As a consequence of our new ways of encountering “church” in this time of pandemic, many Catholics have been thinking about their own relationship with the church — not just the buildings, but the community, the sacraments, and the liturgies … which typically require a physical closeness that is nearly impossible right now.
For many of us, the experience of being separated from our usual patterns of prayer and worship may have been challenging both spiritually and emotionally. But it also presents an opportunity to experience some underappreciated aspects of church tradition.
One thing that readily comes to mind is a deepening of the appreciation and power of the word of God, which is in every sacramental experience. All too often as Catholics, the only scripture we read or hear is at Mass on Sunday. And the only time we pray the psalms is at that same Mass too. Later this week we can talk about praying with, and reflecting upon, scripture.
But for today’s pondering, is there another liturgy, another form of public prayer that we can indeed participate in? The answer is yes.
There is a richness of liturgical expression in prayers that both clergy and laity say each and every day … based on the readings and the psalms. It is called the “Liturgy of the Hours” (or sometimes the “Divine Office”) and is prayed by millions of Catholic men and women, clergy, religious and lay, across the world.
The Liturgy of the Hours, the Second Vatican Council tells us, is “our association with Christ in singing that eternal hymn of praise.” All of us are invited to pray the Liturgy of the Hours with each other, whether that happens to be alone in our rooms, with a small group before a daily mass, or with a larger monastic community.
It is called a liturgy because it is a public prayer of the Church, like Mass or the other Sacraments, which includes hymns, psalms, readings, and prayers according to the liturgical calendar. (The Church distinguishes liturgy, which is public prayer, from private devotions, like praying the rosary.)
The Liturgy of the Hours has a long history in the Catholic Church, and is based in the psalms. There are five “hours” during the day: Morning, Daytime, Evening, Night, and Office of Readings. (They do not actually take an hour to pray, each one can be about 15-20 minutes.) The Liturgy of the Hours also consists of a four-week cycle, and it has different prayers available for certain feast days. You do not have to pray all five “hours” – that is more usual for those living in monastic or cloistered communities. Most lay people will pray one per day – clergy usually pray two, the Morning and Evening hours.
The Liturgy of the Hours is first and foremost a prayer of praise as well as a prayer of intercession for the salvation of the whole world, for the needs of all the members of the Church and all the people in the world.
This prayer of praise is rooted in the psalms, which reflect the variety of moods of our life: happiness, anger, sadness, praise, gratitude… they speak to our experiences of life across hundreds of generations.
Anyone can pray the Liturgy of the Hours. If it sounds a little complicated, that’s okay. There is a great app, iBreviary, which offers a user-friendly approach to praying it, and which you can download to your smart phone or tablet. You can also find a number of online versions available by searching for breviary online in your browser. You can even buy a one-volume (or 4 volume) editions online as well if you like to hold books when you read or pray! And if you have questions on how to pray it, just contact me at the email address on our parish website.
You will also find that a number of churches, monasteries, convents and Catholic organizations live-stream the liturgy of the hours, often sung in chant.
So, one of the hidden gems of our tradition that We can discover during this time, and perhaps integrate into our own personal “next normal” is the Liturgy of the Hours. It is an opportunity to explore other ways of joining with the larger Church as it gives praise to God.