Trad Catholics Pray Modern Liturgy of the Hours?

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Hi y’all,

I have wrestled with this for a little while now.

I was wondering if traditional Catholics (those who attend mostly the EF of the mass), use the modern Liturgy of the Hours or Christian Prayer book in their daily prayers or if they use a more traditional form, (i.e., the Divine Office published by Angelus).

I’m also asking this because I have my one volume Christian Prayer with me right now at university on my bookshelf, but sometimes am very confused especially when I have to juggle two calendars for the traditional Mass as well as for the new order.

Any guidance or suggestions would be a blessing
 
landon13 said:
Hi y’all,

I have wrestled with this for a little while now.

I was wondering if traditional Catholics (those who attend mostly the EF of the mass), use the modern Liturgy of the Hours or Christian Prayer book in their daily prayers or if they use a more traditional form, (i.e., the Divine Office published by Angelus).

I’m also asking this because I have my one volume Christian Prayer with me right now at university on my bookshelf, but sometimes am very confused especially when I have to juggle two calendars for the traditional Mass as well as for the new order.

Any guidance or suggestions would be a blessing
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I do, and I do just that: juggle the Calendars. I attend the EF (or Divine Worship) Mass for the most part, but pray the modern Liturgy of the Hours. I just follow my local OF Ordo (yes, when you pray the Divine Office in any form, use an Ordo).

Sure, it’s a little disjointed, but I see no trouble with it.

I am of the belief that more than anything else, the Liturgy of the Hours is the best thing that came out of the liturgical reform of Vatican II.
 
I attend the EF and observe the calendar associated with it. I find the modern liturgy of the hours very edifying. There is a little bit of awkwardness when feast days and seasons do not line up, but (I think) that is most noticeable during the Office of Readings, which is not in the one volume Christian Prayer. For what it’s worth, Baronius Press sells the Traditional “Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary” which is a one volume edition modeled after the traditional Divine Office. The basis of all of these prayers in the psalms, and the calendar variations won’t take away from those. As lay people, we can take some liberties when using the Divine Office for private prayer, so you can sort of tweak it as you go.
 
One has to keep in mind that the Liturgy of the Hours is much more of the Divine Office than any layperson would have been exposed to prior to the Council. Prior to the council, the Divine Office was almost exclusively the territory of clergy, seminarians and religious; the laity wasn’t even encourage to participate, and it was entirely in Latin. The only exposure laity would have received would have been the occasional celebration of Sunday Vespers and perhaps some of the liturgies in Holy Week or if visiting a monastery on retreat, and again entirely in Latin.

In terms of exposure to the psalms, prior to the Council, the laity rarely got to hear an entire psalm recited in the Liturgy. The Mass had lots of psalms, but in disjointed verses for the Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory and Communion antiphons.

Being able to participate fully in the Church’s liturgy, and being able to experience the full beauty of the psalms, as Porthos points out, is one of the great gifts of the Council. With the LOTH, one is able to experience *almost" the entire psalter over 4 weeks except for a few omitted cursing psalms and verses, and three seasonal psalms. While some complain that the old breviary did all the psalms in one week, it’s a daunting challenge for the laity and something the laity almost never did prior to the Council. In reality the laity today, who pray the LOTH in part or in full, get far more exposure to the psalms that the the pre-Conciliar laity ever did.

There is no EF Mass in easy driving distance for me and in any case I wouldn’t feel compelled to attend one if there was (due to the beautiful OF Mass in Gregorian chant at the abbey I’m attached to), but there’s no dissonance IMHO praying the LOTH and going to an EF Mass. Both are valid liturgies of the Church, and the praying of the Canonical hours in the LOTH puts one in complete unity with the Body of Christ praying the daily liturgy, something of tremendous spiritual value not just to ourselves, but to those to whom we attach ourselves through prayer, which is the entire Body of Christ (i.e. the entire Church).
 
There’s another breviary that follows the EF that you can consider looking for: The Third Edition of “A Short Breviary for Religious and the Laity” (1962) by The Liturgical Press. The Complete edition has all 150 psalms.

NB: The book IS out-of-print, but turns up on Amazon and Ebay from time to time.
 
The Customary of Our Lady of Walsingham, designed with clergy of the Ordinariate in mind, would be another more traditional option.
 
OraLabora said:
One has to keep in mind that the Liturgy of the Hours is much more of the Divine Office than any layperson would have been exposed to prior to the Council. Prior to the council, the Divine Office was almost exclusively the territory of clergy, seminarians and religious; the laity wasn’t even encourage to participate, and it was entirely in Latin. The only exposure laity would have received would have been the occasional celebration of Sunday Vespers and perhaps some of the liturgies in Holy Week or if visiting a monastery on retreat, and again entirely in Latin.

In terms of exposure to the psalms, prior to the Council, the laity rarely got to hear an entire psalm recited in the Liturgy. The Mass had lots of psalms, but in disjointed verses for the Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory and Communion antiphons.

Being able to participate fully in the Church’s liturgy, and being able to experience the full beauty of the psalms, as Porthos points out, is one of the great gifts of the Council. With the LOTH, one is able to experience *almost" the entire psalter over 4 weeks except for a few omitted cursing psalms and verses, and three seasonal psalms. While some complain that the old breviary did all the psalms in one week, it’s a daunting challenge for the laity and something the laity almost never did prior to the Council. In reality the laity today, who pray the LOTH in part or in full, get far more exposure to the psalms that the the pre-Conciliar laity ever did.

There is no EF Mass in easy driving distance for me and in any case I wouldn’t feel compelled to attend one if there was (due to the beautiful OF Mass in Gregorian chant at the abbey I’m attached to), but there’s no dissonance IMHO praying the LOTH and going to an EF Mass. Both are valid liturgies of the Church, and the praying of the Canonical hours in the LOTH puts one in complete unity with the Body of Christ praying the daily liturgy, something of tremendous spiritual value not just to ourselves, but to those to whom we attach ourselves through prayer, which is the entire Body of Christ (i.e. the entire Church).
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Well stated, thank you!
 
OraLabora said:
One has to keep in mind that the Liturgy of the Hours is much more of the Divine Office than any layperson would have been exposed to prior to the Council. Prior to the council, the Divine Office was almost exclusively the territory of clergy, seminarians and religious; the laity wasn’t even encourage to participate, and it was entirely in Latin. The only exposure laity would have received would have been the occasional celebration of Sunday Vespers and perhaps some of the liturgies in Holy Week or if visiting a monastery on retreat, and again entirely in Latin.

In terms of exposure to the psalms, prior to the Council, the laity rarely got to hear an entire psalm recited in the Liturgy. The Mass had lots of psalms, but in disjointed verses for the Introit, Gradual, Alleluia, Offertory and Communion antiphons.

Being able to participate fully in the Church’s liturgy, and being able to experience the full beauty of the psalms, as Porthos points out, is one of the great gifts of the Council. With the LOTH, one is able to experience *almost" the entire psalter over 4 weeks except for a few omitted cursing psalms and verses, and three seasonal psalms. While some complain that the old breviary did all the psalms in one week, it’s a daunting challenge for the laity and something the laity almost never did prior to the Council. In reality the laity today, who pray the LOTH in part or in full, get far more exposure to the psalms that the the pre-Conciliar laity ever did.

There is no EF Mass in easy driving distance for me and in any case I wouldn’t feel compelled to attend one if there was (due to the beautiful OF Mass in Gregorian chant at the abbey I’m attached to), but there’s no dissonance IMHO praying the LOTH and going to an EF Mass. Both are valid liturgies of the Church, and the praying of the Canonical hours in the LOTH puts one in complete unity with the Body of Christ praying the daily liturgy, something of tremendous spiritual value not just to ourselves, but to those to whom we attach ourselves through prayer, which is the entire Body of Christ (i.e. the entire Church).
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This is very beautifully and well said. I would have expected nothing less from a Benedictine Oblate of the Congregation of Solesmes.
 
Baronius Press put out a Latin/English breviary for the EF. It’s longer than the LOTH, but it’s an option of you don’t want to juggle two calendars.
 
If you are interested in praying the psalms according to the old, one-week psalter, try “My Daily Psalm Book” by Father Frey. It has all 150 psalms over one week, plus the Benedictus/Magnificat/Nunc Dimmitis canticles in the back. Although it does not have the readings of the respective hours, you will get all the psalms according to the pre-Vatican II cycle.

Hope this helps! 😃
 
I just pulled out my copy of Christian prayer and prayed the morning prayer. I have to realize for my own sake that I can’t keep dividing devotions and prayers into “traditional” or “post-V2” but need to focus more on what is beneficial to my spiritual life. Focus on what will help me most in my daily walk of faith.
 
landon13 said:
I just pulled out my copy of Christian prayer and prayed the morning prayer. I have to realize for my own sake that I can’t keep dividing devotions and prayers into “traditional” or “post-V2” but need to focus more on what is beneficial to my spiritual life. Focus on what will help me most in my daily walk of faith.
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👍 love that attitude. The Church herself is timeless and therefore she is both pre and post Vatican II, so our devotional lives should strive to be the same! Some of my friends shrug off the St. Andrew’s Novena as a silly Pre-Vatican ii devotion, and I’ve heard there are apparently trads somewhere who shrug off the Divine Mercy Chaplet because it was approved after the council…and then I’m sitting there with my Divine Mercy Chaplet AND St. Andrews Novena holy card thinking "yall are missing out!’
 
landon13 said:
Hi y’all,

I have wrestled with this for a little while now.

I was wondering if traditional Catholics (those who attend mostly the EF of the mass), use the modern Liturgy of the Hours or Christian Prayer book in their daily prayers or if they use a more traditional form, (i.e., the Divine Office published by Angelus).

I’m also asking this because I have my one volume Christian Prayer with me right now at university on my bookshelf, but sometimes am very confused especially when I have to juggle two calendars for the traditional Mass as well as for the new order.

Any guidance or suggestions would be a blessing
Click to expand...
Thank you for asking because I have wanted to know of a more Traditional form and you provided an answer in the Divine Office. I will check it out.
 
landon13 said:
I just pulled out my copy of Christian prayer and prayed the morning prayer. I have to realize for my own sake that I can’t keep dividing devotions and prayers into “traditional” or “post-V2” but need to focus more on what is beneficial to my spiritual life. Focus on what will help me most in my daily walk of faith.
Click to expand...
That’s the right kind of attitude, my friend! 👍 After all, we must keep in mind what is most important: not whether it is “traditional” or “post-V2,” but how it grows you into the person God has called you to be.
 
landon13 said:
but need to focus more on what is beneficial to my spiritual life. Focus on what will help me most in my daily walk of faith.
Click to expand...
Same for me except I find it is more beneficial for me to go to the more Traditional form. I was inspired by Msgr. Charles Pope’s call to support the Traditional Latin Mass.
 
LordHaveMercy said:
👍 love that attitude. The Church herself is timeless and therefore she is both pre and post Vatican II, so our devotional lives should strive to be the same! Some of my friends shrug off the St. Andrew’s Novena as a silly Pre-Vatican ii devotion, and I’ve heard there are apparently trads somewhere who shrug off the Divine Mercy Chaplet because it was approved after the council…and then I’m sitting there with my Divine Mercy Chaplet AND St. Andrews Novena holy card thinking "yall are missing out!’
Click to expand...
So many of my traditionalist friends are that way with the Divine Mercy chaplet. Personally, I have mixed feelings on it. But every now and then I get this weird urge to pull out my copy of St. Faustina’s diary or remember that when I started looking into Catholicism that I really liked the divien mercy chaplet.
 
johnnyc176 said:
Same for me except I find it is more beneficial for me to go to the more Traditional form. I was inspired by Msgr. Charles Pope’s call to support the Traditional Latin Mass.
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I do find it ironic though, that folks that define themselves as “traditionalists” are so keen to take up the pre-conciliar breviary (which in itself is far from “traditional” as it only dates from 1910), when the reality is that traditionally, the laity never prayed the breviary until Vatican II encouraged us to take up the Liturgy of the Hours (which does in fact incorporate many elements of tradition, including the possibility of chanting it in Latin Gregorian chant).

More usually, prior to the Council, the laity prayed the Rosary, or if they prayed some sort of Office, it was one of the Little Offices.

The Liturgy of the Hours thus is a great gift to the laity, because it brings the beauty of nearly all the psalms to the laity in a language all can understand, something that was rare prior to the Council.
 
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