LOTH, Breviary, Christian Prayer, or Little Office?

[Magdalen2013]

You’re welcome…remarkable what you can get Google to cough up if you keep poking it!

 

[ZellieFan]

I got the LO by angelus press. My initial thoughts are it’s too small. I also don’t know how to pray with it. Any suggestions?

 

[otjm]

I got the LO by angelus press. My initial thoughts are it’s too small. I also don’t know how to pray with it. Any suggestions?

Check with them to see if they have a guide. I know there is a guide out there, perhaps not by them, but I don’t recall by whom; perhaps someone else can chime in?

 

[Elizium23]

I got the LO by angelus press. My initial thoughts are it’s too small. I also don’t know how to pray with it. Any suggestions?

Do you mean DO - Divine Office? Angelus Press does not have books called “Liturgy of the Hours” because they are SSPX and adhere to the 1960 Divine Office.

 

[Magdalen2013]

I got the LO by angelus press. My initial thoughts are it’s too small. I also don’t know how to pray with it. Any suggestions?

Ok – the Little Office is a ‘book of hours.’ It’s small because it’s meant to be carried with you. The hours are actually blocks of three hours –

12AM - 3AM Matins

3AM - 6AM Lauds

6AM - 9AM Prime

9AM - 12PM Terce

12PM - 3PM Sext

3PM - 6PM None

6PM - 9PM Vespers

9PM - Midnight Compline

In the “Foreward” on Page vi the book gives you the names of the hours (Matins, Lauds, Prime, etc.) and the time of day that they are prayed. There are optional prayers that can be said before (Page xiii) and after (Page xvi) the Office.

Matins and Lauds are linked, and traditionally said between Midnight and 3AM, in actuality you can do it before you go to sleep or when you first get up. I do them just before I go to bed at night (It’s 3AM somewhere…) Note that in private recitation you can do them separately, say Matins at bedtime and Lauds when you get up.

The book has the English on the left and Latin on the right, I’m going to assume you’re praying in English. Whenever you see a little red cross between the words, that means you make the Sign of the Cross as you say them.

Exception is for the Invitatory – when you say “Lord thou shalt open my lips,” you make the Sign of the Cross OVER your lips. Detailed instructions on this can be found on Page 245, under the “Rubrics for Recitation of the Office.”

RE: Alleluia – from the 9th Sunday before Easter to Holy Saturday instead of ending with “Aleluia” you say “Praise to Thee, O Lord, King of glory everlasting”

The Hymn – most of the Hymns in the Office can be sung to “Old 100th,” that is “Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow” or you may recite them.

Matins has three Nocturns, the first (Page 6) being done on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays; the second (Page 14) Tuesdays and Fridays; the third (Page 20) Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Matins is the most complicated of the hours – the others change slightly depending on which season (Advent, Christmas) we are in. The instructions in red tell you what you’re supposed to be saying when.

I’d suggest beginning with the simplest of the hours, Compline (Bedtime) and adding others, perhaps beginning with Prime, as you become comfortable saying them. I’d leave Matins until you’ve got the others down pat.

Does this help?

 

[ZellieFan]

Ok – the Little Office is a ‘book of hours.’ It’s small because it’s meant to be carried with you. The hours are actually blocks of three hours –

12AM - 3AM Matins

3AM - 6AM Lauds

6AM - 9AM Prime

9AM - 12PM Terce

12PM - 3PM Sext

3PM - 6PM None

6PM - 9PM Vespers

9PM - Midnight Compline

In the “Foreward” on Page vi the book gives you the names of the hours (Matins, Lauds, Prime, etc.) and the time of day that they are prayed. There are optional prayers that can be said before (Page xiii) and after (Page xvi) the Office.

Matins and Lauds are linked, and traditionally said between Midnight and 3AM, in actuality you can do it before you go to sleep or when you first get up. I do them just before I go to bed at night (It’s 3AM somewhere…) Note that in private recitation you can do them separately, say Matins at bedtime and Lauds when you get up.

The book has the English on the left and Latin on the right, I’m going to assume you’re praying in English. Whenever you see a little red cross between the words, that means you make the Sign of the Cross as you say them.

Exception is for the Invitatory – when you say “Lord thou shalt open my lips,” you make the Sign of the Cross OVER your lips. Detailed instructions on this can be found on Page 245, under the “Rubrics for Recitation of the Office.”

RE: Alleluia – from the 9th Sunday before Easter to Holy Saturday instead of ending with “Aleluia” you say “Praise to Thee, O Lord, King of glory everlasting”

The Hymn – most of the Hymns in the Office can be sung to “Old 100th,” that is “Praise God from Whom all Blessings Flow” or you may recite them.

Matins has three Nocturns, the first (Page 6) being done on Sundays, Mondays and Thursdays; the second (Page 14) Tuesdays and Fridays; the third (Page 20) Wednesdays and Saturdays.

Matins is the most complicated of the hours – the others change slightly depending on which season (Advent, Christmas) we are in. The instructions in red tell you what you’re supposed to be saying when.

I’d suggest beginning with the simplest of the hours, Compline (Bedtime) and adding others, perhaps beginning with Prime, as you become comfortable saying them. I’d leave Matins until you’ve got the others down pat.

Does this help?

Thank you.

I assumed it would be identical to LOTH but I see the differences now. I think all the different antiphons for the seasons confused me. I like that there is no flipping between sections of the book. I ended up praying Vespers last night but I will continue with Compline since it’s a little shorter. There is no way I could pray all the hours in the day I still wish the book were a little bigger, like my Shorter Christian Prayer because I feel like I’m going to mess it up after using it a few times.

 

[Magdalen2013]

The Little Office CAN be confusing – it took me several months to catch on to how the bits and pieces went together. I keep reminding myself that in the Middle Ages people memorized and recited it every day!

May Our Lady smile on your efforts – and don’t hesitate to ask Her to help you!