Divine Office

[jennstall]

I don’t pray it currently, but I did last year. I generally tried to keep up with the entire office (except vigils) said at the same times as those in the monastery would be chanting it and I carried around the text on my palm pilot for easy access. I need to start praying it again and keeping the darn battery charged on the palm.

 

[adriano]

I started to pray the Divine Office after I read the great book “The Seven Storey Mountain” by Thomas Merton. When he was still a lay man, he described how he found out about the Divine Office and I will never forget how inspiring were his words about the Breviary and what a tremendous desire I felt to find out more about this amazing book of prayers.Here is one of the many great passages of his autobiography. " Yes, and from the secret places of His essence, God began to fill my soul with grace in those days, grace that sprung from deep within me, I could not know or where. But yet I would be able, after not so many months, to realize what was there, in the peace and strenght that were growing in me through my constant immersion in the tremendous, unending cycle of prayer, ever renewing in its vitality, its inexhaustible, sweet energies, from hour to hour, from season to season in its returning round. And I, drawn into that atmosphere, into that deep, vast universal movement of vitalizing prayer, which is Christ praying in men to His Father, could not help but begin at last to live, and to know that I was alive. And my heart could not help but cry within me: I will sing to the Lord as long as I live: I will sing praise to my God while I have my being. Let my speech be acceptable to Him: but I will take delight in the Lord. Truly He was sending forth His Spirit, uttering His divine Word and binding me to Himself through His Spirit preceding from the Word spoken within me."

 

[slinky1882]

Hmmm,

Does anyone know if there is a website or mailing lists where the Divine Office prayers for the day could be e-mail to your inbox to start and end your day at work??? Thanks and God Bless.

 

[tee_eff_em]

slinky1882:

Hmmm,

Does anyone know if there is a website or mailing lists where the Divine Office prayers for the day could be e-mail to your inbox to start and end your day at work??? Thanks and God Bless.

There are several websites, but (not making use of them myself) I do not know if they offer email or RSS feeds or anything.

For the bare bones (just the texts) try liturgyhours.org/

For a little more background, liturgyofthehours.org/

Disclaimer: I do not make regular use of these sites. I know there are others too. I do not have an opinion if one is better than another.

tee

 

[slinky1882]

tee_eff_em:

There are several websites, but (not making use of them myself) I do not know if they offer email or RSS feeds or anything.

For the bare bones (just the texts) try liturgyhours.org/

For a little more background, liturgyofthehours.org/

Disclaimer: I do not make regular use of these sites. I know there are others too. I do not have an opinion if one is better than another.

tee

Thanks, and I do believe that would be a good feature to have the daily prayers sent to your inbox on a mailing lists. Does anyone know of a Catholic organization that could probably handle that and would look at a possible suggestion??? Thanks and God Bless.

 

[otm]

serendipity:

I was trying to say it from the web site www.liturgyofthrhours.org but began to get too distracted by the use of the cpmuter. I found an excellent copy of the book used, which looks brand new. I think the book will be better for me ecuase it has less distractions than the computer. It is the one volume edition that some how has everything in it. Problem is there is so much information and I am having trouble negotiating it.

I hope this is not hijacking the thread, but I was thinking about purchasing the book:
**Lord, Open My Lips: The Liturgy of the Hours As Daily Prayer
**by Seth H. Murray

hoping that it will teach me to navigate the book. Has any one used it? There are no reviews on the web site for it. Amazon recommended the Divine Office for Dodos, but it is almost twice the price, and I don’t like the dodo pictures. Yeah, stupid complaint sorry. I just want a simple introduction.

There is a guide for the one volume that should cost about $1.50 or so. That helps the navigation. Bottom line: don’t worry. Just pray.

 

[otm]

alyssa:

If you guys can organize something at church, or find a church near you that pray it…there is NOTHING like doing it in a group, with leaders, responses, parts 1 and 2…it’s beautiful.

Amen!

 

[otm]

Viajero:

I agree. If I’m able to, I try to go to 7am daily Mass, after which a few very devout women (God bless them) are always there to say Morning Prayer together.

I’m not sure, but someone told me it’s actually “preferred” that we say it in a group if you’re able, rather than alone. Do you agree?

Also, I used to say Morning Prayer right after I woke up and Evening Prayer before I go to bed. But someone told me there are specific times when they’re to be said. So much to learn!

I only have the one-volume Christian Prayer book, so I’m not sure how to do anything else besides Morning and Evening Prayer.

As to specific times, only if you are living in community which says it - eg, the Benedictines.

 

[Augustine]

tee_eff_em:

There are several websites, but (not making use of them myself) I do not know if they offer email or RSS feeds or anything.

An RSS feed, what an excellent idea!

 

[4HisChurch]

Binney:

Which do you pray?

I use Magnificat Magazine to pray the morning and evening prayers, and the readings from daily Mass. They also have hymns for the day (and they tell you what tune to sing it to) and a bit of background on a spiritual art piece of some kind. Very helpful!