Posted on 05/21/2002 11:17:31 AM PDT by Askel5
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LITURGY OF THE HOURS IN OUR LIVES OF PRAYER |
| Most Rev. Elden Curtiss Archbishop of Omaha, Nebraska |
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| Some months ago several of our priests shared with me the problems they are having being faithful to the daily recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours. Busy schedules and lack of quality time are factors, as well as the casual way some of our priests seem to approach the obligation. We discussed national reports which indicate that some priests have discontinued saying the Office completely. We are aware that some seminaries did not prepare their students adequately regarding the purpose and obligation of the daily celebration of the Hours. This conversation led me to some prayerful reflections about the Liturgy of the Hours and some personal soul-searching about its role in my own life. On this special day for priests, as we celebrate the anniversary of our priesthood in Jesus by which we have become co-intercessors with him in the work of salvation, I would like to share with you some conclusions I have drawn about the role of the Liturgy of the Hours in our lives as priests. The problem for some priests For some of us, despite the obligation that is ours, the time constraints of trying to complete the entire Office each day is problematic. Either we are inclined to read the Psalms quickly without reflection, or we tend to skip various hours during the day. This can make the Office a burden for us rather than an opportunity for genuine prayer. We find it difficult to be caught up in the rhythm of prayer pulsating throughout the whole Church when we are rushing to fulfil an obligation. If the celebration of the Hours becomes rote for us, it is no longer an opportunity for personal prayer but only a burdensome task which is easily discarded. It is important in the long run that we establish a routine for praying the Office, but it must be a time of real prayer if we are going to be faithful day after day for a lifetime. Most of us abhor boredom. When the repetitive nature of the Psalter begins to cause ennui in us, we have to sense once again the rhythm of prayer pulsating in the Body of Christ, the Church. Our regular heart beat, our regular pattern of breathing, our regular schedule of eating and exercising - these regularities are the basis of our continued life and physical health. Irregularity in any of these activities signals problems. And it is the same for our spiritual lives as well. The regular patterns of prayer each day, especially the Divine Office for us priests, is the basis for our spiritual health. Irregularity signals problems. It is not repetition which causes boredom for us, but only repetition disconnected from its purpose and end. Recapturing a Spirit of Prayer What I have discovered over the years, as I have gradually learned to take time to pray the Hours and not just read words, are the insights and inspirations which the Lord gives me each day. I have learned that the time I spend with the Office is more important than many other things I do during the day. When I find myself rushing through the Psalms and Canticles and readings, I deliberately slow down and savor what I am reading and praying. I may not complete as much of the Office as I intended at any one time, but it has been a fruitful period of prayer for me, and for the whole Church that I joined in this universal liturgy. The Psalms constitute the major portion of the Hours. They are the actual prayers of the psalmist to God which we make our own. Jesus did the same thing every day as a devout Jew. No matter how involved he was in his public ministry, and despite the urgency of trying to accomplish so much in such a short time, Jesus made time every day to pray alone and to pray the Liturgy of the Hours (the Psalms, Canticles and reading from the Old Testament) prescribed for observant Jews, both in the Temple and in the synagogues of his country. St Augustine reminds us that, in the Psalter, Jesus continues to sing and pray every day in us. Morning and evening prayer are the two hinges on which the Liturgy of the Hours turns. The whole Church prays together to acknowledge the Creator and his mighty works every morning and evening. Together we recall the Incarnation of the Son and the salvation that is ours through him. As priests, we should want to take part in this prayer of the Church, just as we take part in her daily Eucharistic liturgy. The Liturgy of the Hours and the celebration of the Eucharist are meant to be anchors for our lives of faith and prayer as priests. When we read and reflect on the Office of Readings each day; we open ourselves to a cycle of Scripture readings for the year; we are able to be enlightened and inspired by the Fathers of the Church and other sacred writers; and we are reminded of the teachings of Vatican II and the other councils of the Church in our long tradition. These readings become for us, rather than just an obligation, a chance to fulfil our own need to be grounded in God's revelation to us through the lived experience of the Church (Tradition) and our written tradition in the Scriptures. The obligation of priests to celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours daily The obligation for priests to celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours daily is clear in official Church documents which I will list below. Our response to this obligation depends on our understanding and acceptance of magisterial authority versus our own authority and the level of our solidarity with the Church and her Tradition. The concept of obligation, especially when it binds us morally, receives mixed reactions today. Some negativity is baggage from the past when every infraction was considered seriously sinful, and some is the result of modern self-determination. Most of us have heard pre-Vatican stories about priests who were so concerned about the "obligation" of saying the full Office each day that they would pull off the road at 11:45 p.m. to finish it before midnight with the aid of their cars' headlights. If this really happened, it was a caricature of what the Church demanded of her priests at that time. But the stories do show the importance of the Opus Dei (the work of God) to which nothing else should be preferred. In these post-Vatican II days, on the other hand, some priests reject the notion of obligation being attached to the Office. Prayer should be voluntary to be fruitful, they maintain, not forced on them under pain of sin. Granted that people ought to do things because they want to do them or because they like to do them, but many things in life are not wanted or liked but still they have to be done. A mother awakened from sound sleep by the cries of her baby may not want to get out of her warm bed in the middle of a cold night but she does so because of her love for her baby. Love always makes obligation bearable and even rewarding. In our role as co-intercessors with Christ on behalf of his people, we priests have accepted the obligation to celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours daily. The Church holds us to this obligation out of love for us and for the people we serve. Official Church documents regarding the Office The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy (Sacrosanctum concilium) states, in n. 96, that clerics in major orders, but not bound to office in choir, "are bound to pray the entire Office every day, either in common or individually...". The Liturgy of the Hours is not private or individual prayer. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy nn. 84-85 states: "it is the very prayer which Christ himself together with his Body addresses to the Father (n. 85). Hence all who take part in the Divine Office are not only performing a duty for the Church, they are also sharing in what is the greatest honour for Christ's Bride; for by offering these praises to God they are standing before God's throne in the name of the Church, their mother". The General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours, n. 28, points out that: "The Liturgy of the Hours is entrusted to sacred ministers in a special way so that it is to be recited by each of them - with the necessary adaptations - even when the people are not present. The Church deputes them to say the Liturgy of the Hours in order that at least through them the duty of the whole community may be constantly and continuously fulfilled and the prayer of Christ may persevere unceasingly in the Church". The General Instruction, n. 20, reminds us: "The Liturgy of the Hours, like the other liturgical services, is not a private function, but pertains to the whole body of the Church. It manifests the Church and has an effect upon it. Its ecclesial celebration is best seen and especially recommended when it is performed ... by the local Church". The Liturgy of the Hours has an express purpose in the life of the Church. The General Instruction, n. 11 states: "Compared with other liturgical actions, the particular characteristic which ancient tradition has attached to the Liturgy of the Hours is that it should consecrate the course of day and night". The Liturgy of the Hours has a proper relationship to the Eucharist. The General Instruction, n. 12, teaches us: "The Liturgy of the Hours extends to the different hours of the day the praise and prayer, the memorial of the mysteries of salvation and the foretaste of heavenly glory, which are offered us in the Eucharistic mystery, 'the centre and culmination of the whole life of the Christian community'". The Liturgy of the Hours shapes and forms those who pray it into the People of God. Again, The General Instruction notes in n. 14: "The sanctification of man and the worship of God are achieved in the Liturgy of the Hours by the setting up of a dialogue between God and man.... The saving Word of God has great importance in the Liturgy of the Hours, and may be of enormous spiritual benefit for those taking part". In n. 18: "Whoever participates in the Liturgy of the Hours makes the Lord's people grow by imparting to them a hidden apostolic fruitfulness", and in n. 19: "Those taking part in this prayer should make it their own so that it becomes a source of devotion, abundant grace and nourishment for personal prayer and apostolic activity. In praying it worthily, attentively and with devotion, they must attune their minds to their voices". In n. 29 we read: "Bishops and priests, therefore, and other sacred ministers, who have received from the Church the mandate to celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours, are to recite the whole sequence of Hours each day, preserving as far as possible the genuine relationship of the Hours to the time of day. They are to give due importance to the Hours which are the two hinges on which this Liturgy turns, that is, Lauds as morning prayer and Vespers; let them take care not to omit these hours, unless for a serious reason. They are also to carry out faithfully the Office of Readings, which is above all the liturgical celebration of the Word of God. Thus, they will carry out daily that duty of welcoming into themselves the Word of God. That the day may be completely sanctified, they will desire to recite the middle Hour and Compline, thus commending themselves to God and completing the entire Opus Dei before going to bed". The 1983 Code of Canon Law, in canon 276, §2 spells out various means by which the cleric pursues holiness. In sub-point 3, the canon notes that "priests as well as deacons aspiring to the priesthood are obliged to fulfil the Liturgy of the Hours daily in accordance with the proper and approved liturgical books". This wording is declarative, obligatory. Conclusion The Church expects all of us priests to pray the Liturgy of the Hours every day (except for serious reasons which prevent us from doing so) in order to strengthen our solidarity with the whole Church and to pray for the needs of the Church everywhere and in our own Archdiocese. The prayer of the Church and our own contemplative prayer each day help us stay focused spiritually. When we pray the Liturgy of the Hours daily, we are nourished by the same spiritual fare as all the other priests throughout the world who are praying with us. This strengthens the bonds of fraternal communion and our solidarity as priests. I encourage you to pray the Hours with fellow priests as often as you can, to reinforce your commitment to the Divine Office, and to share together the message the Lord is directing to you through this sacred liturgy. If you are struggling with the daily recitation of the Office, or say it only intermittently, or have given up on it, I hope this letter will encourage you to address the issue with your confessor or spiritual director. I am willing to discuss this matter with you personally and work out a process with you to help you gradually make the Liturgy of the Hours an opportunity of genuine prayer in your life. I think our daily participation in the Liturgy of the Hours can become a source of encouragement and consolation for us if we take the time to reflect on what we read, and to pray in union with the whole Church. It is not so difficult to be faithful to this sacred burden every day when we come to realize that we bear it with the Lord for his people. This gift of fidelity will be my prayer for you this Holy Thursday as we renew once again our identification with the priesthood of Christ and to our commitment to be co-intercessors with him in the work of salvation. |
| Taken from: L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English 5 August 1998, 6 L'Osservatore Romano is the newspaper of the Holy See. The Cathedral Foundation |
Some months ago several of our priests shared with me the problems they are having being faithful to the daily recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours.
I'm sure disciplines such as this will be deemed passe once celibacy goes by the wayside -- per "the people's will" -- and priests are balancing Work and Home.
I'm going to show my ignorance here. I have of course heard of the Liturgy of the Hours, but I don't quite understand exactly what it is. I gathered from the Bishop's writing that it's reading from specific books in the OT, and praying on them, but could you give me an example of what a Priest may do one day for this?
Thanks, and God bless.
Askel5,
We more than often agree (Your faithfulness to Mother Church is not in question and always laudable). But on this one issue I must take exception. You know from other threads that I am shortly to be ordained a Deacon. I am also married; 29 years. For the last decade I've been reciting the Office every day. My routine is...
...arrive at church 45 min. before daily mass.. pray and do office of readings.
...Mass at 7:00 am followed by morning prayer with wife and community.
...Evening prayer after dinner at home with my wife. If I have time at lunch, I will also do noon prayer.
It's not a matter of celibacy, it's a matter of priority!
I also hold a full time job and have a prison ministry and teach RCIA and Bible Study. I share the rest of my time between my family and my faith community. My pastor does the same and more because he is full time at his vocation.
The problem today is that too many of our bishops, priests and deacons have their priorities messed up and consequently direct more and more time to things that don't promote their vocation. I see it as a "condition of the heart" rather than one's "state in life".
Reading the time commitment required, I have a new and better appreciation for everything our priests do for us and for God.
God bless.
I have a new and better appreciation for everything our priests are obliged to do for us and for God. Unfortunately, many do not do any of the hours; most do the hinge hours (lauds and vespers); fewer yet add the Office of Readings; and few do all the hours. Modernism has taken its toll on the holiest aspects of the clerical and religious life. The Liturgy of the Hours is one aspect of prayer life that has suffered terribly and has been cast aside by many clergy and religious as archaic.(BTW, this neglect violates canon law for clergy)
I'm going to have a real problem with married priests, that's all.
If I'm supposed to accept the "reality" and the "tradition" on which is pinned the male-only priesthood, I'm sure as hell going to want to know why we can bend the rules because initial converts -- like Anglicans brought into the Church -- were married already.
I still think they're going to use them as a wedge to fundamentally change the nature of the celibate priesthood.
All well and good for them, I guess.
Without a doubt, this is the one issue that actually makes me angry. It's a pretty sad state of affairs when you can genuinely feel gypped because you happened to be born a woman.
It's one thing to make the rules in light of male and female but there will be hell to pay if they start breaking the rules according to male and female as well. I'll see no reason whatsoever to suck it up and toe the line.
(Well, besides the obvious of course. It'll just be more difficult to do in a charitable and joyful Second Citizen sort of fashion.)
There is no burden outside of 20 minutes(more or less) per hour(this allows for no rushing). I usually spend a little more time on the office of readings. Like I said in post#4, I say the office of readings before daily mass and after mass I do morning prayer in community.
Is this something a lay person can take on?
I highly recommend it! When we do, we join in with millions of others throughout the world praying the same prayer. It is something I CAN'T do without. As a lay person, I've been saying the Divine Office for the last decade. It has been invaluable in my formation towards being ordained a Deacon.
I've wanted to expand my devotions and the liturgy of the hours sounds wonderful, but I also have a job.
I also hold down a full time job as a vice president in manufacturing computers for people with disabilities. I am a husband and grandfather, very active in my faith, and yet, God provides the time for me to commune with Him in this special form of prayer. I know many lay faithful who recite the Divine Office daily either alone or in community. Many, when they first start out, typically use the "Christian Prayer" version which has all but the Office of Readings. It's one volume. The four volume set is the one that most clerics and religious have, but I know many laymen, including myself, who use it as well.
I hope this helps!
TM
Don't get discouraged, Askel5! All this liberal crap will pass. We've been through worse. Remember that neither celibacy nor marriage is at the root of this sex scandal. It's FAITHFULNESS! Many have said the Church needs a good house cleaning, similar to the times of St. Francis. If our bishops do all the right things, to rid the church of the homosexual agenda and active homosexuals(IMO, the root cause of all the problems) and get back to fidelity to Christ and the Church's Magisterium, then the celibate priesthood will not be in danger.
It's a pretty sad state of affairs when you can genuinely feel gypped because you happened to be born a woman.
I 'hurt' for you; like I do for my wife and two daughters and two granddaughters. I apologize to you and all women whom us men have made to feel like they've been 'gypped'. Our most holy members of the Body of Christ are women. Our most Blessed Mother is the model for all women AND men. Her chastity SHOULD be the model of all Christians. Please don't feel gypped; feel blessed!
Yours in Christ,
TM
And I don't much see the point in becoming a nun if the vow of celibacy is such that it's really just a habit, not an absolute grounded in human nature, Christ's example and the Church's increasing wisdom over time.
We're not a lot better than the secular society if disciplines like celibacy are options. Those who choose to strive for that option being held to the letter of the law but those who decide it's not for them being able to ignore it.
What's the difference between that and the doublestandard so glaringly apparent in a nation that excuses Clinton's crimes and sanctions cyber child sex but blows the roof off the Catholic Church because a miniscule percentage of the priests have turned out to be not only revolutionaries bent by sexualization and re-form but predators of the worst sort.
I'm sorry ... I have tough time with this. On the one hand, I was very taken by and drawn to the life of the little nun in black and white with a bucket of sudsy waters down on her knees scrubbing a marble altar in the Vatican. I realize we can't all be important, red-breasted cardinal sorts or even VIP clergy hurrying by her in the hallways. I understand "picking up a pin" as it were.
I just don't see why so many are so anxious to use this crisis as an opportunity to protestantize the priesthood.
Married priest surely would have been the ticket during the Reformation. I'll bet a wife not only would have thrown folks off the trail of Edmund Campion but the opportunity to marry might have returned many a former priest lured by Luther with marriage out of the Church back into the Church.
I'll bet folks had to go without communion for weeks or months at a time, even. Why didn't they go for married priests then? Wasn't so distant a past from married Popes. What has changed since then?
A theological fiction, of course, but something which might help me get over perpetually feeling sorry for being so selfish or angry or jealous.
I am not yet at the point of saying the entire office. Usually I pray the Morning Prayer after rising, Evening Prayer after dinner, and Night Prayer before bed. Occasionally I'll read the Office of Readings at 3:00pm. Some day I want to be (and feel I've been called to be, despite reservations I'm working out) a permanent deacon, at which point it will be mandatory, so I'm trying to develop the discipline now.
I'm lousy with time management, and with a wife and three little ones, I don't get scrupulous if I don't get it done. But I do find it calming and bringing some order and scripture into my prayer life that was terribly lacking.
Which hours you should recite
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Office of Readings | Morning Prayer | Evening Prayer | Night Prayer Mass | Calendar | Information... |
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In a word: you are free to choose.
Planning your prayer life is like planning your exercise or your diet. It is easy to get carried away by enthusiasm and end up surrounded by prayer-books (or exercise equipment or diet books) that you never actually use.
So - start slowly. Work out how much time you can devote to praying the Hours, and halve it. That way, you are likely to build a solid lifetime habit... and you can always add to it later.
Choose a regular time each day for your use of the Liturgy. This may be the morning, before the cares of the day overwhelm you; or it may be the evening, after the day's work is over and you can give your undivided attention to the things of the spirit. Whatever time you choose, stick to it. Don't keep changing your mind about when you do things. A regular schedule is essential.
If you miss a day, don't try to catch up. Forget that you missed yesterday - just carry on with today. Otherwise you'll find yourself feeling guiltier and guiltier about the things you've missed, and your backlog will get longer and longer. The Divine Office is about joy, not guilt!
See which ones suit you best. The Office of Readings is a rich source of material for meditation, especially on the days when Universalis contains the text of the Second Reading. Morning and Evening Prayer are more prayerful.
Always try to have a look at the Thought for the Day. This will sometimes contain nothing more than the antiphon for the Invitatory Psalm, but, more and more, it will contain short details of the saint of the day, meditations related to the readings, or references to the Catholic Encyclopedia.
It opens your celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours, and it should be recited before the first Hour that you say in the day.
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Office of Readings | Morning Prayer | Evening Prayer | Night Prayer Mass | Calendar | Information... |
NEW: version for handheld computers |
Two aspects of the Liturgy of the Hours were established very early on: the praying of the Psalms, and the consecration of every hour to God.
Taking this literally meant that prayer of some kind was offered every three hours, day and night, and confined the full implementation of such a liturgy to hermits, enthusiasts, and dedicated religious orders.
At times, their achievements seem to us to be more heroic than spiritual, and this is certainly what we would feel if we went through all 150 psalms every week, or even every day (but that may say more about us than about the people who did this). Human frailty, too, demanded that one sleep more than two and a half hours at a stretch, and so, in various reforms and adjustments through the ages, the schedule has been made rather more human - though even today some of the stricter contemplative orders stay close to the original ideal.
The last batch of reforms, completed in 1970 and revised in 1985, has made the Liturgy of the Hours usable not only by priests and religious but also by lay people who have a living to earn and a life to lead. Here is the basic structure:
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God bless.
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