LOTH "Christian Prayer" Need Help!

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Karl_M

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Hello,

I just started looking at the book “Christian Prayer” and my brain is already spaghetti. I cannot make heads or tails of it, and searching the Internet is no help-because I don’t know at all what I’m doing to try to understand it. :eek:

The little booklet they sell with it doesn’t help, because I don’t really know how to read what it’s telling me to do.

I have absoultely no clue where to go, what page to turn to (or back-and-forth to or from) what order to go in, nothing, not at all.

I need help! How do I know what to do, what ribbons go where, what order to go in. I’m totally completely 100 % clueless here, but I want to learn it. So, I’ve come to the experts.

Thanks for your help.
 
This is a confusing week, Everyday we use the psalms for Easter. I can tell you where I put ribbons.
One I put for the week.(this section is near the beginning of the book) This being Easter week the ribbon is right on Friday of Easter week but in ordinary time it just marks the Sundays.

Then I have a ribbon in the four week Psalter. This would be Week I . I move that ribbon every day as it goes through day by day. (this section is highlight red on the edges in mine) Next week will be Week II (Second week of Easter) then the third, fourth week then back to Week I…(so if it was the 26 week of ordinary time that would be WeekII )**

I keep a ribbon in the sections that goes by the calendar for the prayers for Feast days solemnities

**This being Easter week, I only use the Psalms from Sunday of Week I and do the readings etc from Easter week.

I am sure there are others that can help more. But maybe this can get you started. It is easier if someone is there in person to help put ribbons in the right place God Bless I love doing this prayer. I started Advent of 2006)
 
post the table of contents so i can get an idea of how the book is arranged. I only have a 4-volume set LOTH but “Christian Prayer” may have a similar arrangement.
i the 4-volume set LOTH ribbons are placed in:
  • Proper of the seasons
  • Ordinary
  • Psalter
  • Night Prayer
  • Proper of Saints
you want to start at the Ordinary
 
may I make a suggestion, since you have already purchased the book, to find where the Four Week Psalter begins, put your ribbon on that page. We pray the psalms for Sunday of the First week every day this first week of Easter, so this week will be easy. In my version of the 1-volume Christian Prayer, the Psalter begins on page 555 for morning prayer. you can sing the hymn if you know the tune, or just say it, or skip it when you are by yourself. Just read the psalms with the antiphone for Easter. the psalms are in bold type. if the antiphons are too confusing right now, just read the psalm, ending each one with the Glory be to the Father . . .
You can use the same reading every day this week, and intercessions, and antiphone for the Gospel Canticle of Zechariah for morning prayer, and Magnificat for evening prayer.

if you feel brave, go to page 360 on the bottom for the readings and intercessions for this week, the octave of EAster., but if that is too much page flipping just stay in the psalter, Sunday week one, which is prayed every day this week.

2nd Sunday of Easter, pray the same psalms as Easter Sunday, just as you have been doing all week.

Next Monday, 3/31, start with morning prayer for week II on page 685, and just follow the psalter for the next 3 weeks. then start again with week one.

your only goal is to become familiar with the 4 week cycle. if you stay with this for a few months or even a year it will be a good thing, by then you may find someone to pray the office with.

if you get confused about what “day” we are on, don’t worry about it, go to universalis.com to check it out.
 
On this page, there are links to 2 free on-line word by word descriptions of what to do for Sunday and Friday Christian prayer (LOTH). It is a good “template” for other days as well.

ebreviary.com/ebreviary/usa2/ebusafsprayer4b.nsf!OpenDatabase

This would give you a good overview of what is happening.

Then using the St. Joseph Guide, you could try to figure out what to do on the other days.

This is a difficult time to get started. Ordinary time is much easier 🙂
 
And you can always ask your parish priest or one of the sisters (if such there be), and s/he will be delighted to help you.
 
First off, Christian Prayer is very confusing when one first starts learning how to pray the Hours. The book makes it even more confusing because the order of the book doesn’t seem to make a lot of sense.

The best place to start is in the section marked “Ordinary” which starts in my edition on pg. 533. That will give you information on how to get started.

I find that the only real Hours I’m able to pray are Morning and/or Evening Prayer, so these directions are pretty much for praying those Hours.

Seasons and major holidays are in the front of the book, and they go in order from Advent through Christ the King. Feasts and memorials are in the back. I’d mark the Ordinary with one ribbon, where we are in the seasons/holidays with another, and where we are in the memorial calendar with a third.

Now, the next thing to do is ascertain which week we’re in for the Psalter. This week is Week I. Next week will be Week II. Mark where we are with a fourth ribbon.

The little book they sold you should contain the calendar for the year in it. You can refer to that calendar so you know where everything is, including which week we’re on.

You’re going to do some flipping, but it will soon make sense.
 
Not to derail, and I am sure [user]puzzleannie[/user] was keeping it simple for the sake of the OP, but for those more experienced who may be reading this:
puzzleannie said:
Next Monday, 3/31, start with morning prayer for week II on page 685, and just follow the psalter for the next 3 weeks. then start again with week one.
Click to expand...
NB that Monday, 31-Mar-2008 will see the translated celebration of the Solemnity of the Annunciation, so use those psalms from Sunday Week I (p 707) one more time. 👍

To the OP: I would suggest you find someone experienced to pray with – A friend, a religious community or parish. Things ought to become clear after a while. (And as others have noted, you picked a heck of a week to start 😛 )

tee
 
This is the best guide I have seen on how to pray the LOTH. You want the first link called Discovering Prayer. You will have to give them your e-mail address and then they will send you a link to the page. It is wonderful though! They explain everything and how to jump around and all of that kind of stuff. Trust me, I understand the totally lost feeling, but it surprised me how quickly I caught on and started to feel comfortable! 👍 😃
 
I know this thread is old, yet thanks for the help! I had the same problem and now I understand it more, where I don’t feel so lost, thanks!

‘Christian Prayer’ just came in the mail today.
 
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