Learning the Liturgy of the Hours

[seeker_of_God]

I’m trying to learn how to do the Liturgy of the Hours.

The problem is that I’m blind, so I can’t really read the Breviary usually required.

I found this site called Universalis, which describes how to do most of them except for Terce, Sext, and None, and has most of the psalms, readings, and prayers. But if I use that method, I’d have to try to listen to it through my screen reader, and then try to recite them as I’m hearing them. That might be the only option, but it’s definitely different from how most people can do it.

Also, though, I found this site www.breviary.net, and that one seems to be more traditional than the other, but I’m not sure the extent of the information it includes. The Universalis site doesn’t have the Prime and has Lauds in the morning, I think.

So what do you recommend I do? I would really like to learn how to do this, and at least start with a few of them, gradually increasing to the full Divine Office.

 

[JMJ_coder]

I would recommend just starting off with Morning and Evening Prayer (also called Lauds and Vespers). These two hours are the hinge hours, and are the most important in the day.

As for the site Universalis, it uses the current Liturgy of the Hours - thus, why it doesn’t have Prime, which was suppressed after Vatican II. But, it doesn’t use approved translations, so its value is questionable.

Breviary.net uses the older pre-Vatican II Liturgy of the Hours, which many consider to be harder to learn and follow (though I’ve never thought that).

I would also suggest that you contact your Pastor. He is bound by canon law to pray the Liturgy of the Hours everyday. Ask him if you could pray the Hours with him.

Good luck.

 

[seeker_of_God]

JMJ_coder, thank you very much.

Do you know if breviary.net has all the readings and such? In short, is it a sufficient replacement for the print Breviary?

 

[JMJ_coder]

JMJ_coder, thank you very much.

Do you know if breviary.net has all the readings and such? In short, is it a sufficient replacement for the print Breviary?

It does appear to have everything (though I didn’t check to see if it had all the propers - that is the parts that are specific to certain feast days, like Christmas, Easter or the Assumption). But, it doesn’t have everything in one spot - you’re going to have to click through several layers to put together one office (much like in real life if you had the book in front of you - you’d have to flip back and forth through various sections). This makes it nice and tidy if you know what you are doing, but it can add to the learning curve, unfortunately.

 

[graceandglory]

I’m trying to learn how to do the Liturgy of the Hours.

The problem is that I’m blind, so I can’t really read the Breviary usually required.

God bless you. I think you’re a saint!
When I saw the thread title, “Learning the Liturgy of the Hours,” I chuckled. I have been trying to do that for a year and I have my sight! While I can read the words on the page, I still feel I need a person to guide me along.

Where I live, some local Churches have the Divine Office in the morning and evening. If I were a single person and wasn’t needed at home, I would try to fit that in.

God bless you in your endeavors.

 

[seeker_of_God]

God bless you. I think you’re a saint!
When I saw the thread title, “Learning the Liturgy of the Hours,” I chuckled. I have been trying to do that for a year and I have my sight! While I can read the words on the page, I still feel I need a person to guide me along.

Where I live, some local Churches have the Divine Office in the morning and evening. If I were a single person and wasn’t needed at home, I would try to fit that in.

God bless you in your endeavors.

Thanks a lot. I’ll try asking about that. I attend a Catholic university, and searched their site to see if they have that, but didn’t find anything. Perhaps I’ll ask one of the priests.

Other than that, I’ll try to use breviary.net and see how that works. It’s quite confusing.

It will feel weird having my laptop there, with me listening to everything while trying to recite it, but that seems the only option right now. I’m going to try to set up my braille printer to see if I can work something out with that.

 

[Poor_Clare_tobe]

Thanks a lot. I’ll try asking about that. I attend a Catholic university, and searched their site to see if they have that, but didn’t find anything. Perhaps I’ll ask one of the priests.

Other than that, I’ll try to use breviary.net and see how that works. It’s quite confusing.

It will feel weird having my laptop there, with me listening to everything while trying to recite it, but that seems the only option right now. I’m going to try to set up my braille printer to see if I can work something out with that.

There might also be some options offered by various religious orders.
Also you might try contacting “Pauline books and media”
pauline.org/
[the paulist sisters whole ministry is books and media… and they publish a one volume liturgy of the hours… perhaps they might know of an edition for sight impaired individuals?

blessings on your search… I hope someone has resources available for you…*

[heaven knows it is difficult enough to navigate with sight… ]

 

[seeker_of_God]

If I could ask a question about this…

I’m trying to figure out when matins and lauds are supposed to be done, pre-Vatican II. I know prime is 6:00 AM, but for matins and lauds, all it says is, sunrise. That can’t be very much before 6:00 AM. Maybe they are one after another in succession?

 

[bpbasilphx]

In private recitation, Matins and Lauds–and after mid 50’s, Matins alone–were anticipated overnight, even as early as 2 pm the previous day.

Sometime in the '50’s, a directive from Rome required all persons–in both individual and choral celebration–to say Lauds as the first office in the morning.

Properly, Prime is 7, not 6, as it’s one hour AFTER sunrise (which is accounted the 12 hour of the night).

 

[Aramis]

I’m trying to learn how to do the Liturgy of the Hours.

The problem is that I’m blind, so I can’t really read the Breviary usually required.

I found this site called Universalis, which describes how to do most of them except for Terce, Sext, and None, and has most of the psalms, readings, and prayers. But if I use that method, I’d have to try to listen to it through my screen reader, and then try to recite them as I’m hearing them. That might be the only option, but it’s definitely different from how most people can do it.

Also, though, I found this site www.breviary.net, and that one seems to be more traditional than the other, but I’m not sure the extent of the information it includes. The Universalis site doesn’t have the Prime and has Lauds in the morning, I think.

So what do you recommend I do? I would really like to learn how to do this, and at least start with a few of them, gradually increasing to the full Divine Office.

Do you have a braille printer?

If not, there are several organizations that will use their braille printer to put together braille editions.

 

[seeker_of_God]

In private recitation, Matins and Lauds–and after mid 50’s, Matins alone–were anticipated overnight, even as early as 2 pm the previous day.

Sometime in the '50’s, a directive from Rome required all persons–in both individual and choral celebration–to say Lauds as the first office in the morning.

Properly, Prime is 7, not 6, as it’s one hour AFTER sunrise (which is accounted the 12 hour of the night).

Thanks for the explanation. Interesting that you say Prime is at 7:00, since everything I’ve read so far says 6:00.

So it’s matins at some point the previous night, lauds at around sunrise (say 6:00 am?), prime at 7:00 am?

 

[seeker_of_God]

Do you have a braille printer?

If not, there are several organizations that will use their braille printer to put together braille editions.

I do, but it’s not hooked up yet. I have to find the wires for it.

Do you know of any specific organizations?