Liturgy of the Hours and popular devotions

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My local cathedral offers the following:
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Monday to Saturday - lauds, four masses, two public rosaries
Sunday - lauds, seven masses, public rosary, and 4 PM vespers
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A number of other parishes in the archdiocese offer lauds, but this an exception not a norm. The divine office is an essential part of the liturgy of the Church. While I do not wish to diminish the holy rosary in any way, I sometimes wonder why the faithful are so strongly encouraged to regularly pray the rosary (by popes, saints, lay groups, and even Our Lady herself - eg. Fatima), but so little emphasis is given to the liturgy of the hours. The rosary is ‘quasi-liturgical’, I would argue, in that the Church encourages the faithful to recite it corporately as a parish community, but it seems that it has surpassed, in the minds of the faithful, the truly liturgical divine offices. In the Eastern Catholic Churches there is far more emphasis on the liturgy of the hours - so much so, in fact, that I understand that some particular churches allow the faithful to satisfy their Sunday obligation by assisting at Great Vespers on Saturday, even if they do not make it to a eucharistic liturgy…
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I posted the above in another thread and think it warrants discussion. The Church teaches that liturgy (which includes the divine office) should have primacy in the prayer/worship of the clergy and faithful alike. Why, then, is so little attention given to the divine office? As I said above, I don’t want to diminish the rosary or other popular devotions in any way, but is it more important for the faithful to pray the Rosary than the divine office? That seems to be the message at the ‘grass roots’ level. Thoughts?
 
  1. The Rosary is so popular is because it is relatively easy. Anyone, old, young, rich, poor, etc can pray it. It can be prayed at any time at any place for any intention. The LOTH have allotted time for each part (which is fantastic) but rather cumbersome for the working mum, student, or traveling businessman.
  2. It is the life of Christ and Mary all in one. We have a mini-Gospel replaying. We can reflect on what has transpired and what it means to us.
  3. It is a bit cheaper. The LOTH can reach up to over $100 in book form, or one must use a computer iPod/Smartphone to use one of the applications that are offered for it. Rosaries can be made with twine, plastic etc, and can be gotten almost anyplace anywhere.
Don’t get me wrong, I think they are both extremely important, but I think those are some reasons as to why Catholics pray the Rosary or other devotion more often than the LOTH. I dearly wish more Catholics would pray the LOTH, it is a wonderful thing.

In Christ,
Nevermore
 
Also, I think some people are a little “afraid” of the LOTH. I was surprised, when I first started praying it, how quickly I was able to find my way around it.
 
As a Protestant I started praying the Liturgy of the Hours in 2008 when I discovered that it was the origin of the rosary. A complete rosary (15 mysteries) has 150 Hail Marys, which “replace” the 150 Psalms which the monks would pray through. So, in a sense, the Rosary is a form of the Liturgy of the Hours for the laity.

I think the rosary’s popularity stems from its ease, its mysticism, the centuries of encouragement it has received from clergy and religious. I also think it’s a very feminine form of prayer in that it is ultimate sensory multi-tasking… the fingers feel the beads, the ears hear the prayers, the mind meditates, the tongue speaks the Hail Marys. It’s memorizable, it’s eminently doable, it’s a compendium of the gospel.

Like it or lump it, the LOTH is optional for the laity so I think it will take a long time to shed its moniker of “something for priests and religious”. But great strides have been made since its reform - spreading out the Psalms over four weeks instead of one… shortening Matins. It’s virtually impossible for a working layperson to pray the full 1962 Breviary but pretty much anyone can pray the entire 1970 LOTH if they really wanted to: cut out TV, do 1 daytime hour, combine the Office of Readings with another major hour… there’s really no excuse, especially with all the resources.

But bottom line, I think it could be encouraged more by the clergy, and that could lead to an increase in its use by the laity. I think both the rosary and LOTH are important.

It is ironic though. The Catholic church has this absolute treasure chest of Biblical prayers in the LOTH and it’s virtually unknown… many Protestants still think Catholics are a bunch of Mary worshippers since the rosary is the main devotion they think of. It takes time and catechesis to change mindsets. I think probably a lot of Catholic have simple never been exposed to LOTH.
 
twf said:
I posted the above in another thread and think it warrants discussion. The Church teaches that liturgy (which includes the divine office) should have primacy in the prayer/worship of the clergy and faithful alike. Why, then, is so little attention given to the divine office? As I said above, I don’t want to diminish the rosary or other popular devotions in any way, but is it more important for the faithful to pray the Rosary than the divine office? That seems to be the message at the ‘grass roots’ level. Thoughts?
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Money, and the Liturgy of the Hours, is seen as something done by Clergy, Religious and members of Holy Orders.

I usually go by the Liturgy of the Hours, instead of the Rosary just because i don’t feel no particular devotion to it, while i prefer the Liturgy of the Hours, I personally use the Monastic Diurnal, which follows the 1961 Hours from the Benedictine Calender ( I’m a Oblate (Lay-Brother) of the Order of St Benedict)

but as I said earlier, the main reason will be monetary, you can pick up a Rosary for 50p, while my Breviarium Romanum (Roman Breviary) cost me £40.
 
twf said:
I posted the above in another thread and think it warrants discussion. **The Church teaches that liturgy (which includes the divine office) should have primacy in the prayer/worship of the clergy and faithful alike. **Why, then, is so little attention given to the divine office? As I said above, I don’t want to diminish the rosary or other popular devotions in any way, but **is it more important for the faithful to pray the Rosary than the divine office? That seems to be the message at the ‘grass roots’ level. **Thoughts?
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I agree that that is the message at the “grass roots” level. The reasons for this, particularly it’s accessability and affordability, have been well addressed by previous posters.

I am not sure that the Church does teach that the liturgy should have primacy in the prayer/worship of the faithful, other than Sunday and weekday mass. You may be correct though. If so, then I would agree that the popular emphasis given to the rosary would appear to neglect this somehwat.

Good observation! 🙂
 
When I was taking courses on liturgy and had to come up with a project in my own parish I started Evening Prayer on the day when there was no Mass and on Feast days. I based what on did on the LOH that I experienced during the weeks I was taking the courses.

I spent a year catechizing the parish about the LOH. They got something in the bulletin at least once a month. Most of the people who attended had one response: “What prayer? All we did was sing.” I managed to keep it up for about 18 months but near the end, often the only people who showed up were the reader, the cantor and the leader of prayer. I couldn’t understand it since I’d happily attend Morning and Evening Prayer every day if I could.
 
I tired stating in the parish where I work and got nowhere. They will only come to Morning Prayer during the Triduum when we do not have Mass. In my home parish about 6 people do it daily following the early morning Mass but very rarely any new people join them.
 
Skeptic92 said:
Money, and the Liturgy of the Hours, is seen as something done by Clergy, Religious and members of Holy Orders.

I usually go by the Liturgy of the Hours, instead of the Rosary just because i don’t feel no particular devotion to it, while i prefer the Liturgy of the Hours, I personally use the Monastic Diurnal, which follows the 1961 Hours from the Benedictine Calender ( I’m a Oblate (Lay-Brother) of the Order of St Benedict)

but as I said earlier, the main reason will be monetary, you can pick up a Rosary for 50p, while my Breviarium Romanum (Roman Breviary) cost me £40.
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I’m also an Oblate, but I do the current Monastic version of the LOTH, which is still the same psalm schema as laid out by St. Benedict 1500 years ago, but adapted to the modern Office (same collects, intercessions, etc.). In fact I chant it in Latin. In busier times and when I travel, I do use the Roman Office (current LOTH) as it’s considerably shorter.
 
OraLabora said:
I’m also an Oblate, but I do the current Monastic version of the LOTH, which is still the same psalm schema as laid out by St. Benedict 1500 years ago, but adapted to the modern Office (same collects, intercessions, etc.). In fact I chant it in Latin. In busier times and when I travel, I do use the Roman Office (current LOTH) as it’s considerably shorter.
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I actually find the Roman office harder to use, as im so used to the longer hours that i use. I normally read and chant the Latin, as i lead a small group of Catholics at my parish for Ad Lauds, Ad Matutinum and Ad Vesperas, I also try to lead a Christian Society at my college with the Hours, however it’s not very well attended as most of the Christians are Protestant, and have no reverence for the Latin, or some of the prayers, its terrible really.

Have you stayed in monastery yet ? I’m required by my Abbot to spend atleast a week at the Abbey a year, or go on a two week retreat with a collection of the Brothers and other Oblates, Mass and the LOTH in a traditional benedictine Abbey is truly beautiful.
 
First a quick comment, I don’t understand there being a money issue. Shorter Christian Prayer is only $11 and Christian Prayer is $30. Maybe there needs to be more education about the various options, but money shouldn’t really be an issue.

At my parish there is a group that does Morning and Evening Prayer once a week. I’ve never gone for two reasons, first the schedule just doesn’t work well for me. The other problem is they use a book with a different translation and that drives me nuts! One of the things I like about the LOTH is the rhythm of the prayers and I get used to the wording, it drives me nuts when that changes.

About a month ago our priest did a couple week series on different forms of Catholic prayer and did the LOTH one night. There weren’t a ton of people, but there were some, so maybe it will become a bit more popular.
 
Skeptic92 said:
I actually find the Roman office harder to use, as im so used to the longer hours that i use. I normally read and chant the Latin, as i lead a small group of Catholics at my parish for Ad Lauds, Ad Matutinum and Ad Vesperas, I also try to lead a Christian Society at my college with the Hours, however it’s not very well attended as most of the Christians are Protestant, and have no reverence for the Latin, or some of the prayers, its terrible really.

Have you stayed in monastery yet ? I’m required by my Abbot to spend atleast a week at the Abbey a year, or go on a two week retreat with a collection of the Brothers and other Oblates, Mass and the LOTH in a traditional benedictine Abbey is truly beautiful.
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Yes, I generally do two weekend retreats per year, one for my self during or just before Lent, and one with all the oblates in June. I also did a retreat last fall in the monastery in France that founded our abbey in Canada, a profound experience.

Our abbey still uses Gregorian chant for the Mass and Lauds and Vespers, and the hymns for all hours. Sometimes I use their office, a simplified monastic schema that still has all 150 psalms in one week, sometimes Roman, right now, the traditional Benedictine schema.

You might be interested to know that the first volume of the Roman Antiphonary (all in Latin) has been published by the monks of Solesmes, contains Vespers for all Sundays in all seasons, as well as for feasts and solemnities. Also the Communauté Saint-Martin in France have put out a diurnal antiphonary for the current Roman office that is outstanding, all day hours in Gregorian notation, in Latin and French. Alas the first printing has run out but I have a copy. So wrt the Roman Office, the situation is improving for Latin/Chant.
 
Bakuryokuso said:
As a Protestant I started praying the Liturgy of the Hours in 2008 when I discovered that it was the origin of the rosary. A complete rosary (15 mysteries) has 150 Hail Marys, which “replace” the 150 Psalms which the monks would pray through. So, in a sense, the Rosary is a form of the Liturgy of the Hours for the laity.

I think the rosary’s popularity stems from its ease, its mysticism, the centuries of encouragement it has received from clergy and religious. I also think it’s a very feminine form of prayer in that it is ultimate sensory multi-tasking… the fingers feel the beads, the ears hear the prayers, the mind meditates, the tongue speaks the Hail Marys. It’s memorizable, it’s eminently doable, it’s a compendium of the gospel.

**Like it or lump it, the LOTH is optional for the laity so I think it will take a long time to shed its moniker of “something for priests and religious”. But great strides have been made since its reform - spreading out the Psalms over four weeks instead of one… shortening Matins. It’s virtually impossible for a working layperson to pray the full 1962 Breviary but pretty much anyone can pray the entire 1970 LOTH if they really wanted to: cut out TV, do 1 daytime hour, combine the Office of Readings with another major hour… there’s really no excuse, especially with all the resources.
**
But bottom line, I think it could be encouraged more by the clergy, and that could lead to an increase in its use by the laity. I think both the rosary and LOTH are important.

It is ironic though. The Catholic church has this absolute treasure chest of Biblical prayers in the LOTH and it’s virtually unknown… many Protestants still think Catholics are a bunch of Mary worshippers since the rosary is the main devotion they think of. It takes time and catechesis to change mindsets. I think probably a lot of Catholic have simple never been exposed to LOTH.
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Meh, the 1962 Breviary can be prayed in one hour as well, at least on your average day. Sunday is an hour and ten minutes, and a first class feast is 1.5 hours. Not too bad to sanctify your day.
 
bayernfan said:
Meh, the 1962 Breviary can be prayed in one hour as well, at least on your average day. Sunday is an hour and ten minutes, and a first class feast is 1.5 hours. Not too bad to sanctify your day.
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The 1962 Roman Breviary is for wusses. Try the traditional Benedictine breviary 😃

There is a pre-invitatory psalm (Ps. 3), and the Invitatory psalm. Vigils has 12 psalms, with 3 canticles added on feasts and Sundays. Lauds is 7 psalms plus the O.T. canticle; Prime is 3 psalms; 9 psalms distributed over Terce, Sext and None; 4 at Vespers and 3 at Compline.

Chanted, it’s a good 3 hours a day, more so on feasts and Sundays. If you divide Vigils into 2 weeks, you can maybe shave 15-20 min. off of that.

And if you’re going to really be complete, you need to do the Office of Chapter; where you read, liturgically, a chapter of the Rule of St. Benedict, with commentary by the Abbot, and then you proclaim the Martyrology for the next day, all couched in numerous prayers and responsory verses.

Interestingly the traditional Benedictine office is still in official use today, both pre and post-Vatican II versions (in the latter, the readings and collects are different, and there are optional intercessions).
 
OraLabora said:
The 1962 Roman Breviary is for wusses. Try the traditional Benedictine breviary 😃

There is a pre-invitatory psalm (Ps. 3), and the Invitatory psalm. Vigils has 12 psalms, with 3 canticles added on feasts and Sundays. Lauds is 7 psalms plus the O.T. canticle; Prime is 3 psalms; 9 psalms distributed over Terce, Sext and None; 4 at Vespers and 3 at Compline.

Chanted, it’s a good 3 hours a day, more so on feasts and Sundays. If you divide Vigils into 2 weeks, you can maybe shave 15-20 min. off of that.

And if you’re going to really be complete, you need to do the Office of Chapter; where you read, liturgically, a chapter of the Rule of St. Benedict, with commentary by the Abbot, and then you proclaim the Martyrology for the next day, all couched in numerous prayers and responsory verses.

Interestingly the traditional Benedictine office is still in official use today, both pre and post-Vatican II versions (in the latter, the readings and collects are different, and there are optional intercessions).
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😛
 
Pre-Vatican II, the LOTH was primarily the prayer of religious and clergy. Encouragement for the laity to join this prayer of the Church comes out of Vatican II.
A short history of the rosary shows that it began with peasants who wanted to share in the Divine Liturgy. They had neither the time nor education so they began praying 150 Patre Nostras, one for each of the psalms. Over time, the rosary changed to five decades of Hail Mary’s spread by St. Dominic. The mysteries were added, making it “the most liturgical form of prayer” outside the Mass. Liturgical, by definition, means having to do with the whole Christ. Although it changes the mystery count from 150, reflecting the number of psalms in the Bible, my favorite mysteries are the Luminous mysteries added by Pope John Paul II. Pope John Paul II also encouraged the recitation of a short scripture passage at the beginning of each decade. A person can also pray the scriptural rosary, which includes a short scriptural passage before reciting each Hail Mary.
During catechist training, I learned to add a short word or phrase after fruit of the womb, Jesus_________ to aid meditation on each mystery.

I first learned about the LOTH while on an Easter retreat. The members of the community used the one volume Christian Prayer. I also have a copy of Shorter Christian Prayer which can be kept in the glove compartment or a backpack for those times when not home at the hour to be prayed.
The translation used in this Middle East Country is the same as that used in the United Kingdom. The parish priest has added morning prayer before the 6:30am Mass. The parish bookstore carries A Shorter Morning and Evening Prayer for those who wish to participate.
.
 
bayernfan said:
Meh, the 1962 Breviary can be prayed in one hour as well, at least on your average day. Sunday is an hour and ten minutes, and a first class feast is 1.5 hours. Not too bad to sanctify your day.
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Uh… just Matins in the 1962 Breviary takes like 45 minutes. I don’t think you could do all 8 hours in just 60 minutes. 🤷
 
About 15 years ago, I offered the LOTH Evening Prayer on Sundays during Lent.

At first, I got about 20 people, which is a huge turn out for my little parish.

I had printed out the office for I knew no one except my pastor, my wife and myself had breviaries.

I also brought three breviary’s(the single volume, Christian Prayer The Liturgy of the Hours) for people to purchase, which sold immediately. The next week I sold two more.

The number of people who attended throughout Lent other than my pastor, wife and myself, dwindled down to five people, i.e. those who had purchased a breviary.

Over the years I learned that all five people continued to pray the LOTH and still do to this day.

So, it was worth it.

Jim
 
Joannm said:
I tired stating in the parish where I work and got nowhere. They will only come to Morning Prayer during the Triduum when we do not have Mass. In my home parish about 6 people do it daily following the early morning Mass but very rarely any new people join them.
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A few years ago a priest in a Catholic church that is not my parish started the practice of Morning Prayer from Shorter Christian Prayer in that parish. They did it on weekday Mass mornings, starting about 1/2 hour before the Mass began. About 35 people took part in it, and the leader was in the front, leading with a microphone.

I think that when a priest starts something like that, then it most likely will work out best. Usually when a layman starts it, with the permission of a priest, there are only a handful of people who do it.
 
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