Brethren, Peace and Good to you.
As you all know, I am one of the increasing number of Catholics and other Christians who pray the Liturgy of the Hours (also known as The Divine Office and the Breviary), the official set of daily prayers prescribed by the Church to be recited at specific times by the clergy, religious orders, and the willing laity. The Liturgy of the Hours consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns and readings and along with the Mass it constitutes the official public prayer life of the Church.
I’ve argued in a previous post that praying the Liturgy of the Hours is an appropriate exercise of the common priesthood of the baptized and that the Liturgy of the Hours is a prayer discipline second only to attending Mass and that takes precedence to praying the Holy Rosary – which I also pray – and any other form of devotional prayer. This is so because when one prays the Liturgy of the Hours, we pray with the Church of the whole world, at all times and in every place, while participating fully of the public worship of the Church.
I haven't changed my mind about it.
Throughout my years of engaging in this prayer discipline I’ve had the opportunity to know the Psalter while I pray and become acquainted with many of the writings of the Fathers and Doctors of the Church, saints, popes, and ecumenical councils. The experience has been spiritually very fruitful and intellectually too.
I’ve been fortunate to rely for help along the way with a number of books whose titles I wish to share with you know, so that you may profit fully from praying the Liturgy of the Hours. These are:
· The Liturgy of the Hours, by Father Dominic F. Scott, TOR. In this book, Fr. Dominic charts the history and development of the Liturgy of the Hours down the ages, from its Jewish origins to our time. Surveying the relevant documents, he also explains how the Popes of the 20th century progressively guided the Church towards the full participation of the laity in the Liturgy of the Hours, restoring along the way the Church’s primitive discipline.
· The Divine Office for Dodos: A Step-By-Step Guide to Praying the Liturgy of the Hours, by Madeline Pecora Nugent. This book is the most detailed, step-by-step explanation on how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours at the designate hours, every day, every season of the liturgical year. She explores all the variations one encounters as one progresses into the prayer. Written in very simple language with lots of patience, this is the book you want if you are a beginner and a dodo when it comes to praying the Hours. Follow the instructions here and very soon you’ll be an expert, ready to teach others.
· Praying the Psalms: A Commentary , by Fr. Stanley Jaki. I purchased this book because I wanted to understand the Psalms better and penetrate their spirit. To do that, I wanted to get into the “Psalmist’s head” and Fr. Jaki’s book was a great step in that direction. He comments on every single Psalm, although some of his commentaries take a decidedly contemporary bent.
· On the Book of Psalms: Exploring the Prayers of Ancient Israel, by Dr. Nahum Sarna, a principal scholar of Hebrew and contributor to the TANAKH or Hebrew Holy Scriptures translation published by the Jewish Publication Society. Dr. Sarna explores in his book nine representative psalms and not only did he succeed, in my opinion, to understand the mind of the psalmist, but also by placing these representative psalms in the larger context of the Hebrew Scriptures.
I urge you, brothers and sisters, to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, to pray without ceasing with the timeless prayer of the Church, and to get into its life and spirit for your own good, and the good of all the Church.