With the re-configurations and re-alignments within Christianity during the last years of the twentieth century, however, there came an increasing push on the part of many Christians from within every sectarian division of the faith to return to the liturgy, or work, of being Church on earth. With the addition of evening prayers and early prayers upon arising, the structure of fixed-hour prayer was established in a form that is very close to that which Christians still use today.įixed-hour prayer is also commonly referred to as “the divine offices” or “the liturgy of the hours,” and from the time of the Reformation until very recently was held almost exclusively as a part of Orthodox, Roman Catholic, and Anglican Christian practice. Forum bells began the work day at six in the morning (prime, or first hour), sounded mid-morning break at nine (terce, or third hour), the noon meal and siesta or break at twelve (sext, or sixth hour), the re-commencing of trade at three (none, or ninth hour), and the close of business at six (vespers). By the turn of the era, however, the devout had come to punctuate their work day with prayers on a regimen that followed the flow of Roman commercial life. We do not know the hours that were appointed in the Psalmist’s time for those prayers. When the Psalmist says, “Seven times a day do I praise You,” he is referring to fixed-hour prayer as it existed in ancient Judaism. It is designed for the everyday lay person who wants to deepen their prayer life by immersing themselves in the Psalms.Fixed-hour prayer is the oldest form of Christian spiritual discipline and has its roots in the Judaism out of which Christianity came. There are other publications of the Divine Office, including digital versions, but for the purposes of this article we will only cover the most common one.Ĭhristian Prayer contains: Morning, Evening and Night Prayer, with an abbreviated section for the Office of Readings and Daytime Prayer. Today, we will give you a step-by-step guide through the most common prayer book lay people can pick up to pray the principal hours of the divine office: Christian Prayer. However, after an initial introduction to praying the Liturgy of the Hours, it becomes much easier and soon it will be like clockwork. If one chooses to purchase a physical breviary (the book that contains the Liturgy of the Hours) it can be challenging especially if no one is there to show you what to do. The foundation of the prayer is simple, praying the Psalms, but in practicality can be quite difficult. Read more: What is the Liturgy of the Hours? The Second Vatican Council highly encouraged the laity to “recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually” ( Sacrosanctum Concilium, 100). The Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office, is a beautiful and ancient tradition in the Church that is not reserved for priests and religious, but can also be prayed by the lay faithful. Want to pray the Divine Office? Here is a step-by-step guide for those starting out.
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