Do you pray the Liturgy of the Hours?

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porthos11:
Gee thanks. I didn’t even know that. Good thing I can read the regular-print without any problems.
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The other difference I’m aware of between the regular and large-type editions of the one volume Christian Prayer, is that the regular-type edition has all of the rubrics in red type; the large-print edition uses all black type.

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CarolAnnSFO:
The other difference I’m aware of between the regular and large-type editions of the one volume Christian Prayer, is that the regular-type edition has all of the rubrics in red type; the large-print edition uses all black type.

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Wow. Call me weird but having the rubrics in red is actually important to me. Makes me feel really “Catholic”. That’s why I like the 4-volume and the CBPC Christian Prayer. The St. Paul version is actually quite good (other than less hymns), but the two-color editions have this, well, feel to it that’s, well, “liturgical”.

Of course, feelings don’t define prayer, but I wonder if anyone, er, feels the same way.
 
I have found The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is best for me although I adore the Divine Office I cannot find the older versions of this. Coupled with the Rosary and Mass as often as possible it keeps me centred on what matters most, that is a prayerful life.:amen:
 
I pray a shortened version of morning and evening prayers for youth. It’s helped me alot. Also rosary in latin (except the creed and after rosary prayers)
 
I use The Magnificat monthly prayer book. It has Morning, Evening and Night prayers, the Order of Mass, Mass readings for each day plus it has some great meditations. I would be lost without it!
 
I’m currently using the one-volume “Christian Prayer”, but I have a few questions for anyone familiar with both that edition, and the four-volume LOTH:
  1. Does the four-volume set include the Office of Readings?
  2. Does it have more material available for Daytime Prayer and Night Prayer than is found in “Christian Prayer”?
  3. How is the type size – is it really tiny?
(I’m considering getting the four-volume LOTH).

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CarolAnnSFO:
  1. Does the four-volume set include the Office of Readings?
  2. Does it have more material available for Daytime Prayer and Night Prayer than is found in “Christian Prayer”?
  3. How is the type size – is it really tiny?
(I’m considering getting the four-volume LOTH).
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Hi Carol,
  1. Yes. For every single day of the entire year.
  2. Yes. Daytime Prayer is complete for the entire 4-week Psalter, Solemnities, and Commons. Night Prayer in Christian Prayer is already complete, so you won’t find any more Night Prayer material in the 4vol.
  3. Type size is 10pt, just like the regular-edition Christian Prayer (the one with music).
 
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porthos11:
Again, personal view only. It’s not the same. As far as is possible you should pray the proper hours at the proper times. In your case, I would suggest praying Evening Prayer before you go to work at 8 pm, Night Prayer sometime before midnight, and the Invitatory and Office of readings for the next day sometime after midnight, and Morning Prayer at sunrise (I’m assuming your shift is 8pm to 8am). Strange to go to bed right after Morning Prayer, but, as you said, you’re in a special situation.

Of course you can pray the hours as you mentioned in your post (you’re laity, I assume), but the prayers won’t fit the character of the time of day. For example, thanking God for the beginning of the day doesn’t really have the right “feel” at 8pm, which detracts from the experience (which is actually a part of the prayer as well).
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FWIW, According to the *General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours, *for those required to pray the Office, the obligation to pray the Office supersedes the desirability of praying the hours at the “right” time.
 
porthos11, thank you for answering my questions! I do have one additional question about the 4-volume LOTH – does it contain prayers for any of the other hours, in addition to Morning, Daytime, Evening, and Night?

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CarolAnnSFO:
porthos11, thank you for answering my questions! I do have one additional question about the 4-volume LOTH – does it contain prayers for any of the other hours, in addition to Morning, Daytime, Evening, and Night?

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Yes. The Office of Readings, traditionally known as Vigils.

The one volume Christian Prayer has the Psalms for the Office of Readings, a list but not the texts for the scripture readings of that office, and SOME of the non-Scriptural readings.
 
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mercygate:
Yes. The Office of Readings, traditionally known as Vigils.

The one volume Christian Prayer has the Psalms for the Office of Readings, a list but not the texts for the scripture readings of that office, and SOME of the non-Scriptural readings.
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Thank you! I’m currently using the Christian Prayer book, so I’m familiar with that. I was wondering about “other” hours, since I’m often awake at strange hours, and it would be nice to have an Office for those times, too. I suppose the Office of Readings could be used for that.

I guess the deciding factor (in addition to the price :eek: ) will be whether I can read the type without too much eyestrain – my Christian Prayer is the large-type edition. 🙂

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CarolAnnSFO:
Thank you! I’m currently using the Christian Prayer book, so I’m familiar with that. I was wondering about “other” hours, since I’m often awake at strange hours, and it would be nice to have an Office for those times, too. I suppose the Office of Readings could be used for that.

I guess the deciding factor (in addition to the price :eek: ) will be whether I can read the type without too much eyestrain – my Christian Prayer is the large-type edition. 🙂

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While it is traditional to pray the Office of Readings either at midnight or before Lauds (Morning Prayer), it may be prayed at any hour of the day or night.

Type size? My dentist gave me one of those headbands with a flip-up and down magnifying lens (about 10X) because I do delicate needlework . . . Look around for something like that. It’s a hands-free apparatus and is quite comfortable. Of course, you have to hold the book closer to your nose.

Think of the cost of the LoH in proportion to other things you spend money on. You can buy the books one at a time – and we switch to the second volume of Ordinary Time this Sunday (weeks 18-34) so you if you order that book now, you would have until Advent before you had to spring for the next one.
 
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mercygate:
Think of the cost of the LoH in proportion to other things you spend money on. You can buy the books one at a time – and we switch to the second volume of Ordinary Time this Sunday (weeks 18-34) so you if you order that book now, you would have until Advent before you had to spring for the next one.
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The cost won’t stop me from buying the 4-volume set; it’s just something I’ll have to plan for – more a matter of timing than anything else. 🙂

That 10x magnifying lens sounds interesting. I currently use 2.5X magnifiers as “reading glasses”, but I’ve only seen those go up to 3.5X.
 
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CarolAnnSFO:
I do have one additional question about the 4-volume LOTH – does it contain prayers for any of the other hours, in addition to Morning, Daytime, Evening, and Night?
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The 4-volume set does give you some help for “odd” hours. You already know about the one Daytime Prayer for each day in the four week psalter. If I remember correctly, the structure actually allows for 3 sets of daytime prayers. You use the Daytime Prayer in the Psalter for your first hour, then you go to the Complimentary Psalmody for the remaining two hours.
When I get home tonight, I’ll take a look to see how much “variety” you have in the Complimentary Psalmody.

–Bill
 
Mot Juste:
The 4-volume set does give you some help for “odd” hours. You already know about the one Daytime Prayer for each day in the four week psalter. If I remember correctly, the structure actually allows for 3 sets of daytime prayers. You use the Daytime Prayer in the Psalter for your first hour, then you go to the Complimentary Psalmody for the remaining two hours.
When I get home tonight, I’ll take a look to see how much “variety” you have in the Complimentary Psalmody.

–Bill
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The Complementary Psalmody has only the 9 Psalms of Ascent: 120-128. I use the complementary psalmody for MMP and MAP and the psalter for the Daytime from the Psalter for Midday Prayer.
 
I have enjoyed the LOTH ever since I discovered it in college. It is the official prayer of the church. I find the Office of Readings (formerly, Matins) to be one of the best devotionals that follows the liturgical cycle. Another good one is In Conversation With God.

I have a quick question.

The Psalm Prayer - is it prayed after the Glory Be… or before?

Rich
 
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Windmill:
The Psalm Prayer - is it prayed after the Glory Be… or before?

Rich
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The Gloria Patri is recited before the Psalm Prayer. You may omit the Psalm Prayer altogether if you wish. It is optional.

You may also choose not to repeat the antiphon after the Psalm. In the LOH it is written both at the beginning and the end of the Psalm (after the Psalm Prayer) but in Christian Prayer it is not. Repeating the antiphon is your choice.
 
I have the four volume set, and I love it: the Office of Readings, IMHO, is one of the most fruitful parts of the office, at least for me.

I am such a dork, that I don’t know Latin but I got the 4 vols. in Latin anyway! But maybe I will use them with the English to learn Latin. . . I have thought of praying mostly in English but using Latin for the introductory and concluding verses, the canticles that I already memorized in English, etc.

Oh yes, I also have the supplement for the Order of Preachers. Among other things, I get to celebrate St. Dominic’s feast day as a proper SOLEMNITY 😃 and not just a memorial as it is in the general church calendar :-(.

People have posted that priests are obliged by canon law to pray the Office: well true, but there is one famous exception. Jesuits are not required to, because they are a wholly apostolic order (as opposed to contemplative), and traditionally Jesuits are supposed to be ready to go off to some foreign mission at a moment’s notice. So the popes have agreed that communal prayer might be hard to fit in with the lifestyle.

My final comment: I have heard that there is a very beautiful and very highly recommended book to pray the office in the Byzantine style – a book approved by Eastern Catholics and the Orthodox too. Anyone know what it’s called and where I could get it?
 
Thomas More:
People have posted that priests are obliged by canon law to pray the Office: well true, but there is one famous exception. Jesuits are not required to, because they are a wholly apostolic order (as opposed to contemplative), and traditionally Jesuits are supposed to be ready to go off to some foreign mission at a moment’s notice. So the popes have agreed that communal prayer might be hard to fit in with the lifestyle.
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Small distinction: Even Jesuit Priests are required to pray the Office; they are not required to pray the Office in choir or *in common *but may pray it privately, as most do.
 
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