Help with putting in personal regular routine with the Liturgy of the hours

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As I continue to prepare for RCIA at a future time which I have set myself to do in the coming months, one thing I have been trying to get into a habit of doing, is personally reciting the Liturgy of the Hours at home or where I might be. Unlike the LDS way of prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours is so great to recite.

My question is, what can I do to perfect my routine and allow the Holy Spirit to be present? I would also ask when it comes to the hymns and the Psalms. How can I sing them, because honestly I don’t know the tunes to them quite yet, although I have watched and attended masses where the Liturgy of the Hours obviously is recited. I would appreciate anything you all could provide and I do hope this is the right section to post this. 🙂
 
God bless you for your sincere heart and the devout effects you are making towards your spiritual journey.

I’ve recited the Liturgy of the Hours with some congregations of priests and of nuns who haven’t known the music to some of these older hymns and therefore have simply recited the hymns. However there is a music or rhythm in how the words of the Office are spoken, as you already will have heard when you have joined others.
You can simply ask the Holy Spirit to be with you in your prayers.

(There are cell-phone apps for the Liturgy of the Hours, should that be helpful if you are in transit anywhere.)

May God continue to bless you, and may God grant that you will continue to welcome his blessings!
 
Welcome home.
May your be abundantly blessed.
Don’t fret too much…prayer is a habit that takes time and patience. Give yourself a quiet place if possible, and reflect deeply on the words.
All will be well. :gopray:
Peace,
Clare
 
Chanting the Hours is a little bit of an art because there is no official music for the English version at this time. With a new translation on the horizon (2020-ish), I don’t think you’ll see any new developments in English chant until we get the new translation.

Than having been said, if you have the Christian Prayer version from Catholic Book Publishing Company, there is a section that show how to chant the lines.

As far as inviting the Holy Spirit to be present in your prayer, I like to project the earthly, military imagery in the Psalms onto my spiritual life. Israel is the Church, enemies are demons, and Jerusalem is Heaven. I also read the italicized text and red captions above each Psalm before I pray it.
 
CWM31 said:
As I continue to prepare for RCIA at a future time which I have set myself to do in the coming months, one thing I have been trying to get into a habit of doing, is personally reciting the Liturgy of the Hours at home or where I might be. Unlike the LDS way of prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours is so great to recite.

My question is, what can I do to perfect my routine and allow the Holy Spirit to be present? I would also ask when it comes to the hymns and the Psalms. How can I sing them, because honestly I don’t know the tunes to them quite yet, although I have watched and attended masses where the Liturgy of the Hours obviously is recited. I would appreciate anything you all could provide and I do hope this is the right section to post this. 🙂
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First of all, God bless your journey home and congratulations on discovering the Liturgy of the Hours. It’s easily the one secret treasure of the Church waiting to be discovered.

I would say, don’t worry too much about it. The fact that you have the desire is an indication of the movement of the Holy Spirit. Invoke his presence and help, and a study of the Psalms and the Old Testament will always enrich your understanding as you go along.

If you want, you can say these prayers before opening the Hour:

Prayer before the Office
“Lord, open my lips to praise your holy Name. Cleanse my heart of any worthless, evil or distracting thoughts. Give me the wisdom and love necessary to pray this Office with attention, reverence and devotion. Father, let my prayer be heard in your presence, for it is offered through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

And another favourite of mine:

Collect for Purity (from the Book of Common Prayer, and now Divine Worship)
“Almighty God, unto whom all hearts be open, all desires known, and from whom no secrets are hid: cleanse the thoughts of our hearts by the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit, that we may perfectly love thee and worthily magnify thy holy Name, through Christ our Lord. Amen.”

For the practical side, most people simply recite the Psalms or do so “recto tono”, i.e. in a single monotone. Since I know most of the hymns, I sing them, but even then, you can simply recite them. They are not to be omitted, though, as hymns are integral to the Office.

And just a curious question: what is the LDS way of prayer of which you speak?
 
Scheduling a time to pray the Liturgy of the Hours is important.

Form myself as Discalced Carmelite, Secular, OCDS, we’re required to pray Morning and Evening Prayer, using the breviary.

Keep in mind that the LOTH’s is designed to be prayed in a group, so when praying the office individually, it is not necessary to sing or even recite the hymns.

The important thing to keep in mind is that the Holy Spirit dwells within you and is present at all times.

All you have to do is turn to Him and keep in mind you are in the presence of God, while praying.

St Teresa of Avila calls this, “Mental Prayer.”

Here is the reading from Evening Prayer last night;
2 Corinthians 6:16b; 7:1
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You are the temple of the living God, just as God has said:
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“I will dwell with them and walk among them.
I will be their God
and they shall be my people.”
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Since we have these promises, beloved, let us purify ourselves from every defilement of flesh and spirit, and in the fear of God strive to fulfill our consecration perfectly.
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Anyway, like all things that are good, the more you pray the better you get at it and God will bring you gifts you never imagined.

Jim
 
There are, in reality, quie a variety of psalm tones that can be used for chanting the psalms in English. Some are more simple, some are more complex. Personally, I never chant the Office when I am reciting it as an individual – but I know those who do. I prefer to chant it only when I am with other priests or else with Religious.

My advice is to explore the monasteries on the Internet. I personally think it is easier to acquire this ability through hearing rather than by musical notation alone. Saint Meinrad Archabbey in southern Indiana has quite a reputation, for example, for its psalm tones.,I think they have eight, if I remember.

Unfortunately, my favorite psalm tone I have only heard used once when the office was prayed in English. It worked very well; I was shocked – and delighted – yet never further encountered it in my travels in the English speaking world, sadly.

Here is the chanting of night prayer from Gethsemani Abbey in Kentucky…note that they use the monastic breviary so the structure is different than what you likely have used or encountered.

youtube.com/watch?v=B4bRsXcaKKY
 
Most of the hymns that are sung can be found on U tube. You can download many of them or just listen until you learn them. As I can’t sing worth a darn I either recite them or just listen to them on the LOTH website. Good luck.👍
 
Thank you all for your responses, they are reassuring, at least I know what I’m doing right. For the mean time, as far as the hymns are concerned, I think I will recite them instead of sing them but I also want to look around the web for the sung versions so I can memorize the tunes and some of you have already mentioned how that can be done. Time to do the 3pm!
 
There are actually quite a few resources for learning to chant/sing the Liturgy of the Hours and most of them have perfectly good tutorials. I would look at…

The Mundelein Psalter
The Office of Compline by Samuel Weber
The Hymnal for the Hours by Samuel Weber
Hymnarium (Dominican Hymnal for Office)

Most of these have recorded samples on line that you can use as a basis for learning.

You can also pick through the downloads available here on the “Other” tab at saintmeinrad.edu/the-monastery/liturgical-music/downloads/

I have been chanting the psalms and hymns for years on my own and with others. I promise you, it will be worth your while to learn to do this.

If you want and if you are on facebook you search for a group called “Sing the Office” - and I will post more details there. You’ll have to join the group to see the details.

I have just created the group and there are only three members and no posts at all right now but I will start putting things up in the next day or so.
 
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