Liturgy of the Hours

[fieldsparrow]

I am also interested in learning to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and have been looking on divineoffice.org. I also have iBreviary on my iPhone. But of course, I’d like to get the books and to understand what’s actually going on.

I saw the reference in this thread to the book Divine Office for Dodos, so I called around to the local Catholic bookstores to ask if they had copies. None did, but the one that is often staffed by sisters said “If you want to know how to pray it just come in sometime and we will show you!” So I’m planning a visit tomorrow, providing the roads are drivable.

 

[Globachio]

I find that saying the psalm prayer before the antiphon is distracting. Besides, it’s not the way I learned to say the office back in 1980.

Would it would be okay to say the antiphon after the gloria and before the psalm prayer? Or is there a reason why the prayer comes before the antiphon?

Thanks.
Kev

 

[Lazerlike42]

I find that saying the psalm prayer before the antiphon is distracting. Besides, it’s not the way I learned to say the office back in 1980.

Would it would be okay to say the antiphon after the gloria and before the psalm prayer? Or is there a reason why the prayer comes before the antiphon?

Thanks.
Kev

Well, you could omit it. Its not in the official Latin LotH (unless I am remembering incorrectly) and is just an addition to the English translation. None of the priests I know or the local seminary use it. I used to pray it, but have since stopped having learned all of this.

 

[estesbob]

Well, you could omit it. Its not in the official Latin LotH (unless I am remembering incorrectly) and is just an addition to the English translation. None of the priests I know or the local seminary use it. I used to pray it, but have since stopped having learned all of this.

Although I usually say if the instruction say it may be omitted. I think we all need keep in mind that there is no referee Angel that is going to jump out and throw a penalty flag at us if we don’t do everything absolutely correct.

 

[L_Marshall]

iBreviary is great (and free!) but I decided to fork over the change for The Divine Office: Lauds, Vespers and Compline all come with recordings of people praying them for a nicer feel to it.
Now: Stupid question time. If liturgical days start in the evening, do I pray the Invitatory before Vespers or before Lauds? And must the Office of Readings and Mid-Day Prayer also be done if the three major hours are done?

 

[Globachio]

Well, you could omit it. Its not in the official Latin LotH (unless I am remembering incorrectly) and is just an addition to the English translation. None of the priests I know or the local seminary use it. I used to pray it, but have since stopped having learned all of this.

Nice to know! Thanks to both you and estebob (sp?)

Kev

 

[Lazerlike42]

iBreviary is great (and free!) but I decided to fork over the change for The Divine Office: Lauds, Vespers and Compline all come with recordings of people praying them for a nicer feel to it.
Now: Stupid question time. If liturgical days start in the evening, do I pray the Invitatory before Vespers or before Lauds? And must the Office of Readings and Mid-Day Prayer also be done if the three major hours are done?

First, if you are a layperson, then you are free to pray as little or as much of it as you like. For priests and most religious, there is a requirement of praying the Office of Readings, Lauds, Day Prayer, Vespers, and Compline (Night Prayer). Day prayer can be done as the mid-morning, the mid-day, or the mid-afternoon prayer; it doesn’t matter which.

Monastics usually must pray the additional two daytime hours as well. Thus, they pray the Readings, Lauds, mid-morning, mid-day, mid-afternoon, Vespers, and Compline.

The Invitiatory Psalm is prayed before either the Office of Readings or Lauds, whichever is done first that day. It is permissible to omit the invitiatory psalm when Lauds is the first hour you do of the day. For example, if you wake up at 5 AM and pray the Office of Readings, you must do the invitiatory. On the other hand, if you wake up at 5 AM and start with Lauds, then it is acceptable not to do the invitiatory. See #35 here: ewtn.com/library/curia/cdwgilh.htm#Ch II-III

 

[agnes_therese]

Although I usually say if the instruction say it may be omitted. I think we all need keep in mind that there is no referee Angel that is going to jump out and throw a penalty flag at us if we don’t do everything absolutely correct.

I think a lot of beginners forget this! The important thing to remember is that this is PRAYER. God knows our hearts. If you accidentally get on the wrong day or something, don’t stress.

 

[OraLabora]

Well, you could omit it. Its not in the official Latin LotH (unless I am remembering incorrectly) and is just an addition to the English translation. None of the priests I know or the local seminary use it. I used to pray it, but have since stopped having learned all of this.

The psalm-prayers are not just in the English version of the LOTH. I use a French-language Benedictine version of the LOTH (Monastic Schema B, all 150 psalms in a week as use at the abbey I am affiliated with), that has them.

They are not mandatory in any way and in fact I would find them a distraction from the flow of the Office. I usually do Lauds and Vespers in Latin, and instead, after chanting the psalm in Latin I read it in French.

 

[TimothyH]

I am also interested in learning to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, and have been looking on divineoffice.org. I also have iBreviary on my iPhone. But of course, I’d like to get the books and to understand what’s actually going on.

I saw the reference in this thread to the book Divine Office for Dodos, so I called around to the local Catholic bookstores to ask if they had copies. None did, but the one that is often staffed by sisters said “If you want to know how to pray it just come in sometime and we will show you!” So I’m planning a visit tomorrow, providing the roads are drivable.

I hope you went. How did it go?

-Tim-

 

[fieldsparrow]

They were actually closed by the time I was done with my other obligations for the day and this coming Saturday I have a retreat with my parish, but the Saturday after that I am setting aside to go visit.