Liturgy Of The Hours

[Lil Red]

[quote name='EWIE' post='1486797' date='Mar 28 2008, 11:26 AM'][quote name='Lil Red' post='1486787' date='Mar 28 2008, 12:18 PM']
+J.M.J.+
get a st. joseph's guide at[/quote]

NO beginner should attempt the entire Office, St. Josephs guide or not.
Would you eat an entire cake if offered.
I think one would prefer just a small piece at first.

Of course, I was presuming "beginner" judging from the posters message.
[/quote]
+J.M.J.+
it is helpful though, even if you want to start by saying one of the hours. that's how i started as a beginner. they even have guides for the shorter christian prayer too. just trying to be of help.

it depends on the person, too. i'm a "all in at once" kinda person.

[Lil Red]

+J.M.J.+
[quote name='ambrose' post='1487267' date='Mar 28 2008, 08:11 PM']hate to say this, but yes, I probably would eat the entire cake! haha

LOTH-wise though, there's a very user-friendly version "Glenstal Book of Prayer" . It has Morning, Noon and Evening Prayers for each day of the week based on the Glenstal Benedictine Monk prayers. Clearly set out, there's no fussing around with ribbons or multiple books. Some might find it LOTH-'lite', I would argue that depends on the soul of one praying.
[url="http://www.amazon.com/Glenstal-Book-Prayer-Benedictine/dp/0814627676/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1206756408&sr=8-1"]Here's the book on amazon[/url]. My own version is very coffee-stained and dog-eared, perhaps not such a bad sign for a prayer book![/quote]oh, how neat! never heard of it.


[quote name='Mari Therese' post='1487302' date='Mar 28 2008, 09:07 PM']I pray the the morning and evening prayer of the Office. I was extremely confused by the Office when I would pray it with some of the sisters that I visit. I asked God, that if he wanted me to learn how to pray it, then He would have to supply me with a brievary and someone to teach me. One weekend at a youth conference, one of the seminarians taught me the prayers and my friend bought me a brand new brievary. Twas kewl to say in the least:)[/quote] God's good, huh?

[Guest Perpetualove]

I often print it off the internet.

[praying4carmel]

I am Just thirilled with the stats, as I checked this thread this Morning..!

[cmotherofpirl]

I think after a couple of weeks anyone can pray the Offices easily, if you get stuck refer to Universailis. If you are discerning a vocation it is an excellent habit to start. It grounds you into the daily life of the Church, knowing that somewhere in the world, someone else is joining you uplifted in prayer.

My ribbons fell apart years ago so I use big religious book marks. I pasted my prayers cards on all the Office pages that I don't use since I kept dropping them all. I used the Saint section to mark anniversarys in so that people who have gone on get prayed for at least yearly.

[EWIE]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' date='Mar 29 2008, 03:09 PM' post='1487932']
I think after a couple of weeks anyone can pray the Offices easily,

Perhaps we need to clarify if we are talking about praying the office in a group or privately and if we are referring to the one volume "Christian Prayer", or the full four volume Liturgy of the hours. It makes an immense difference, to know where to bow, for instance, when to linger in a silence, how to keep the rythmn of the chant, etc. etc. etc.

[cmotherofpirl]

Most phatmassers have busy lives and do it privately or in small groups.

[EWIE]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' date='Mar 29 2008, 03:51 PM' post='1487984']
Most phatmassers have busy lives and do it privately or in small groups.

Thank you for the clarification.
The second question was: are we talking about the one volume "Christian Prayer" or the full four volume Liturgy of the hours.?
Thank you.

[Lil Red]

+J.M.J.+

i started with christian prayer and then my priest got me the four volume

[Guest Kayla]

I do now, as directed by my spiritual director. At one point I had stopped, and I was lightly admonished by him, with him saying, "You should always pray the LOTH when you can. It's the prayer of the Church. And there many, many people who want and would pray the Hours, but can't. If nothing else, pray it for them."

I pray Morning and Evening prayer; sometimes Night Prayer. It is what centers my prayer life. My s/d once told me that all prayer leads from the LOTH. It's good stuff.

[Guest misereremei]

I wasn't sure how to answer, since I usually pray some, but not all, of the Office. I've been using the current English 4-volume LOH, but I'm learning to chant the Office in Latin and may switch to one of the older breviaries.

[johnnydigit]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1486573' date='Mar 28 2008, 07:39 AM']If not, why not?[/quote]

too expensive. i've asked around for extras with no luck.. so far i just have the green one. when i visit a big order again i'll ask a superior for the rest. in the meantime i'm thinking of picking up the Shorter Christian Prayer as it's much cheaper and easier to use.

also in the meantime i'm reading the lives of the Saints and Confessions. other than that there's daily Mass, Rosary, and whatever young adult functions i go to. it makes for a pretty full day, although i would like to learn the full Office eventually..

kudos to you guys who do though. btw, has anyone actually ever seen a diocesan priest reading the Liturgy of the Hours? not here..

because of this thread i just made my homepage universalis.com

[Nunsense]

[quote name='johnnydigit' post='1491645' date='Apr 2 2008, 09:12 PM']kudos to you guys who do though. btw, has anyone actually ever seen a diocesan priest reading the Liturgy of the Hours? not here.. [/quote]

The convent's Chaplain in England used to read the hours on his own, but he loved coming to Vespers with us - he said it was so much nicer than doing it on his own, and it made him more regular about time as well. He said that sometimes he was so tired at night that instead of Compline, he would just say an Our Father, Hail Mary and Glory Be and then some prayers to Jesus. He wasn't a Diocesan priest though - he was a religious (Apostles of Jesus).

I used to use the Shorter Christian prayer before entering Carmel because I couldn't make head nor tail out of the 3 volume Divine Office set that I bought in Singapore (because this was the version used in England). I didn't know what the Proper and the Common were or how to use them either. After learning how to recite the Office however, I fell in luv with it, now say it every day on my own. I miss singing Lauds and Vespers with the sisters since I can't really sing very well on my own. I do chant these two offices, and a little bit of Compline (especially the canticle) but on the whole I just read it. I sometimes say the Little Hours together if I can't recite them at the proper times.

I don't know what the complete set costs in the US but in Singapore I paid about $200 US for it.

Edited April 3, 2008 by nunsense

[puellapaschalis]

To those who find it hard to figure out the [i]how[/i] - get ahold of a seminarian or deacon and bother them until they agree to show you. They'll positively cuddle with my weeble and wub being able to teach you!

I was taught by a deacon at my (then) parish - he saw me sitting in the back of church flipping through it and practically ordered me into the Sacristy where everything was explained. Ok, I'm probably someone who picks up something like that with greater ease than the most, but seriously - get someone to help you. It's what being Church is all about. And in any event, even though so many of us (struggle to) pray it alone, it's [i]meant[/i] to be prayed in common...so we should have absolutely no hesitation about asking for help with it.

[Guest Kayla]

[quote name='johnnydigit' post='1491645' date='Apr 2 2008, 09:12 PM']kudos to you guys who do though. btw, has anyone actually ever seen a diocesan priest reading the Liturgy of the Hours? not here.. [/quote]

My parish priest back at home does. As do all of the priests here on campus. I thought they were required to pray at least part of the LOTH?

[Guest misereremei]

I am lucky that a lot of laypeople in my parish pray the Office so there are plenty of people I could ask if I got stuck. But between all the information available online, the information that comes with the breviary, and a copy of the current Ordo from my Archdiocese, I didn't find navigating the Hours difficult at all after a few days. I did meet with my priest to go over it, but by that point I already had the hang of it. So, I'd say don't be scared to jump right in!

[Chiquitunga]

[quote name='Kayla' post='1491850' date='Apr 3 2008, 09:30 AM']My parish priest back at home does. As do all of the priests here on campus. I thought they were required to pray at least part of the LOTH?[/quote]
Yes, diocesan priests are required to pray it: Matins, Lauds, Vespers, Compline, I believe, and one of the Little Hours during the day (Terce, Sext, or None) Then permanent deacons are required to pray Lauds and Vespers.

Does anyone know, are there any partial or plenary indulgences that can be gained by praying the Divine Office (with the other necessary conditions for the plenary indulgence)? I believe there was a plenary indulgence for the Year of the Eucharist, but I'm not sure what there are now. Thanks!

[Thomist-in-Training]

[quote]QUOTE(cmotherofpirl @ Mar 28 2008, 07:39 AM)
If not, why not?[/quote]

1. I don't have it.
2. I don't think I have time. I barely manage the Rosary. Sad; this is a particularly challenging semester for me, class-wise.
3. No one has told me I ought.
4. I feel that the new English translations are emasculated, but I don't know what book or version is used by EF communities--whatever it is, that's what I would use if I had it. (They use Latin of course.)

I do have Baronius' Little Office, though, and though it has an array of typos I can usually tell when something is a typo and say it right. That I say sometimes, but usually not more than one Hour in a day. I would LIKE to pray the breviary and get to know the Psalms, but for the reasons I mentioned I do not right now.

[Chiquitunga]

Hi, just thought I'd ask again. I still haven't found anything on this. I think I might inquire into one of the apologists at Catholic Answers, like Jimmy Akin or someone.

Actually my question here has two parts. First:
[quote name='Margaret Clare' post='1492048' date='Apr 3 2008, 03:24 PM']Does anyone know, are there any partial or plenary indulgences that can be gained by praying the Divine Office (with the other necessary conditions for the plenary indulgence)?

I believe there was a plenary indulgence for the Year of the Eucharist, but I'm not sure what there are now. Thanks![/quote]
And secondly, if there is a plenary or partial indulgence attached to praying the Office, would praying the revised Office in Latin also gain this indulgence?

I ask this as I recently spoke with a wonderful community of nuns who used to pray the revised Office in Latin with Gregorian Chant, but said one of the reasons they switched over to English was because they said they learned something like - the indulgence for praying the Office requires that you understand what you have prayed.

Something about that didn't sound right to me though , and I thought I would like to research this & get a clear answer for this community, which is still very traditional and really loves the Liturgy in Latin actually. And I do think there are a lot of good things about praying the Office in English, but there is something so timeless and beautiful about the chanting the Psalms in Latin, etc. So anyway, any help here would be appreciated. God bless!

Edited April 4, 2008 by Margaret Clare

[LouisvilleFan]

I don't pray of Office on a regular basis. I've always been sporadic with it, like a lot of things in life (both religious and secular). I'm lazy and undisciplined and praying the Office and rosary or simply praying at all (i.e. for family and friends) often feel like so much work because it's such a struggle against my selfish will and trying to do the "right" thing when I don't really want to. At other times, all I want to do is pray and praise God, read Scripture, and get all holy'd up! And I seem too restless to settle at a healthy balance somewhere in between.

Taking it one step at a time is probably the real key: begin with small commitments and work up to larger ones as the discipline and sincere desire grow.

Edited April 7, 2008 by LouisvilleFan