Liturgical Prayer Questions

[Marie-Therese]

Hello all...


I am curious about those of you who have integrated daily liturgical prayer into your schedule, and which you choose to attempt. Right now, I am doing Lauds and Vespers from the Divine Office and Sext (noon) and Compline from the Little Office of BVM.

Here's my dilemma. I abhor the NAB translations used in the Breviary. I try my best to forget about it in terms of Mass, because the Mass is like heaven to me, I'd live in my parish church if I could. I feel like a team of horses has to drag me out the door away from the Tabernacle. I have tremendous devotion to the Holy Mother, and I love using the Little Office as a way to honor her and as a fulfillment of the Brown Scapular obligation.

I have considered using solely the Little Office as my daily liturgical offering; however, a part of me feels that I would not be totally participating in the prayer of the Church. I want to be as faithful to Holy Church as I can and to live in communion with Her, but I feel a little disconnected from the common Breviary due to this abominable translation. I lean a little trad, but I participate happily, fully and unreservedly in the NO. The older translation used in the Little Office, alongside the Latin (I refer to the edition from Baronius Press, 2008) appeals to me because it seems so much more reverent in its treatment.

After all that, I suppose I'm curious...how do you guys pray the liturgy? Any other Little Office-ers? Thoughts/suggestions? I'd love to hear your ideas.

Pax Christi!

[cmotherofpirl]

[url="http://universalis.com/-400/today.htm"]http://universalis.com/-400/today.htm[/url]

Whichever ones I can.

[johnnydigit]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1851717' date='Apr 28 2009, 08:03 PM'][url="http://universalis.com/-400/today.htm"]http://universalis.com/-400/today.htm[/url]

Whichever ones I can.[/quote]

same here. i started with the Shorter Christian Prayer, then stepped up to the Short Christian Prayer (1volume). now i just have my homepage set to universalis and read the Saint and 3 readings whenever i start up the computer. i'll be obligated to read the 4volume soon enough

[Innocent]

I say the Lauds, Vespers and Compline from the one volume edition titled "Everyday Prayer from the Divine Office."

It has Scripture passages & canticles from the RSV and uses the Grail Translation of the Psalms, I believe.


One breviary enthusiast has described this book [url="http://dominexaudinos.blogspot.com/2007/10/everyday-prayer.html"]here[/url].

But when I looked inside I found that it has been approved for use only in the UK and in some Commonwealth Countries. I'm not sure if you can pray the Hours with this in Alabama and participate in the liturgical prayer of the Church.

[AccountDeleted]

[quote name='Innocent' post='1852161' date='Apr 29 2009, 08:29 AM']I say the Lauds, Vespers and Compline from the one volume edition titled "Everyday Prayer from the Divine Office."

It has Scripture passages & canticles from the RSV and uses the Grail Translation of the Psalms, I believe.


One breviary enthusiast has described this book [url="http://dominexaudinos.blogspot.com/2007/10/everyday-prayer.html"]here[/url].

But when I looked inside I found that it has been approved for use only in the UK and in some Commonwealth Countries. I'm not sure if you can pray the Hours with this in Alabama and participate in the liturgical prayer of the Church.[/quote]

I must admit that I don't know the official rules for this, but I am assuming that "approved for use only in the UK" applies to recitation in common, rather than alone.

When I went to Canada, where the US LOH is usually used, the Carmel in Edmonton was using the UK Breviary because they had originally been in Macau, where this is in use. After moving to Canada, they just kept using the UK Breviary instead of changing to the US LOH. A cardinal came to stay with us briefly, and he didn't seem to have any problem with us using the UK one.

I would say that recitation in private is probably a matter of choice, but am willing to be corrected on this point. I live in the US, but I always use the English Breviary because that is what I have, and what I learned when in Carmel, and what I love. I am very happy to be going back to the UK, because I do love their Breviary!

Edited April 29, 2009 by nunsense

[trustandgratitude]

I have to admitt that I'm having a hard time with the Roman Office after being expossed to the Benedictine Monastic Office but I can't seem to find any Benedictine office that is the same.

[Marie-Therese]

Thanks for the thoughts, guys...I will look at some of the international breviary versions also.

Anyone else here who uses the Little Office at all?

[CatholicCid]

[quote name='cmotherofpirl' post='1851717' date='Apr 28 2009, 10:03 PM'][url="http://universalis.com/-400/today.htm"]http://universalis.com/-400/today.htm[/url]

Whichever ones I can.[/quote]

The Office... online... free...




Thanks for the site!

And I've been praying Lauds and Vespers, but I think I'll start adding in the readings now. I really dig the structure as well. I'm normally not to good with keeping schedules, but this has added some rigor to my day and helps keep me on task.

Edited April 30, 2009 by CatholicCid

[Thomist-in-Training]

[quote name='Marie-Therese' post='1851617' date='Apr 28 2009, 07:55 PM']Hello all...


I am curious about those of you who have integrated daily liturgical prayer into your schedule, and which you choose to attempt. Right now, I am doing Lauds and Vespers from the Divine Office and Sext (noon) and Compline from the Little Office of BVM.

Here's my dilemma. I abhor the NAB translations used in the Breviary. I try my best to forget about it in terms of Mass, because the Mass is like heaven to me, I'd live in my parish church if I could. I feel like a team of horses has to drag me out the door away from the Tabernacle. I have tremendous devotion to the Holy Mother, and I love using the Little Office as a way to honor her and as a fulfillment of the Brown Scapular obligation.

I have considered using solely the Little Office as my daily liturgical offering; however, a part of me feels that I would not be totally participating in the prayer of the Church. I want to be as faithful to Holy Church as I can and to live in communion with Her, but I feel a little disconnected from the common Breviary due to this abominable translation. I lean a little trad, but I participate happily, fully and unreservedly in the NO. The older translation used in the Little Office, alongside the Latin (I refer to the edition from Baronius Press, 2008) appeals to me because it seems so much more reverent in its treatment.

After all that, I suppose I'm curious...how do you guys pray the liturgy? Any other Little Office-ers? Thoughts/suggestions? I'd love to hear your ideas.

Pax Christi![/quote]

I know how you feel! I've never felt that I ought to pray the Divine Office and when I think about why, sometimes I think it is because of the banality of the NAB versions that are the easiest ones to get here in the US. A friend of mine is a Benedictine Oblate with the Benedictines of Norcia, Italy and uses this book (The Monastic Diurnal Eng/Latin 1963, old-style Eng):
[url="http://www.farnboroughabbey.org/press/dirunal.php"]http://www.farnboroughabbey.org/press/dirunal.php[/url].
It's listed as 35 pounds though, which seems to be maybe $50 or so plus shipping.

As for online breviaries, there is this also, the 1962 in English and Latin for each day (only a month is available at a time, not the whole year):

[url="http://www.breviary.net/ordinary/ordin5.htm"]http://www.breviary.net/ordinary/ordin5.htm[/url]

You have to click on several things though back and forth, which may be bothersome. The formatting is beautifully done though.

Myself I pray the Rosary and occasionally parts of the Little Office. Sometimes I pray Compline with friends. When I'm a nun I'll pray the Office in the vernacular until (not if, until!) we have it in Latin. If I had something like the Monastic Diurnal, I [i]might [/i]pray the Office more often now, but I wouldn't swear to it.

*edit: exchange rate

Edited April 30, 2009 by Thomist-in-Training

[Resurrexi]

You can always pray it in Latin

[Aloysius]

unless you're really proficient in Latin, I wouldn't recommend that until Baronius's Latin-English Breviary finally comes out: [url="http://www.baroniuspress.com/index.php?wid=12"]http://www.baroniuspress.com/index.php?wid=12[/url]

of course, that'd be the old Roman Breviary, but it's the only Latin-English version I'm aware of being offered anywhere, old or new. don't pray the office in Latin without knowing what you're praying though... I'd recommend against that, in general... it can be good to go somewhere where it's done in Latin and participate there even if you don't fully understand it, but privately it'd run too much of a risk of a vain mantra mentality...

[Marie-Therese]

Thomist...thanks for the links!

Aloysius...I definitely agree about the mantra thing. My edition of the Little Office has side by side English and Latin and I have attempted in Latin a few times, but my proficiency in Latin qualifies as elementary. I can read through it OK but I am self-taught and my pronunciation is laughable. I was curious to see the Baronius breviary when it is released but it is the old rite version...I try not to be scrupulous about the particulars (i.e. NO vs TLM), my primary concern is to maintain fidelity to the spirit of liturgical prayer, and to do so in a manner which submits to the permission of the Holy See.

Resurrexi...that would be my dream. Can you recommend some resources for the self-taught to study as far as picking up the Latin? I'm a quick learner and can get the gist of things when I look at side-by-side texts, but that does not help me as far as pronunciation or conjugation issues.

Thanks guys!

[Resurrexi]

[quote name='Marie-Therese' post='1853795' date='Apr 30 2009, 09:34 PM']Resurrexi...that would be my dream. Can you recommend some resources for the self-taught to study as far as picking up the Latin? I'm a quick learner and can get the gist of things when I look at side-by-side texts, but that does not help me as far as pronunciation or conjugation issues.

Thanks guys![/quote]

I'd recommend both Wheelock's (the standard text for Latin in the United States) and the Primer of Ecclesiastical Latin (which probably would be better if you're learning Latin just for church Latin and aren't interested in reading Virgil or Caesar)

Edited May 1, 2009 by Resurrexi