Rosary vs. Liturgy of the Hours: If one only has time for one, which is better? Which is more powerful or better to be prayed?

[Don_Jackson]

The Mass and Liturgy of the Hours are public, liturgical prayers of the Church, and they always take precidence over private prayer.

There is always the danger that assigning “precidence [sic]” to prayer wrongly diminishes the sanctity of communication between man and God.

Perhaps the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours take precedence over the use of the sanctuary, but God does not value the collective prayer of the many over the personal prayer of the individual. He loves and answers all prayer!

Peace and all good!

 

[Richca]

The Liturgy of the Hours is the official prayer of the Church. The Rosary is a private and approved-public devotion. The one is essential to the life of the Church, sanctifying the hours of the day; the other is a haphazard litany that can be prayed by anyone at any time, and unstable by nature. The former is as ancient as the Church; the latter is an invention of the 13th century, fully developed only by the 15th.

If you have time for only one of the two, then for the love of God, stick to the LotH! It has readings from the Fathers, diverse prayers, and the actual Scriptures from which the Rosary meditations are derived.

A haphazard litany, unstable by nature? This sounds like a belittling of the rosary. Now to belittle the rosary, is to belittle our Lady. Definitely not a good thing!!

 

[Richca]

If one is constrained such that one does not have time to pray both the Rosary and the Liturgy of the Hours, what are the criteria determining which should be prayed? Is one definitively superior to the other? Is it a matter of personal preference? Is one more powerful than the other? Is one more encouraged?

Please help me in this matter; I am not certain which prayer is better, or whether one can be said to be better. For example, I have heard that the Liturgy of the Hours is recommended for all the faithful, and is “the common prayer of the Church”. However, I have seen promised rewards for praying the Rosary, and I have not seen any similarly promised rewards for praying the Liturgy of the Hours.

In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from Vatican Council II it says that “every liturgical celebration (which would include the LOTH) because it is an action of Christ the Priest and of his Body, which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others. No other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree”. So the LOTH is a wonderful and powerful prayer and it is recommended to the laity by the church.

The rosary of Our Lady is also a wonderful and powerful prayer. Many popes and saints have recommended it to the faithful. St Louis Marie de Montfort wrote a wonderful work on the rosary titled The Secret of the Rosary. Pope John Paul II wrote an Apostolic Letter, ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE, on the rosary and had proclaimed 2002-2003 the Year of the Rosary. He also said the rosary was his favorite prayer. Pope Leo XIII is called the pope of the rosary. Our Lady herself told the children of Fatima to pray the rosary daily.

In ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE, Pope John Paul II wrote: “There are some who think that the centrality of the Liturgy, rightly stressed by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, necessarily entails giving lesser importance to the Rosary. Yet, as Pope Paul VI made clear, not only does this prayer not conflict with the Liturgy, it sustains it, since it serves as an excellent introduction and a faithful echo of the Liturgy, enabling people to participate fully and interiorly in it and to reap its fruits in their daily lives”.

Now most lay people are not required to recite either the LOTH or the rosary. So which should you choose? I would choose that which my heart felt inclined too, the one that I think I would do regularly. Though you might feel inclined to recite the other one sometime in the future or maybe both.

I have prayed both the LOTH and the rosary. However, presently I’m only praying the rosary daily. I can pray the rosary anytime and anywhere which fits in very nicely with my daily schedule. I’m also very attracted to the rosary, I love to pray it and I love our Lady.

 

[Holly3278]

I prefer to pray the Rosary but that is because I do not know how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.

 

[Della]

I prefer to pray the Rosary but that is because I do not know how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.

You’re not alone. I think this is why most Catholics don’t pray the LOTH–they simply weren’t brought up with it and don’t know how to “do” it. Learning takes a little time and effort, I know from my attempts at it, but there are simplified versions for lay people (several are mentioned in this thread) that can get you started. It also helps if you know something about the Church seasons, feasts and holy days of obligation, as well as something about the Psalms and their place within OT history/theology and the New Covenant in Christ. So, I don’t recommend people start it cold, but take some time to delve into these things–to “get up to speed” enough to know what you are praying and why so it has meaning and you don’t feel “lost”.

 

[jwinch2]

You’re not alone. I think this is why most Catholics don’t pray the LOTH–they simply weren’t brought up with it and don’t know how to “do” it. Learning takes a little time and effort, I know from my attempts at it, but there are simplified versions for lay people (several are mentioned in this thread) that can get you started. It also helps if you know something about the Church seasons, feasts and holy days of obligation, as well as something about the Psalms and their place within OT history/theology and the New Covenant in Christ. So, I don’t recommend people start it cold, but take some time to delve into these things–to “get up to speed” enough to know what you are praying and why so it has meaning and you don’t feel “lost”.

It really doesn’t take too much time if you use www.DivineOffice.org. You can just follow along with the audio if you like. It really makes it very easy.

If one were to just pick up the books I agree that it would be daunting.

Peace,

 

[Della]

It really doesn’t take too much time if you use www.DivineOffice.org. You can just follow along with the audio if you like. It really makes it very easy.

If one were to just pick up the books I agree that it would be daunting.

Peace,

Yes, it’s easy to find it online and simply follow along, but understanding what one is praying and why takes a bit of study. I was part of a group of Catholic women who prayed the office as a part of our spirituality, but they didn’t even know that Moses lived before David or when any of the biblical events happened. They had been brought up in Catholic schools and were quite devout, but their limited understanding of the OT and how it applies to the New Covenant hampered their understanding of the LOTH. To them it was foreign territory so they got very little from it. That’s the kind of prep I’m talking about.

 

[jwinch2]

Yes, it’s easy to find it online and simply follow along, but understanding what one is praying and why takes a bit of study. I was part of a group of Catholic women who prayed the office as a part of our spirituality, but they didn’t even know that Moses lived before David or when any of the biblical events happened. They had been brought up in Catholic schools and were quite devout, but their limited understanding of the OT and how it applies to the New Covenant hampered their understanding of the LOTH. To them it was foreign territory so they got very little from it. That’s the kind of prep I’m talking about.

Gotcha. I agree that basic Biblical understanding would be of significant help.

Peace,

 

[EricFilmer]

I would like to invite those who pray the LOTH, or interested in learning, to join my new CAF social group, The Fellowship of the Breviary. I have been praying the LOTH on a daily basis since 1998 (I started with Christian Prayer and then switched to the 4-Volume). I also invite discussions on the various other types of breviaries as well. I will be checking the wall messages on a regular basis, and will be happy to provide whatever assistance I can for those struggling to learn how to maneuver through the different breviaries of the Divine Office.

In terms of the poll at hand, I pray also pray the rosary daily.

 

[Alfonsus]

In the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy from Vatican Council II it says that “every liturgical celebration (which would include the LOTH) because it is an action of Christ the Priest and of his Body, which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others. No other action of the Church can equal its efficacy by the same title and to the same degree”. So the LOTH is a wonderful and powerful prayer and it is recommended to the laity by the church.

The rosary of Our Lady is also a wonderful and powerful prayer. Many popes and saints have recommended it to the faithful. St Louis Marie de Montfort wrote a wonderful work on the rosary titled The Secret of the Rosary. Pope John Paul II wrote an Apostolic Letter, ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE, on the rosary and had proclaimed 2002-2003 the Year of the Rosary. He also said the rosary was his favorite prayer. Pope Leo XIII is called the pope of the rosary. Our Lady herself told the children of Fatima to pray the rosary daily.

In ROSARIUM VIRGINIS MARIAE, Pope John Paul II wrote: “There are some who think that the centrality of the Liturgy, rightly stressed by the Second Vatican Ecumenical Council, necessarily entails giving lesser importance to the Rosary. Yet, as Pope Paul VI made clear, not only does this prayer not conflict with the Liturgy, it sustains it, since it serves as an excellent introduction and a faithful echo of the Liturgy, enabling people to participate fully and interiorly in it and to reap its fruits in their daily lives”.

Now most lay people are not required to recite either the LOTH or the rosary. So which should you choose? I would choose that which my heart felt inclined too, the one that I think I would do regularly. Though you might feel inclined to recite the other one sometime in the future or maybe both.

I have prayed both the LOTH and the rosary. However, presently I’m only praying the rosary daily. I can pray the rosary anytime and anywhere which fits in very nicely with my daily schedule. I’m also very attracted to the rosary, I love to pray it and I love our Lady.

I agree with what you said. Liturgy does not abolish devotion, but instead gave birth to it. But at the same time, devotion must point to Liturgy, prepare, nurture and sustain the faithful for a better Liturgy, not usurp it.

As laity, the Church gave us freedom to choose which aid our spiritual need better.
But in her documents, teachings and theology, the Liturgical prayer and action of the Church is par excellence and the faithful is invited to incorporate some or more of this patrimony of the Church. It is an invitation, not an obligation.

It is wrong to squash devotions in order to promote the Liturgy. At the same time, it is wrong for devotions to usurp the precedence and place of Liturgy. A balanced proportion is what the Church desire.

 

[mejco]

I have attempted to pray the Liturgy of the hours, but I settled for the Rosary. The Rosary is much simpler, and my husband and I have a slot early in the morning of 45 minutes, which is convenient for the Rosary. Following the Rosary we pray the Divine Mercy Chaplet, which carries many promises as does the Rosary. It makes a marvelous start for the day.

 

[jwinch2]

One thing which may be interesting to consider is the importance in which the Church places the Psalms. Think about it for a moment…, Psalms is the only book in the Bible which is read in every single Mass. Second, think about the fact the the prayer prescribed outside of Mass for all diocesan priests, deacons, and bishops is the Liturgy of the Hours (the Psalms), and this is also true for the majority of consecrated religious.

Obviously, the Church does not mandate private prayer for the faithful, so people should follow where they are called to go in their spiritual life. However, I thought the above was interesting, and might provide some perspective.

Peace of Christ,

 

[jwinch2]

Coffee and Canticles - The Divine Office in Your Life

dariasockey.blogspot.com/

This website has some nice and practical information on praying the Liturgy of the Hours for those who might be new to it. They have the quote below on the their front page, which I also like.

“I would like to renew my call to everyone to pray the Psalms, to become accustomed to using the Liturgy of the Hours, Lauds, Vespers, and Compline. Our relationship with God can only be enriched by our journeying towards Him day after day”. -Pope Benedict XVI

Peace,

 

[De_Montfort]

I have a devotion to the Holy Rosary.

Pope Benedict XVI invites in this year of faith with Mary to take up the rosary and be at the “School of Mary.”

“I would like to propose to everyone the value of praying the Rosary in the upcoming Year of Faith. Through the Rosary we allow ourselves to be guided by Mary, the model of faith, in meditating on the mysteries of Christ. I invite you to pray the Rosary on your own, in your family and in your community, placing yourselves in the school of Mary, who leads us to Christ, the living centre of our faith.”

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/angelus/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20121007_en.html

There is nothing wrong with the LOTH I need to look into it, if I can make the time to that is! THe Rosary will always be my foundation of faith devotion to Mary and love of Christ!

 

[Della]

I have a devotion to the Holy Rosary.

Pope Benedict XVI invites in this year of faith with Mary to take up the rosary and be at the “School of Mary.”

“I would like to propose to everyone the value of praying the Rosary in the upcoming Year of Faith. Through the Rosary we allow ourselves to be guided by Mary, the model of faith, in meditating on the mysteries of Christ. I invite you to pray the Rosary on your own, in your family and in your community, placing yourselves in the school of Mary, who leads us to Christ, the living centre of our faith.”

http://www.vatican.va/holy_father/benedict_xvi/angelus/2012/documents/hf_ben-xvi_ang_20121007_en.html

There is nothing wrong with the LOTH I need to look into it, if I can make the time to that is! THe Rosary will always be my foundation of faith devotion to Mary and love of Christ!

As I have written before in this thread (it’s too long to read all the posts) people aren’t as familiar with the LOTH as they are with the rosary merely because for centuries the LOTH was prayed in Latin throughout the day in a very prescribed manner unavailible to lay people, most of whom were illiterate in their own languages, let alone in Latin. The rosary was the substitute for the LOTH for lay people for all that time. Those who are devoted to the rosary have every right to that devotion (I among them), so really, there should be no competition between it and the LOTH.

Having said all that, though, the LOTH is the official prayer of the Church and should take precedence over any other private devotion, such as the rosary. The Holy Father understands that the rosary is easily available, easy for families to pray, and is within easy reach of everyone, besides it’s spiritual value, which is beyond measure, thus he highly recommends it to encourage people to do a form of daily prayer he knows they will most likely be able and willing to do.

However, the LOTH is now available for every Catholic who can read who is old enough to pray it. Most of us do not pray all the hours since we have active lives that prevent doing so. However, most usually pray Morning and Evening Prayer and perhaps Compline. I encourage people to learn how to pray the Daily Office so they can benefit from this liturgy of the Church which takes us through all the seasons, feasts, memorials (if desired) and HDOs. In praying the Psalms one is singing the praisies of God through God’s word, praying back to him the words the Holy Spirit revealed to his prophets and Psalmists. It is rich in spiritual benefits and completely worth the time and effort to pray it.

 

[Anne1964]

I much prefer the LOTH. I have great difficulty concentrating when I pray the rosary. It seems that no matter how hard I try to keep my mind on the mystery my attention drifts and I find myself a million miles away. I like the variety of the LOTH, particularly the Office of Readings.

 

[Russ_of_Tokyo]

Lately I’ve been praying the rosary every day. At the time I’m doing it, it doesn’t seem like the best use of my time, but later, down deep I have a very warm recollection of the experience as if something powerful was going on, but I was not aware of it at the time. Sounds like what the two disciples said after being with Jesus,“did not our hearts burn within us…” So I stick to it.

So many popes have been so excited about the Rosary and have showered it with so much praise, it’s hard to ignore such an impressive cheering squad.

On the other hand, the Psalms are very powerful, and have enjoyed the same praise and enthusiasm from the same cheering squad!

I’ve prayed the Liturgy of the Hours every day for the past several months as well but lately because of my work schedule which varies so much from day to day, I’ve been praying a flexible personal devotion similar to the LOTH which uses the Psalms, the Canticles and the Lord’s Prayer but does not follow the order or amount of Psalms for any given hour. That way I can adjust the amount of Psalms I pray depending on how much time is available. I just keep moving the book mark ribbon forward and pray the Psalms from cover to cover.

I carry that smaller blue edition of the Revised Grail Psalms with me everywhere and have it next to my pillow at night and have printed out the Canticles and a few every day prayers and glued them into the inside covers (with re-positionable, re-stickable glue-stick) so I have a nice custom “breviary.”

The LOTH (or Psalms) and rosary are so different from each other that they fill different needs. I think I need both.

 

[jwinch2]

I’ve prayed the Liturgy of the Hours every day for the past several months as well but lately because of my work schedule which varies so much from day to day, I’ve been praying a flexible personal devotion similar to the LOTH which uses the Psalms, the Canticles and the Lord’s Prayer but does not follow the order or amount of Psalms for any given hour. That way I can adjust the amount of Psalms I pray depending on how much time is available. I just keep moving the book mark ribbon forward and pray the Psalms from cover to cover.

I carry that smaller blue edition of the Revised Grail Psalms with me everywhere and have it next to my pillow at night and have printed out the Canticles and a few every day prayers and glued them into the inside covers (with re-positionable, re-stickable glue-stick) so I have a nice custom “breviary.”

To my understanding, prior to St. Benedict’s time, monastics and ascetics did exactly the same thing. They prayed the Psalms in order rather than splitting them up by hour or day, etc. Personally, I like having the Psalter broken up in some sort of intentional manner, but I understand completely your situations about time, etc.

There are abbreviated offices which allow for less time to be spent if you are interested. The Benedictine Handbook, for example, has one. I have used it to pray Morning Prayer because it is quite long, but then used the regular breviary to pray Night Prayer because it is already much shorter.

Peace,

 

[EasterJoy]

Since you are not ordained or professed to do the LOTH, choose the one (or the combination) that you will do faithfully and with the most profit. That depends on the person.

 

[GCTSgrad]

Since you are not ordained or professed to do the LOTH, choose the one (or the combination) that you will do faithfully and with the most profit. That depends on the person.

This is a very sensible answer.
I say thatbecause even though I am blessed with enough time to do both the LOTH and the Rosary, I know that most people aren’t so fortunate. It’s not something to worry about; one will be blessed either way.