Family Divine Office

[DL82]

I’ve just had an idea.

Almost all of the office of the hours is taken from scripture, either as prayers or psalms or short readings. Usually this is arranged from the Douay-Rheims Bible or the Vulgate as this has the most beautiful language for prayer.

There are plenty of Childrens’ Bibles that present the Bible in simple language for younger children to understand.

If a family wanted to pray the divine office with their children, does a version exist that uses the kind of language found in a Childrens’ Bible?

If not, I’m claiming copyright on it (c) DL82, 11th April 2007!

This is great - I just get a Monastic Diurnal and a Kids Bible and splice them together, instant new way of praying together as a family. How hard could it be?

Has somebody else beaten me to it?

 

[LilyM]

Well the bulk of the LOTH is based upon the Psalms - they’d be a lot more difficult to translate into kiddy-friendly language than the readings. You’d lose a lot of the poetry, and dare I say the enjoyment, from them by doing so too.

 

[Fidelis]

I think the idea has merit! Perhaps you could use the NLT or Good News translations.

Why don’t you do a little experiment: put one reading together (Morning or Evening prayer) based on a random day and see how it looks.

And come back and share!

 

[puzzleannie]

why not use the children’s lectionary? there is an index to the psalms in the back to help you locate the psalms of the day, or you could just pray with the readings of the Sunday.