Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour (3:1).The prince of the apostles went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour (10:9). The book of Acts frequently portrays the early Christians praying at appointed hours. The work of each day was closely bound up with his prayer, indeed flowed out from it: he would retire into the desert or into the hills to pray, rise very early or spend the night up to the fourth watch in prayer to God(GILH 1:4).Īfter the Resurrection, the early Church continued to gather together to pray. Jesus himself prayed to the Father often and fervently, in public and in private giving praise and thanks, as well as petitions. Seven times a day I have given praise to thee, for the judgments of thy justice (119:64). I rose at midnight to give praise to thee (119:62). The practice of praying in cycle with the sun, the moon and the seasons is portrayed in the Psalms.Įvening and morning, and at noon I will speak and declare and he shall hear my voice (55:17). Compline (night prayer) is read or chanted immediately before retiring. At night, the hours became known as watches, the nomenclature still observed by today’s mariners. The long day ended around six o’clock with vespers. After lunch and a nap, the people returned to their work at none, the ninth hour, about 3 o’clock. The bell pealed at noon for sext, the sixth hour. It rang out again for terce, or the third hour, at 9 am. A bell in the forum heralded the first hour of the day, known as prime, at about 6 am. The Romans divided the night and day into four parts of approximately three hours each. Deprived of the temple, the Jews – our elder brothers in faith – gathered in synagogues to read the Torah, chant Psalms and sing hymns of praise.ĭuring the Roman Empire, the Jews began praying at regular hours. The historical roots of the Office are inextricably entwined with Jewish prayer customs dating back to the Babylonian Exile. All 150 Psalms are sung over the course of a four week cycle. Each office is comprised of Psalms, Bible readings, hymns and prayers. The Liturgy of the Hours, also referred to as the Divine Office, is the prayer of the Church with Christ to the Father through the Holy Spirit. “The purpose of the Liturgy of the Hours is to sanctify the day and the whole range of human activity” (GILH 11). Whatever our state of life may be, we are called to consecrate the hours and days of our lives. We cannot give our lives to God unless we give him our time. In a very real way, what we do with our allotted time is that which makes us who we are. By ancient Christian tradition what distinguishes the Liturgy of the Hours from other liturgical services is that it consecrates to God the whole cycle of the day and the night (GILH 10). The Church fulfills this precept not only by celebrating the Eucharist but in other ways also, especially through the Liturgy of the Hours. The Church has been faithful in obeying this instruction it never ceases to offer prayer and makes this exhortation its own: Through him (Jesus) let us offer to God an unceasing sacrifice of praise (Heb 13:15). “Christ taught us: You must pray at all times and not lose heart (Lk 18:1). The following text is adapted from an insert included with a CD recording of Sunday Vespers with the Dominicans, produced by the Immaculate Conception chapter. Lay Dominicans attend daily mass if possible and are strongly encouraged to pray the Liturgy of the Hours also known as the Divine Office. Joseph, said at our 2010 Chapter Retreat, that, “To a Dominican, it is just as wrong to fast on a feast day as it is to feast on a fast day”.ĭominicans balance private contemplation and meditation with public ecclesial prayer of the entire Catholic Church. Brian Martin Mulcahy, O.P., the Prior Provincial of the Province of St. Times are approximations.One of the hallmarks of a Dominican is balance. When's the new English-language version of the Liturgy of the Hours coming out? A. I'm not interested in wasting my money on books that are soon out-of-date. Categorized Index of PostsĪ semi-frequently-updated and categorized index of posts is available. Other allowed topics: personal devotions the prayer and development of older and future versions other structured Christian daily prayer systems, private or public, Catholic and non-Catholic. A subreddit on the prayer of the Divine Office (also known as the Liturgy of the Hours or the Roman Breviary) of the Roman Rite of the Catholic Church, its private and public observances, as well as its historical development and place in Catholicism.
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