Divine Office

[mercygate]

drforjc:

My question is:
Are we limited rubrically to the hymns given in the English translation? Can we use the Latin hymns in the typical Latin version? Is there any place we can find them short of buying the Latin edition?
I don’t care for the idea that “Morning Has Broken” has somehow become “canonized” as the official hymn for certain weekdays in the 4 week Psalter.

You can use any appropriate hymn. Monastic and religious communities pick and choose from a wide spectrum of music.

I always use a Passion Hymn for midafternoon prayer, not necessarily one in the LOH. “Morning Has Broken” don’t quite cut it for me either. I’m guessing that the Latin edition and editions in other languages don’t use the same hymns as the English edition. Hm.

 

[porthos11]

mercygate:

You can use any appropriate hymn. Monastic and religious communities pick and choose from a wide spectrum of music.

I always use a Passion Hymn for midafternoon prayer, not necessarily one in the LOH. “Morning Has Broken” don’t quite cut it for me either. I’m guessing that the Latin edition and editions in other languages don’t use the same hymns as the English edition. Hm.

Yes, the GILH says you can use other approved hymns approved by your Bishops’ Conference.

“Morning has Broken” is fine for me though. It’s actually quite old, over seventy years now.

And no one needs special permission to use any part of the Latin Editio Typica, since Latin is the normative language of the liturgy, so the Divine Office, in whole or in part, can be recited in Latin.

 

[Leo44]

Just a short note of caution regarding changing things “that don’t quite cut it” this isn’t private prayer it is the public prayer of the Church, and not ours to change, submit to authority and you will gain much grace.

 

[mercygate]

Leo44:

Just a short note of caution regarding changing things “that don’t quite cut it” this isn’t private prayer it is the public prayer of the Church, and not ours to change, submit to authority and you will gain much grace.

Indeed. But the hymns are not the same as the psalms/antiphons etc. They CAN be changed and other approved hymns appropriately substituted. E.g., it is common to sing a Passion hymn at mid-afternoon prayer.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

mike0219116:

Remember that the Divine Office is liturgy, not a personal devotion, so you shouldn’t skip/customize parts of the Office to extensively without good reason.

Actually the Divine Office is only considered liturgy when it is done in a group. The only ones who have to say it as is are the clergy that are requied to say it, that is if their not of a religious order that make changes to it according to their rule/constitutions.

For the laity the Divine Office, when recited privately, is a devotion and you can skip/customize it in any way that is comfortable to you.

 

[mercygate]

ByzCath:

Actually the Divine Office is only considered liturgy when it is done in a group.

Byz – can you document that for me? It was my understanding that “Divine Office” referred to the entire Office --not to the method of its execution. ???

The only ones who have to say it as is are the clergy that are requied to say it, that is if their not of a religious order that make changes to it according to their rule/constitutions.

Others also are required to say it – members of third orders, private associations of the faithful, confraternities – although unlike the clergy, they are not under pain of sin.

For the laity the Divine Office, when recited privately, is a devotion and you can skip/customize it in any way that is comfortable to you.

But then, technically, you are not saying THE Divine Office.

 

[Leo44]

It’s late and I’m tired but I think I read where the Holy Father said he hoped time would come when every Catholic would say the Divine office, daily…

I’ll look it up later and give the reference if I can find it.

Being the #2 prayer of the Church next to the Mass, I think I’m on solid ground.

 

[puzzleannie]

no matter if you pray all or part of the LOTH, by yourself or with a group, you are participating in the public prayer of the Church. As far as possible (and as far as you can understand the instructions) follow the “book”. For beginners Shorter Christian Prayer is highly recommended, easy to use and a great way to get in the groove. Quite frankly I would not recommend using the thicker one-volume Christian Prayer, or the 4-volume set unless and until you have entered seminary or religious formation, joined a secular order, or have some regular guidance. Reason: is it is to easy to get discouraged and find reasons to quit the more confusing it becomes. I have a great deal of difficulty incorporating computer into daily prayer, but if one of these websites helps you go for it. I think Universalis uses the NRSV, and the Canadian version of the lectionary, which is not approved in US. For me, their publications are too confusing.

I got my introduction to LOTH from a much smaller prayerbook sent out by the Missouri Province Jesuits, in their ads in Catholic magazines, which had a one-week prayer cycle. that got me hooked, then joined a parish that uses Shorter Christian Prayer for vespers, with the result that many parishioners are conversant with LOTH, then with the Benedictine Oblates where I found the full glory of the Opus Dei. My brother sent me his 4 volume English set, which I love, because he now prays it entirely in Latin.

 

[porthos11]

ByzCath:

Actually the Divine Office is only considered liturgy when it is done in a group. The only ones who have to say it as is are the clergy that are requied to say it, that is if their not of a religious order that make changes to it according to their rule/constitutions.

For the laity the Divine Office, when recited privately, is a devotion and you can skip/customize it in any way that is comfortable to you.

Repectfully disagree. We indeed can customize the Divine Office when we just intend to pray it as a devotion, but when we pray it as the Prayer of the Church (which is liturgical), then we follow the rubrics, even in private. Even though laypeople do not pray it in the name of the Church, they may still pray it together with the Church. If the laity customize it, then they are praying a devotion based on the Office, but no longer the Office itself.

1. Other religious communities and their** individual members** are advised to celebrate some parts of the liturgy of the hours, in accordance with their own situation, **for it is the prayer of the Church and makes the whole Church, scattered throughout the world, one in heart and mind. ** This recommendation applies also to laypersons.

But if I understand correctly, the Byzantine Divine Office was never intended for private recitation yes? I think your Divine Office is much longer and more involved than the current Latin Liturgy of the Hours.

 

[porthos11]

puzzleannie:

For beginners Shorter Christian Prayer is highly recommended, easy to use and a great way to get in the groove.

Right. I also started with Shorter Christian Prayer.

Quite frankly I would not recommend using the thicker one-volume Christian Prayer, or the 4-volume set unless and until you have entered seminary or religious formation, joined a secular order, or have some regular guidance. Reason: is it is to easy to get discouraged and find reasons to quit the more confusing it becomes.

Respectfully disagree on this one. Once you’ve gotten the hang of Shorter Christian Prayer, it becomes second nature to go for the larger Christian Prayer or the full-volume edition. The difference is simply that the larger editions have a complete Proper of Seasons and Proper of Saints and comes with the Commons. Just start with the Ordinary and follow the rubrics from there. Once you put your ribbons in place, it’s not confusing at all. After I “graduated” to Christian Prayer and the 4-volume editions from Shorter, it came with no effort at all. It’s even richer to follow the complete liturgical cycle of the Church.

 

[porthos11]

mercygate:

Indeed. But the hymns are not the same as the psalms/antiphons etc. They CAN be changed and other approved hymns appropriately substituted. E.g., it is common to sing a Passion hymn at mid-afternoon prayer.

“Approved” is the key word.

 

[Isabelle]

Hello.
My name is Isabelle. I am new at the computer, so I ask for your patience. I am very happy that I found this site!
I have been practicing the way of the rule of St. Benedict for some time now. Many “fences” have been erected in front of me along the way. But I understand that this is God’s way of guiding me.
Is anyone following this same path? It would be nice to know.
Isabelle

 

[AJV]

I don’t care for the idea that “Morning Has Broken” has somehow become “canonized” as the official hymn for certain weekdays in the 4 week Psalter.

Would a file of the English hymns given for the UK Divine Office interest you? Often, for Ordinary Time especially, they aren’t translations of the official Latin hymns but subsitutes. They are, however, IMHO, a cut above the ICEL ones.