Liturgy of the Hours

[simmie]

Hi everyone

I’ve been saying the liturgy of the hours for about 9 months and am normally quite good at knowing which week we are on and whether it is a saints day, feast day etc. But this morning I am completely stuck! Do we carry on and therefore is it week 4, do we start again at week 1 because Easter is over or could it be one of the other weeks? Completely lost!

Thanks.

 

[UpUpAndAway]

Two disclaimers: First, I have been praying the LOTH for less time than you have. Second, I’m in France and my four-volume breviary is in French. Don’t know if it makes a difference, but I thought I’d mention it just in case.

All that said, my breviary (Volume 3, 7th-21st weeks of Ordinary Time) says we use Week III. The first psalm of Morning Prayer is Psalm 83. Might be Psalm 84 in the English breviary.

Hope this helps.

 

[DaveBj]

According to the page markers in divineoffice.org, today is Monday of Week III, p. 867 in Christian Prayer.

 

[agnes_therese]

Today is Monday of the 7th week of Ordinary Time. Week III in the psalter.

There’s an annual guide published – Saint Joseph Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours, that tells you where we are for every day. There’s also a version for the one-volume Christian Prayer.

OR, when in doubt, check here:
divineoffice.org/
Click on the tab for any of the hours, and it will tell you where you should be in the book.

 

[anruari]

As others have said it’s Week 3 of the Psalter. This confused Me as well.

The reason is simple. The easter season breaks the pattern of Ordinary Time, and used it’s own pattern.

The return to Ordinary Time, results in the return to the standard pattern for Ordinary time. Therefore as we’re on Week 7 we take:
7÷4 = 1 remainder 3. (in formal maths this is: 7 Modulo 4 = 3)
The Remainder is 3 so we’re on Week 3.
(Remainder 0 = week 4)

Always check what the return week is, because there’s often a week in ordinary time skipped depending on the particular years callender. In the case of this year there was no Week 6

 

[chryso]

Wow! Thanks for asking this question i was also confused but i mistakenly continued from week 4 but now i ve taken correction,am also grateful with the answers and replies…i never thought of asking,alot of thanks.

 

[Joe_5859]

As others have said it’s Week 3 of the Psalter. This confused Me as well.

The reason is simple. The easter season breaks the pattern of Ordinary Time, and used it’s own pattern.

The return to Ordinary Time, results in the return to the standard pattern for Ordinary time. Therefore as we’re on Week 7 we take:
7÷4 = 1 remainder 3. (in formal maths this is: 7 Modulo 4 = 3)
The Remainder is 3 so we’re on Week 3.
(Remainder 0 = week 4)

Always check what the return week is, because there’s often a week in ordinary time skipped depending on the particular years callender. In the case of this year there was no Week 6

Yes, the week after Pentecost is always the most confusing week. We reset back to Week I for Lent and then again for Easter, but now we more or less pick up Ordinary Time where we left off before Lent started. The easiest way to figure that out is to check which week of Ordinary Time we are in and find the remainder as anruari has done.

 

[porthos11]

A bit of advice for anyone who prays the Liturgy of the Hours: Always buy an Ordo for the year.

 

[ajecphotos]

What is an ordo?

 

[Joe_5859]

What is an ordo?

It’s the Latin word for “Order.” In this case, it would be a booklet that basically tells you what to pray on any given day of the year. As certain things fluctuate, you cannot always say that “On May 20th, you will always pray this set of prayers,” nor even that “On Monday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time, you will always pray this set of prayers.” It depends on the liturgical season and on what feast days might fall on the day and whether or not one feast day trumps another one. An ordo takes out the guesswork for those getting acclimated.

 

[UpUpAndAway]

In this case, it would be a booklet that basically tells you what to pray on any given day of the year. As certain things fluctuate, you cannot always say that “On May 20th, you will always pray this set of prayers,” nor even that “On Monday of the Seventh Week of Ordinary Time, you will always pray this set of prayers.” It depends on the liturgical season and on what feast days might fall on the day and whether or not one feast day trumps another one. An ordo takes out the guesswork for those getting acclimated.

Thanks for clarifying the part I emphasized…I have an Ordo, but it’s the liturgical year calendar used to prepare Mass (I’m a sacristan, for the few of you who don’t already know that). It tells me which lectionary to use, whether or not the Gloria should be recited/sung, which Preface to mark in the Missal, what the liturgical color of the day is and so forth, but it doesn’t help me with the LOTH at all. So I was about your response.

Would the St. Joseph Guide for the Liturgy of the Hours be an example the sort of Ordo you’re describing?

 

[porthos11]

Thanks for clarifying the part I emphasized…I have an Ordo, but it’s the liturgical year calendar used to prepare Mass (I’m a sacristan, for the few of you who don’t already know that). It tells me which lectionary to use, whether or not the Gloria should be recited/sung, which Preface to mark in the Missal, what the liturgical color of the day is and so forth, but it doesn’t help me with the LOTH at all. So I was about your response.

Would the St. Joseph Guide for the Liturgy of the Hours be an example the sort of Ordo you’re describing?

The Ordo takes care of the Mass and the Liturgy or the Hours. Here’s a typical entry for today (5/20) from the Canadian edition, which takes away the confusion regarding what week it is:

20 Monday. Ferial. Green
Hours: 7th Week in Ordinary Time (Psalter: week 3), page 232.
Mass: suggested formulary, page 433 or 453; common preface, pages 586-597
Readings: no. 341, page 944
First Reading:
Responsorial Psalm:
Gospel:

OM: white, St. Bernardine of Siena, priest: ordinary office (page 1420); Mass: page 845 (Lectionary: no. 341 or 566), common preface, pages 586-597 or 582.

Diocesan Celebrations:
Baie-Comeau (QC): Dedication of St. John Eudes Cathedrah (1985). Transferred from May 19.

As you can see, the entry clearly states what week we are in Ordinary Time and was Psalter week to use. An Ordo will give you complete information, including optional memorials and local celebrations. This is a typical entry and all ordos worldwide should have the same kind of information.

 

[ajecphotos]

Which one would be right for the UK?

 

[Joe_5859]

Thanks for clarifying the part I emphasized…I have an Ordo, but it’s the liturgical year calendar used to prepare Mass (I’m a sacristan, for the few of you who don’t already know that). It tells me which lectionary to use, whether or not the Gloria should be recited/sung, which Preface to mark in the Missal, what the liturgical color of the day is and so forth, but it doesn’t help me with the LOTH at all. So I was about your response.

Would the St. Joseph Guide for the Liturgy of the Hours be an example the sort of Ordo you’re describing?

I’m not the one who first brought up the ordo, but that St. Joseph Guide is the one I most often see for Liturgy of the Hours. There may be others out there, too.

 

[TimothyH]

Ordo for iPhone…

itunes.apple.com/us/app/ordo/id413230588?mt=8

Be sure to get the one specific to your geographic region.

-Tim-

 

[porthos11]

Which one would be right for the UK?

Check with your local parish; they would normally have a copy.

 

[porthos11]

I’m not the one who first brought up the ordo, but that St. Joseph Guide is the one I most often see for Liturgy of the Hours. There may be others out there, too.

I still occasionally check the St. Joseph but it isn’t as valuable for me as the local Canadian Ordo because it doesn’t account for Canadian celebrations. That’s why one should always have a copy of one’s local Ordo so that you don’t miss out on any important patronal and local celebrations. It’s always best to have a copy of the same Ordo your diocese uses.

In the example I gave earlier, if I were a resident of Baie-Comeau, Quebec, the St. Joseph Guide would never have told me to observe the dedication of the Cathedral as a Feast from the Common of the Dedication of a Church.

But to go back the OP. For anyone who prays the LOTH, the Ordo is invaluable, especially for days like today as it simply takes the guesswork out of figuring out what week of Ordinary Time we’re at.

 

[porthos11]

Thanks for clarifying the part I emphasized…I have an Ordo, but it’s the liturgical year calendar used to prepare Mass (I’m a sacristan, for the few of you who don’t already know that). It tells me which lectionary to use, whether or not the Gloria should be recited/sung, which Preface to mark in the Missal, what the liturgical color of the day is and so forth, but it doesn’t help me with the LOTH at all. So I was about your response.

If your Ordo is a booklet (and not just a wall calendar), doesn’t each day have an “Hours:” entry? Because that’s what Ordos are supposed to contain.

 

[UpUpAndAway]

If your Ordo is a booklet (and not just a wall calendar), doesn’t each day have an “Hours:” entry? Because that’s what Ordos are supposed to contain.

Nope. My Ordo is indeed a booklet, and this is what it says for tomorrow (21st May):

Mardi 21
Vert
• Férie
Messe quotidien au choix

-ou-

Rouge
St-Christophe Magallanes, Pr. et ses compagnons Martyrs, Mémoire facultative.

In other words, tomorrow’s liturgical color is green, and the Propers are from whichever daily Mass the priest wants to celebrate (for the Church, for vocations, etc.; on days like these I have him prepare the Missal). Alternatively, we could observe the optional memorial of St. Christopher Magallanes and his companions, martyrs, in which case the liturgical color would be red.

And that is all. I concede that today’s entry confirms we are in Week III of the Psalter, but this reference to the LOTH is exceptional. The vast majority of days don’t mention it at all.

I’m not the one who first brought up the ordo, but that St. Joseph Guide is the one I most often see for Liturgy of the Hours. There may be others out there, too.

I could really use something like that. It would get me off my spiritual director’s back (unfortunately for him, I see him every day ). Sadly, to my knowledge such a guide doesn’t exist in France.

 

[porthos11]

And that is all. I concede that today’s entry confirms we are in Week III of the Psalter, but this reference to the LOTH is exceptional. The vast majority of days don’t mention it at all.

This is true of the Canadian Ordo as well. The Canadian Ordo only indicates the Psalter whenever the week number changes, which in most cases will be on Sunday. The Monday entry for 5/20 does indicate the Psalter because it changed today. This may remain so for the next weeks until the Sunday after Corpus Christi. Check your entry for Sunday, June 9th; you will likely see that the Ordo states that Psalter Week II begins.