Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
or: Come, let us sing to the Lord, as we celebrate the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Psalm 95
A call to praise God

Encourage each other daily with it is still today (Hebrews 3:13).

Come, let us sing to the Lord *
and shout with joy to the rock who saves us.
Let us approach him with praise and thanksgiving *
and sing joyful songs to the Lord.

Ant. Come, let us worship Christ, the Son of Mary.
or: Come, let us sing to the Lord, as we celebrate the feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Then the rest of Psalm 95 is recited, with the antiphon between each set of verses, then the Glory to the Father is said, followed by the antiphon.

If you say Invitatory, with the

Lord, open my lips,
—And my mouth will proclaim your praise.,

then you don’t do the opening versicle of the hour itself, which is

God, come to my assistance.
—Lord, make haste to help me.

In those verses, you see an asterisk (*). That’s for when you say the Office in choir in the manner of a monastery. One side of the monastery sings the first half, and the other side sings the second half. Each side has a cantor who intones the half of the verses for their side, up until the asterisk.

The cross you mention is actually a dagger (†). It’s called a flex, and it denotes that the part of the verse that comes before the asterisk is two lines. Here’s an example, the first two strophes of the psalmody from the Office of Readings this morning:

Ant. 1. Mary received a blessing from the Lord and loving kindness from God her savior.

Psalm 24
The Lord’s entry into his temple

Christ opened heaven for us in the manhood he assumed (Saint Iranaeus).

The Lord’s is the earth and its fullness, *
the world and all its peoples.
It is he who set it on the seas; *
on the waters he made it firm.

Who shall climb the mountain of the Lord? *
Who shall stand in his holy place?
The man with clean hands and pure heart, †
who desires not worthless things, *
who has not sworn so as to deceive his neighbor.

And then the psalmody continues.

Does that make sense? I can be very confusing at times, coupled with the fact that the Divine Office is very confusing. I hope that helps you.

You forgot the hymn. In the current Roman version of the Liturgy of the Hours, the hymn comes after the invitatory, or the opening verses, whichever the case may be, then followed by the psalmody. In the monastic Liturgy of the Hours though, the hymn for Lauds and Vespers may optionally follow the responsory after the reading, and the hymn for Compline may directly follow the psalmody. In the current version of the monastic Office it is also OK to place the hymn after the opening verse or invitatory. In the community I am associated with they kept the old version, after the readings or psalmody. for Lauds, Vespers and Compline.

 

[JGMendes4049]

You forgot the hymn.

Ah, yes, the hymn. Silly me.

 

[Paul_theApostle]

I need more help

i have new questions

Im up to the weekend now and havnt done the Sunday prayers yet.

For Evening prayer I-

After the Short responsory,it says ‘Magnificant antiphon from proper of seasons’

Ok so i go to Sunday 24 section

and there is the Mag. ant ‘Jesus said to Peter’…

What do i say after that? or is that all i say before the Intersessions?

---

Ok then we get to morning prayer and at that same place it says ‘Benedictus ant’

Do i say anything after the Antiphon?

---

Evening prayer II

Same place Mag. Ant,(after short respons) anything after it?

---

One more question about the Concluding prayer for Morn and Evening,

In one place it says the conclusion is-

We make our prayers through our Lord…lives…reigns…the Holy Spirit,…ever and ever,Amen.

Then there is another conclusion where it says "When no priest is present or when reciting alone the conclusion is-

The Lord bless us keep us…all evil,bring us to …life,Amen

So which conclusion do i do?

Thank you all

God Bless you

 

[Batfink]

I need more help

i have new questions

Im up to the weekend now and havnt done the Sunday prayers yet.

For Evening prayer I-

After the Short responsory,it says ‘Magnificant antiphon from proper of seasons’

Ok so i go to Sunday 24 section

and there is the Mag. ant ‘Jesus said to Peter’…

What do i say after that? or is that all i say before the Intersessions?

You pray the whole office as ‘normal’ (ferial day), except the Magnificat/Benedictus antiphon and the concluding prayer are ‘proper’, i.e. only for that day.

Therefore, Evening Prayer I is all from the weekday (in this case, Sunday Week 4) up to the Magnificat antiphon, then you turn to Sunday 24, say the antiphon (‘Jesus said to Peter…’), say the Magnificat itself (‘My soul glorifies the Lord…’), say the Glory Be, say the antiphon again, then turn back to Evening Prayer I, Sunday Week IV and say the intercessions & Our Father, then back once more to Week 24 for the Concluding Prayer. I’ve written it out below so it’s hopefully clearer.

The same principle applies for Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer II.

One more question about the Concluding prayer for Morn and Evening,

In one place it says the conclusion is-

We make our prayers through our Lord…lives…reigns…the Holy Spirit,…ever and ever,Amen.

Then there is another conclusion where it says "When no priest is present or when reciting alone the conclusion is-

The Lord bless us keep us…all evil,bring us to …life,Amen

So which conclusion do i do?

At the end of the concluding prayer, you say the ‘We make our prayer through…Amen’, then, after that, you say the conclusion, ‘The Lord bless us…Amen’, generally whilst making the sign of the cross.

Here’s what the whole office would look like:
Evening Prayer I, Sunday Week 24 of the Year:

O God, come to our aid (Sign of Cross)
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory Be to the Father…Amen.

from Week 4: Sunday Evening Prayer I
Hymn:
Bless’d be the Lord our God (or other hymn from the appendix

Psalmody:
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
I rejoiced when I heard them say…I will ask for your good.
Glory Be to the Father…Amen
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
From the morning watch even until night my soul is longing for the Lord.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord…from all its iniquity.
Glory Be to the Father…Amen
From the morning watch even until night my soul is longing for the Lord.
Let every creature, in heaven and on earth, bend the knee at the name of Jesus.
Though he was in the form of God,…to the glory of God the Father.
Glory Be to the Father…Amen
Let every creature, in heaven and on earth, bend the knee at the name of Jesus.

Reading:
So we are even more confident…message that came from God.

Short Responsory:
From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.
From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.
High above the heavens is his glory.
From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.
Glory Be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.

From the Proper of Seasons: Week 24 Sunday Evening Prayer I
Jesus said to Peter, ‘I do not say to you that you should forgive seven times, but rather seventy-seven times’

Magnificat from the insert card/appendix:
My soul glorifies the Lord (Sign of Cross)
…Abraham and his sons for ever.
Glory Be to the Father…Amen.

From the Proper of Seasons: Week 24 Sunday Evening Prayer I
Jesus said to Peter, ‘I do not say to you that you should forgive seven times, but rather seventy-seven times’

from Week 4: Sunday Evening Prayer I
Intercessions:
Let us pray to Christ, who, of his fulness…everlasting life with Our Lady and all the saints.
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Our Father, who art in heaven…Amen.

From the Proper of Seasons: Week 24 Sunday Evening Prayer I
Look upon us, Lord…through our Lord, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. (Sign of Cross).

 

[JGMendes4049]

A chant for the invitatory can be found at usml.edu/liturgicalinstitute/projects/psalter/psalter%20links.htm

Oh my goodness, that’s awesome! Thank you so much for sharing it. Do you know if they do anything like that for the other hours?

 

[Paul_theApostle]

You pray the whole office as ‘normal’ (ferial day), except the Magnificat/Benedictus antiphon and the concluding prayer are ‘proper’, i.e. only for that day.

Therefore, Evening Prayer I is all from the weekday (in this case, Sunday Week 4) up to the Magnificat antiphon, then you turn to Sunday 24, say the antiphon (‘Jesus said to Peter…’), say the Magnificat itself (‘My soul glorifies the Lord…’), say the Glory Be, say the antiphon again, then turn back to Evening Prayer I, Sunday Week IV and say the intercessions & Our Father, then back once more to Week 24 for the Concluding Prayer. I’ve written it out below so it’s hopefully clearer.

The same principle applies for Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer II.

At the end of the concluding prayer, you say the ‘We make our prayer through…Amen’, then, after that, you say the conclusion, ‘The Lord bless us…Amen’, generally whilst making the sign of the cross.

Here’s what the whole office would look like:
Evening Prayer I, Sunday Week 24 of the Year:

O God, come to our aid (Sign of Cross)
O Lord, make haste to help us.
Glory Be to the Father…Amen.

from Week 4: Sunday Evening Prayer I
Hymn:
Bless’d be the Lord our God (or other hymn from the appendix

Psalmody:
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
I rejoiced when I heard them say…I will ask for your good.
Glory Be to the Father…Amen
Pray for the Peace of Jerusalem
From the morning watch even until night my soul is longing for the Lord.
Out of the depths I cry to you, O Lord…from all its iniquity.
Glory Be to the Father…Amen
From the morning watch even until night my soul is longing for the Lord.
Let every creature, in heaven and on earth, bend the knee at the name of Jesus.
Though he was in the form of God,…to the glory of God the Father.
Glory Be to the Father…Amen
Let every creature, in heaven and on earth, bend the knee at the name of Jesus.

Reading:
So we are even more confident…message that came from God.

Short Responsory:
From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.
From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.
High above the heavens is his glory.
From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.
Glory Be to the Father, to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
From the rising of the sun to its setting, great is the name of the Lord.

From the Proper of Seasons: Week 24 Sunday Evening Prayer I
Jesus said to Peter, ‘I do not say to you that you should forgive seven times, but rather seventy-seven times’

Magnificat from the insert card/appendix:
My soul glorifies the Lord (Sign of Cross)
…Abraham and his sons for ever.
Glory Be to the Father…Amen.

From the Proper of Seasons: Week 24 Sunday Evening Prayer I
Jesus said to Peter, ‘I do not say to you that you should forgive seven times, but rather seventy-seven times’

from Week 4: Sunday Evening Prayer I
Intercessions:
Let us pray to Christ, who, of his fulness…everlasting life with Our Lady and all the saints.
Lord Jesus, hear our prayer.

Our Father, who art in heaven…Amen.

From the Proper of Seasons: Week 24 Sunday Evening Prayer I
Look upon us, Lord…through our Lord, Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, God forever and ever. Amen.

The Lord bless us, and keep us from all evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen. (Sign of Cross).

Ok i understand now thanks

In my book at the end of Evening prayer I, after the Intersessions the book reads-

Our Father.

The concluding prayer from the proper of Seasons

Invitatory
Ant We are the people of the Lord,the flock that is led by his hand:come let us adore him,alleluia.
Psalm p.3 (94)

MORNING PRAYER

HYMN

I bind unto…

---

I see there is an Invitatory after the concluding prayer??

Do we say Invitatory at the end of evening prayer I ?

Do we say it again the next morning also?

 

[Batfink]

Ok i understand now thanks

I see there is an Invitatory after the concluding prayer??

Do we say Invitatory at the end of evening prayer I ?

Do we say it again the next morning also?

No, it is confusing but because Saturday evening is liturgically Sunday, the whole of Sunday is lumped together from Evening Prayer I, invitatory, Morning Prayer, through to Evening Prayer II.

You don’t say it after Evening Prayer I, you do say it first thing in the morning before Morning Prayer.

Ok?

 

[Paul_theApostle]

Ok

 

[OraLabora]

No, it is confusing but because Saturday evening is liturgically Sunday, the whole of Sunday is lumped together from Evening Prayer I, invitatory, Morning Prayer, through to Evening Prayer II.

You don’t say it after Evening Prayer I, you do say it first thing in the morning before Morning Prayer.

Ok?

It can also be said before the Office of Readings if it is the first office of the day. For those of us following a monastic schedule, it is said before Vigils (though some houses do Vigils by anticipation the previous evening, in that case it would be said before Lauds).

 

[Paul_theApostle]

It can also be said before the Office of Readings if it is the first office of the day. For those of us following a monastic schedule, it is said before Vigils (though some houses do Vigils by anticipation the previous evening, in that case it would be said before Lauds).

whats the monastic schedule? is it doing the full office and all the hours?

Can a simple layperson do this at home by himself,or would he have to stay home or in his room all day to be able to pray every couple hours?

 

[OraLabora]

whats the monastic schedule? is it doing the full office and all the hours?

Can a simple layperson do this at home by himself,or would he have to stay home or in his room all day to be able to pray every couple hours?

No you wouldn’t have to stay in your room all day, after all monks still manage to run a monastery

For Benedictines, there are 4 approved schemas, A (the same one St. Benedict designed) that recites 255 psalms a week (obviously with many repetitions). That one is tough to do as a working layperson. The other schemas though, B, C and D, are somewhat lighter. B is 150 psalms in a week (the entire psalter) and it can also be arranged on two-week cycles, and some of the offices can be combined.

Basically the monastic day at the abbey I am affiliated with looks like this, using Schema B (150 psalms a week):

5 am Vigils (divided into two nocturnes)
7:30 am Lauds
9:45 am Tierce
11 am Mass
12:10 pm Sexte and None combined (ordinary weekdays)
3:45 pm Sexte and None combined (Sundays and feast days)
5 pm Vespers
7:45 pm Compline.

A two-week version of the above could see all of the Minor Hours combined into one (mid-day prayer), alternating between the psalms of Tierce and Sexte one week, and Tierce and None the second week.

I follow the schedule above with some variations due to my work day:

5:30 am Vigils
6:20 am Lauds
8:45 am Tierce
11:45 am Sexte
3 pm None
6:30 pm Vespers
9:30 pm Compline.

Somehow, I manage to survive, and still put in a full day’s work

The minor hours are very short, barely 5-10 min each if read. Vigils takes me a half an hour, Lauds and Vespers, about 20-25 minutes, and compline about 10 minutes if read, 15 if chanted.

In summer I use a two-week version of Schema B; when my workload is really heavy, or I am traveling, I often use the current 4-week LOTH.

 

[Paul_theApostle]

No you wouldn’t have to stay in your room all day, after all monks still manage to run a monastery

For Benedictines…

Thanks for that

I have most of my days free at the moment,and i might look into doing more then just Morn and Eve. prayer,

You mentioned you are affiliated with an abbey?

I could do the Office alone at home couldnt i,or would it be better to do it or some of it with Friars or monks?

Does one who wants to pray the Full Office usually become an Oblate?

I dont live to close to Religous congregations, would i have to be an oblate to be able to pray the Office with them,I know some religous congr. do Morn and Eve prayer with the public but maybe they do the smaller hours by themselves,im not sure…

Thank u God Bless

 

[OraLabora]

Thanks for that

I have most of my days free at the moment,and i might look into doing more then just Morn and Eve. prayer,

You mentioned you are affiliated with an abbey?

I could do the Office alone at home couldnt i,or would it be better to do it or some of it with Friars or monks?

Does one who wants to pray the Full Office usually become an Oblate?

I dont live to close to Religous congregations, would i have to be an oblate to be able to pray the Office with them,I know some religous congr. do Morn and Eve prayer with the public but maybe they do the smaller hours by themselves,im not sure…

Thank u God Bless

Yes I am an oblate of St. Benoît du Lac in Quebec, a Benedictine abbey. You don’t have to pray the Office in community. To be sure it is nice to do so when you can; I live 30 min away and try to get to Vespers from time to time, and do retreats there.

We are to pray the office as best as our condition in life allows, for some it is only Morning and Evening prayer.

In general non-regligious should use the 4-week LOTH, but if you’re affiliated to a community you can use their version of the LOTH. You don’t have to pray the full office to become an oblate. Oblation is partly about the office but mostly about offering your life to Christ and seeking Him using the Rule of St. Benedict as your inspiration. As an oblate you are attached to a specific monastery and share in their charism.

 

[porthos11]

Ok

Part of the difficulty is that you need to be familiar, first of all, with the Ordinary.

Why not take some time (not during prayer of course) to study the section called the Ordinary (it will likely be the section after the Proper of Seaons and before the four-week Psalter. This section contains all the unchanging parts of the Office.

Read the red text; these are the instructions. The black text are the parts that you actually recite. This is were you see Psalm 95 (94), the Benedictus, the Magnificat, and the opening and closing greetings (Lord, open my lips, God come to my assistance, etc…)