Traditional Divine Office?

[Don_Ruggero]

My very strong suggestion is to pray the current Liturgy of the Hours. It is very much designed to accommodate busy secular life, while at the same time allowing for a bit more if one has the time or inclination. It is also the Universal Prayer of the entire Church.

Fr. Ruggero pointed out the newer nomenclature for the hours (you can still use the old names). Since you are not bound to the Office, you can pretty much pray any combination that suits you. However as the main offices of the day, Morning Prayer (Lauds) and Evening Prayer (Vespers) are particularly recommended; Compline too (at bed time) is a nice way to end the day.

So for those not bound to the Office, as above. For those bound to the Office:

Office of Readings (Vigils), can be said at any time but traditionally is nocturnal (I pray it very early in the morning or by anticipation the previous evening).
Morning Prayer (Lauds), early in the morning (sunrise to roughly 8 am)
Mid-day prayer (can be prayed at any one of the hours of Terce, Sext or None), roughly 9 am, noon and 3 pm
Evening Prayer (Vespers), early in the evening, from 4 pm to roughly 8 pm
Night Prayer (Compline), before retiring for the night

Note, those times are flexible and just given as examples.

For those bound to choir (basically: religious), to the above is added Terce, Sext and None, one of which is mid-day prayer as above, and the other two hours from the complementary psalter (the Gradual Psalms, which have a deep tradition at these hours in the monastic tradition).

It’s incorrect to say that the Liturgy of the Hours isn’t traditional enough. It is in fact strongly anchored in a tradition of sanctifying the day by praying the psalms that goes back to Judaism of the time of David. Because the psalter has been spread out over 4 weeks or some minor structural changes have been made does not make it any less “traditional”. To say so is to misunderstand tradition and limits “tradition” to superficialities. The Office can and is still said in Gregorian chant and in Latin in many places; the antiquity of the psalms and canticles remain, it is firmly founded in scripture, and it keeps alive a tradition going back thousands of years. Many of the psalms are still in their traditional places (109, 140 at Vespers,62 at Lauds, for example), and the last week of the 4-week cycle is entirely from the early monastic cursus.

That its most recent reformation made it more flexible for different states (diocesan priest, cleric, religious), and made it eminently accessible to the laity in languages they can understand, IMHO reinforce “tradition” rather than detract from it, because it makes the Office more likely to be said, and taken up by a small but growing number of laity. As such it reinforces and grows the Body of Christ.

If I may add my thought…I am very leery of the appellation “traditional”. It is a word that has little meaning to me in connection with the Office because, by its very nature and as Ora Labora has written, it must be traditional – whatever form is being used…the monastic office, the Roman breviary, etc.

The Opus Dei, the term used by Saint Benedict in his Rule for what we now term the Liturgy of the Hours, should not be summed up as or even particularly associated with the elaborate ceremony that many people conjure when the word “traditional liturgy” is evoked…it can certainly be celebrated with externals that have a great air of solemnity and impressiveness but that is not “more” the liturgy of the hours than when I am quietly praying the Office alone in an oratory. (Although I readily concede that Father Abbot, presiding from the abbatial throne, wearing the cope, with the crosier beside him, and surrounded by the chapter of monks, is more impressive and resplendent to behold than me sitting by myself in the house chapel with only breviary to hand. We have both celebrated vespers, even if for all that I have not incensed the altar at the Magnificat as Father Abbot surely did at Solemn Vespers.)

What Benedict and his monks would have done in the early sixth century at Subiaco is going to be quite different from the practices at Cluny with their “perpetual Office”, if I may be allowed to coin the term, some centuries later. Of course, in both instances, we are talking about realities centuries ago. Both, from our perspective, would be “traditional” even as they would be markedly different from each other.

The original poster, if he has a marked liturgical bent, might wish to be in touch with a Benedictine or Trappist monastery to explore being a secular oblate. They will be able to put him on to readings about the Liturgy of the Hours and a liturgical spirituality that is derived from the monastic school of spirituality.

 

[johnnyc176]

I’m just looking for something more traditional that is a lot more than just the morning and evening prayers from my prayer book or my daily rosary.

When I go to divinum officium, I am totally confused as to what hours I should pray, especially if I am just wanting to do morning and evening prayer and probably compline as well.

I may try out the little office of the Blessed Virgin…but I’m just not sure.

I think I gave you this information once before but here is the link again…

taylormarshall.com/2010/12/how-to-pray-divine-office-in-latin.html

What are the other differences? The older Divine Office is on a weekly Psalm cycle (all 150 Psalms are prayed in one week). The new LOTH is on a monthly Psalm cycle; however, the LOTH drops some of the Psalms because they are deemed scandalous. This is the #1 reason why I don’t care for the LOTH.

I would go with the Traditional Divine Office…maybe start out with the Little Office.

 

[OraLabora]

I would go with the Traditional Divine Office…maybe start out with the Little Office.

I assume by “traditional” you mean the pre-Conciliar Roman Breviary. Not being flippant, I genuinely want to know: what do you think makes the “traditional” Divine Office “traditional”?

Are you aware of the history of the 1910-1960 Roman Breviary?

 

[twf]

I assume by “traditional” you mean the pre-Conciliar Roman Breviary. Not being flippant, I genuinely want to know: what do you think makes the “traditional” Divine Office “traditional”?

Are you aware of the history of the 1910-1960 Roman Breviary?

There are those, and I’m not saying the above poster is one of them, who seem to believe that liturgical life as it existed in 1950 best reflects the long experience of the Church.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

It is perhaps worth an excerpt of Sacrosanctum Concilium on the Liturgy of the Hours:

*84. By tradition going back to early Christian times, the divine office is devised so that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praises of God. Therefore, when this wonderful song of praise is rightly performed by priests and others who are deputed for this purpose by the Church’s ordinance, or by the faithful praying together with the priest in the approved form, then it is truly the voice of the bride addressed to her bridegroom; It is the very prayer which Christ Himself, together with His body, addresses to the Father.

1. Hence all who render this service are not only fulfilling a duty of the Church, but also are sharing in the greatest honor of Christ’s spouse, for by offering these praises to God they are standing before God’s throne in the name of the Church their Mother.

/…/

1. In order that the divine office may be better and more perfectly prayed in existing circumstances, whether by priests or by other members of the Church, the sacred Council, carrying further the restoration already so happily begun by the Apostolic See, has seen fit to decree as follows concerning the office of the Roman rite.
2. Because the purpose of the office is to sanctify the day, the traditional sequence of the hours is to be restored so that once again they may be genuinely related to the time of the day when they are prayed, as far as this may be possible. Moreover, it will be necessary to take into account the modern conditions in which daily life has to be lived, especially by those who are called to labor in apostolic works.
3. Therefore, when the office is revised, these norms are to be observed:

a) By the venerable tradition of the universal Church, Lauds as morning prayer and Vespers as evening prayer are the two hinges on which the daily office turns; hence they are to be considered as the chief hours and are to be celebrated as such.

b) Compline is to be drawn up so that it will be a suitable prayer for the end of the day.

c) The hour known as Matins, although it should retain the character of nocturnal praise when celebrated in choir, shall be adapted so that it may be recited at any hour of the day; it shall be made up of fewer psalms and longer readings.

d) The hour of Prime is to be suppressed.

e) In choir the hours of Terce, Sext, and None are to be observed. But outside choir it will be lawful to select any one of these three, according to the respective time of the day.

1. The divine office, because it is the public prayer of the Church, is a source of piety, and nourishment for personal prayer. And therefore priests and all others who take part in the divine office are earnestly exhorted in the Lord to attune their minds to their voices when praying it. The better to achieve this, let them take steps to improve their understanding of the liturgy and of the bible, especially of the psalms.

In revising the Roman office, its ancient and venerable treasures are to be so adapted that all those to whom they are handed on may more extensively and easily draw profit from them.

1. So that it may really be possible in practice to observe the course of the hours proposed in Art. 89, the psalms are no longer to be distributed throughout one week, but through some longer period of time.

The work of revising the psalter, already happily begun, is to be finished as soon as possible, and is to take into account the style of Christian Latin, the liturgical use of psalms, also when sung, and the entire tradition of the Latin Church.

1. As regards the readings, the following shall be observed:

a) Readings from sacred scripture shall be arranged so that the riches of God’s word may be easily accessible in more abundant measure.

b) Readings excerpted from the works of the fathers, doctors, and ecclesiastical writers shall be better selected.

c) The accounts of martyrdom or the lives of the saints are to accord with the facts of history.

1. To whatever extent may seem desirable, the hymns are to be restored to their original form, and whatever smacks of mythology or ill accords with Christian piety is to be removed or changed. Also, as occasion may arise, let other selections from the treasury of hymns be incorporated.
2. That the day may be truly sanctified, and that the hours themselves may be recited with spiritual advantage, it is best that each of them be prayed at a time which most closely corresponds with its true canonical time.

/…/

1. Pastors of souls should see to it that the chief hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts. And the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually.*

vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html

 

[twf]

It is perhaps worth an excerpt of Sacrosanctum Concilium on the Liturgy of the Hours:

*84. By tradition going back to early Christian times, the divine office is devised so that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praises of God. Therefore, when this wonderful song of praise is rightly performed by priests and others who are deputed for this purpose by the Church’s ordinance, or by the faithful praying together with the priest in the approved form, then it is truly the voice of the bride addressed to her bridegroom; It is the very prayer which Christ Himself, together with His body, addresses to the Father.

1. Hence all who render this service are not only fulfilling a duty of the Church, but also are sharing in the greatest honor of Christ’s spouse, for by offering these praises to God they are standing before God’s throne in the name of the Church their Mother.

/…/

1. In order that the divine office may be better and more perfectly prayed in existing circumstances, whether by priests or by other members of the Church, the sacred Council, carrying further the restoration already so happily begun by the Apostolic See, has seen fit to decree as follows concerning the office of the Roman rite.
2. Because the purpose of the office is to sanctify the day, the traditional sequence of the hours is to be restored so that once again they may be genuinely related to the time of the day when they are prayed, as far as this may be possible. Moreover, it will be necessary to take into account the modern conditions in which daily life has to be lived, especially by those who are called to labor in apostolic works.
3. Therefore, when the office is revised, these norms are to be observed:

a) By the venerable tradition of the universal Church, Lauds as morning prayer and Vespers as evening prayer are the two hinges on which the daily office turns; hence they are to be considered as the chief hours and are to be celebrated as such.

b) Compline is to be drawn up so that it will be a suitable prayer for the end of the day.

c) The hour known as Matins, although it should retain the character of nocturnal praise when celebrated in choir, shall be adapted so that it may be recited at any hour of the day; it shall be made up of fewer psalms and longer readings.

d) The hour of Prime is to be suppressed.

e) In choir the hours of Terce, Sext, and None are to be observed. But outside choir it will be lawful to select any one of these three, according to the respective time of the day.

1. The divine office, because it is the public prayer of the Church, is a source of piety, and nourishment for personal prayer. And therefore priests and all others who take part in the divine office are earnestly exhorted in the Lord to attune their minds to their voices when praying it. The better to achieve this, let them take steps to improve their understanding of the liturgy and of the bible, especially of the psalms.

In revising the Roman office, its ancient and venerable treasures are to be so adapted that all those to whom they are handed on may more extensively and easily draw profit from them.

1. So that it may really be possible in practice to observe the course of the hours proposed in Art. 89, the psalms are no longer to be distributed throughout one week, but through some longer period of time.

The work of revising the psalter, already happily begun, is to be finished as soon as possible, and is to take into account the style of Christian Latin, the liturgical use of psalms, also when sung, and the entire tradition of the Latin Church.

1. As regards the readings, the following shall be observed:

a) Readings from sacred scripture shall be arranged so that the riches of God’s word may be easily accessible in more abundant measure.

b) Readings excerpted from the works of the fathers, doctors, and ecclesiastical writers shall be better selected.

c) The accounts of martyrdom or the lives of the saints are to accord with the facts of history.

1. To whatever extent may seem desirable, the hymns are to be restored to their original form, and whatever smacks of mythology or ill accords with Christian piety is to be removed or changed. Also, as occasion may arise, let other selections from the treasury of hymns be incorporated.
2. That the day may be truly sanctified, and that the hours themselves may be recited with spiritual advantage, it is best that each of them be prayed at a time which most closely corresponds with its true canonical time.

/…/

1. Pastors of souls should see to it that the chief hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts. And the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually.*

vatican.va/archive/hist_councils/ii_vatican_council/documents/vat-ii_const_19631204_sacrosanctum-concilium_en.html

Thank you Father. The revised Office has been, I think, a success in that it is prayed by a much wider subset of the faithful… But I fear most pastors have not succeeded in that last precept. How many parishes offer the public celebration of Sunday vespers? Cathedrals perhaps (ours does), but local parishes? It’s extremely rare in my experience. In my home parish the secretary confided to me that she tried to start the communal celebration of Lauds before daily mass and was told no by the pastor without explanation.

 

[OraLabora]

Thank you Father. The revised Office has been, I think, a success in that it is prayed by a much wider subset of the faithful… But I fear most pastors have not succeeded in that last precept. How many parishes offer the public celebration of Sunday vespers? Cathedrals perhaps (ours does), but local parishes? It’s extremely rare in my experience. In my home parish the secretary confided to me that she tried to start the communal celebration of Lauds before daily mass and was told no by the pastor without explanation.

In my parish, Lauds is celebrated on the weekdays without a Mass. Of course the Liturgy of the Hours is also celebrated in most religious communities, and in most, the laity are most welcome to attend. People often overlook that possibility. In Montreal for instance, there must be at least a half dozen places where the LOTH is celebrated daily, and where the laity are welcome. The much smaller city of Sherbrooke, pop. 150k, is the same. Besides the cathedral, I can think of at least one or two religious communities praying the Office, in addition to the nearby Benedictine abbey.

Religious communities make an important contribution, and I think it would be beneficial to the laity to be exposed to these various rich charisms. We shouldn’t rely on parishes for everything. The great beauty of the Catholic Church is that the distinct charisms coexist under the same umbrella, rather than having to found a new denomination to accommodate different spiritualities. It is through discovering this through the various communities with their particular charisms that one gains a greater appreciation for the built-in spiritual maturity of the Church that Christ founded.

 

[otjm]

Thank you Father. The revised Office has been, I think, a success in that it is prayed by a much wider subset of the faithful… But I fear most pastors have not succeeded in that last precept. How many parishes offer the public celebration of Sunday vespers? Cathedrals perhaps (ours does), but local parishes? It’s extremely rare in my experience. In my home parish the secretary confided to me that she tried to start the communal celebration of Lauds before daily mass and was told no by the pastor without explanation.

I don’t think fear has anything to do with it. Practical reality probably has more of an impact.

If you live in a city and have maybe an 8 to 10 block stroll to get to the church, then one might think that it should be a simple matter to offer the LOTH regularly.

As a practical matter, many do not live within walking distance of their church - I happen to have moved to within a 1 mile walk, but previously I lived about 5 miles away (suburban parish) and there simply is no practical way to get a large enough community gathered on a regular basis to say part of LOTH.

It would likely happen if enough people saying the LOTH were to desire to gather in community to do so; but that means having a regular schedule which is not interrupted/rearranged by daily/weekly/monthly family and/or other activities.

And I say this dearly wishing that I could say it in community; I was introduced to it in 1964 when I entered college seminary, and have missed it ever since leaving that in 1966.

 

[Don_Ruggero]

Thank you Father. The revised Office has been, I think, a success in that it is prayed by a much wider subset of the faithful… But I fear most pastors have not succeeded in that last precept. How many parishes offer the public celebration of Sunday vespers? Cathedrals perhaps (ours does), but local parishes? It’s extremely rare in my experience. In my home parish the secretary confided to me that she tried to start the communal celebration of Lauds before daily mass and was told no by the pastor without explanation.

The parishes where I have seen this most successfully implemented, frankly, are parishes where there are a group of oblates or of tertiaries and they organise and animate it. I have seen it done otherwise successfully in local parishes and I have been very pleased with what I have seen…but it is much harder, I find.

It is, however, not something that is without significant investment of effort and resource and requires a committed group. It is not intuitive to participate in the Liturgy of the Hours and most people do not have experience in doing so. Also, when it is “overdone”, I have found it is discouraging to some participants who may not sing well in small groups or without accompaniment.

Then there is the problem of integrating it successfully into the schedule. I can understand that there are groups who wish to pray together before or after Mass that find the rosary, for example, simply easier and requiring less effort to say than the Liturgy of the Hours.

When the Council Fathers mandated an overhaul to the liturgy, including the breviary, it really was not known exactly what the final product could look like – in making this provision, I think the Council Fathers may have been a bit hopeful of a more user friendly Office, frankly.

On the other hand, the places where this has best been achieved are where there are Religious who pray the office in community…this is the best place, in my experience, for the laity to assist at the Liturgy of the Hours, all else being equal.

 

[Deditus_Domina]

Hi y’all,

I know and have prayed the Christian Prayer from the post-conciliar LOTH, but did not really feel that into it or fulfilled with it. I wanted something more, if that makes sense. So I’m just looking for suggestions on a devotion or something that is similar but also won’t break the bank too much for me. And, one that can be prayed without spending too many hours in monastic seclusion.

There are many avenues for spiritually fulfilling prayer and if the LOTH really doesn’t work for you then of course seek something else. I have been praying the LOTH 5-7 times a day for about 3 years now and still don’t feel like I “know” the prayer. At first I found it dull and sometimes I still do. But more often now I find that it reflects and helps me through my days and often in new and surprising ways. It has become a friend and companion always the same and always new. It is the prayer of the church and there is a lot of joy, comfort and strength in that.

Sometimes I like something added on top of it and so I do pray the Little Office of the BVM (in Latin) on Saturdays and Marian feast days (schedule permitting). I also pray St. Francis’ Office of the Passion on many Fridays and during Lent.

 

[OraLabora]

There are many avenues for spiritually fulfilling prayer and if the LOTH really doesn’t work for you then of course seek something else. I have been praying the LOTH 5-7 times a day for about 3 years now and still don’t feel like I “know” the prayer. At first I found it dull and sometimes I still do. But more often now I find that it reflects and helps me through my days and often in new and surprising ways. It has become a friend and companion always the same and always new. It is the prayer of the church and there is a lot of joy, comfort and strength in that.

Sometimes I like something added on top of it and so I do pray the Little Office of the BVM (in Latin) on Saturdays and Marian feast days (schedule permitting). I also pray St. Francis’ Office of the Passion on many Fridays and during Lent.

As you found out the LOTH takes time to take root in our consciousness. I’ve been praying it in some form or another (either the 4-week, or a 1- or 2- week monastic version), for about 14-15 years now. But I’d say it’s in the last 5 or 6 years that it has really taken hold.

I lost my job back in 2014 and given that this was only 1-2 years sooner than I had originally planned to retire, I decided to take a year of reflection on whether to go back to work full time, part time, or retire. Those early days it was quite hard to figure out what came next. The structure that the LOTH provided to my days, and the soothing chanting of it (I’m a chorister so I do chant the Offices), really helped me through that period of uncertainty. Now 2 years later, my days are full of productive (if non-paying) activities for the Church, particularly for the oblates of my abbey and world-wide, and the choir and Gregorian chant in general. And the LOTH is still omnipresent in my life.

Yes there are still days where I have to drag myself to my little oratory to pray the Office. Oddly enough it’s on those days that I often get a special grace out of the Office… either a psalm that strikes a chord, or a chant that had given me grief that I manage to get right, or simply a sense of calm that overtakes the anxiety that had been troubling me. The LOTH works like water against a rock: it takes years to shape you, but if you let it, it will. Like you there are days something that I hadn’t noticed before will surprise me.

Whoever thought up this Office, had a brilliant idea; and the commission that designed the modern LOTH had an equally brilliant idea in making approchable by the laity.

 

[otjm]

As you found out the LOTH takes time to take root in our consciousness. I’ve been praying it in some form or another (either the 4-week, or a 1- or 2- week monastic version), for about 14-15 years now. But I’d say it’s in the last 5 or 6 years that it has really taken hold.

Yes there are still days where I have to drag myself to my little oratory to pray the Office. Oddly enough it’s on those days that I often get a special grace out of the Office… either a psalm that strikes a chord, or a chant that had given me grief that I manage to get right, or simply a sense of calm that overtakes the anxiety that had been troubling me. The LOTH works like water against a rock: it takes years to shape you, but if you let it, it will. Like you there are days something that I hadn’t noticed before will surprise me.

Whoever thought up this Office, had a brilliant idea; and the commission that designed the modern LOTH had an equally brilliant idea in making approchable by the laity.

From Landon 13: "So I’m a college student and have been trying to get more into a spiritual routine. I know and have prayed the Christian Prayer from the post-conciliar LOTH, but did not really feel that into it or fulfilled with it. I wanted something more, if that makes sense. "

I don’t want to beat up the OP, but the second quote, from him, needs to be compared to the quote from Ora Labora. The phrase “You can’t put an old head on young shoulder” comes to mind. It takes time to obtain wisdom, and there is much wisdom in the first quote. Learning the depths of something is not the same as memorizing it, nor is it gained by a few repetitions.

It may be that the LOTH will never fit Landon 13; and that is okay; the laity is not required to say the LOTH, but encouraged to do so.

However, reducing a judgement about it to whether or not one gets “feelings” from it misses the point significantly, just as it does in relation to the Mass, whether in the OF or the EF form.Many things take work, and not a few require a very large amount of work. and not infrequently, they require that old fashioned stuff - discipline, to stay at the task when the going is boring, or rough, or seems senseless.

Just ask anyone who has been married a few decades.

 

[OraLabora]

From Landon 13: "So I’m a college student and have been trying to get more into a spiritual routine. I know and have prayed the Christian Prayer from the post-conciliar LOTH, but did not really feel that into it or fulfilled with it. I wanted something more, if that makes sense. "

I don’t want to beat up the OP, but the second quote, from him, needs to be compared to the quote from Ora Labora. The phrase “You can’t put an old head on young shoulder” comes to mind. It takes time to obtain wisdom, and there is much wisdom in the first quote. Learning the depths of something is not the same as memorizing it, nor is it gained by a few repetitions.

It may be that the LOTH will never fit Landon 13; and that is okay; the laity is not required to say the LOTH, but encouraged to do so.

However, reducing a judgement about it to whether or not one gets “feelings” from it misses the point significantly, just as it does in relation to the Mass, whether in the OF or the EF form.Many things take work, and not a few require a very large amount of work. and not infrequently, they require that old fashioned stuff - discipline, to stay at the task when the going is boring, or rough, or seems senseless.

It seems only fair to point out that had it not been for my obligation as an oblate to pray at least part of the LOTH (we are recommended Lauds, Vespers and Compline), I’m not sure I would have persevered. I had a great role model for honouring one’s obligations in my late father. He was Anglican, and married my mother (Catholic) in 1955 with proper dispensation and a promise to raise the offspring as Catholics. He took his promise seriously enough that when my mother wasn’t feeling well and couldn’t take me to Mass (which was often), he took me, and ensured that the only time I set foot in an Anglican church was when my step-sister married in 1963 (he was a widower when he met my mother).

But now that the habit of the LOTH has taken hold, I doubt I could give it up. And in that habit, I discovered that many of the best-hidden treasures of the LOTH are in fact in the Office of Readings, which I pray as Vigils, early in the morning. It is at the same time Office, and Lectio Divina.

Just ask anyone who has been married a few decades.

Amen to that; it will be 28 years this August.

 

[Windmill]

Pray the LOTH throughout the day but pray the EF Compline. That’s what I find as the best balance of current and traditional.

 

[OraLabora]

Pray the LOTH throughout the day but pray the EF Compline. That’s what I find as the best balance of current and traditional.

It’s funny you mention that. I pray the LOTH all day but I pray monastic Compline (in the post-Vatican II form however).

That means:

• Psalms without antiphon and chanted “in directum”
• Psalms 4, 90 and 133 every day
• Hymn immediately after the psalmody and before the reading
• Short reading followed by versicle “Custodi nos”
• No responsory
• No Nunc Dimmittis
• Solemn Salve Regina (Sundays and solemnities) using the Monastic (Benedictine-the Cistercian is different) variant instead of the Roman.

Monks have been doing it that way for 1500 years, slightly longer than EF Compline which has only been around since 1910 and has substantially different psalmody except on Sundays

In fact, EF Compline is a very major break with tradition. Prior to Pius X, Compline in the Roman Rite had psalms 4, 30, 90 and 133 every day which is much closer to the monastic than EF Compline.

It still puzzles me why some folks think of the 1960 Breviary as “traditional”. It is no more so than the LOTH, with its own major breaks with tradition, of which Compline is but one.