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The other night I was watching this program on EWTN where they were talking about praying the liturgy of the Hours and exhalting Desert Fathers! To hear this from the Catholic clergy and lay people just floored me – in a nice way! Usually, the Catholics don't go that far back, let alone speak about Desert Fathers (the hermits) as role models.

I think in the past, Catholics had been so focused on St. Thomas and St. Augustine, that many had forgotten about the Fathers of the first 700 years except on their feast days. Now, because of particular theologians, we are finding that the Church Fathers had a lot to say about events SIMILAR to what we are facing today - teaching about the Lord to a largely pagan world. The Church Fathers powerfully speak to these pagans, and they are great examples on how we, too, can return people back to the Faith of our Fathers. I think the Desert Fathers are good examples because they were able to sacrifice and become ascetic, a word that is hardly heard here in the West...

The Liturgy of the Hours has always been a practice for the clergy, but now the Laity are doing it, as well. I do the Morning and Evening Prayersj privately. It has enabled me to pray the Psalms on a regular basis.

Regards