3/26/2023 0 Comments Divine office prayer times![]() ![]() With the advent of Christianity, Jesus’ apostles at first continued to observe the traditions of the Jews and continued to pray at the appointed times. The practice was adapted from an ancient Jewish custom and had many developments over the centuries. The Jewish people had a tradition of praying three times a day: morning, afternoon and evening. It consists of praying the 150 Psalms of the Old Testament. Still, there are a few “tricks-of-the-trade” that are worth noting before you embark on praying the “public prayer of the Church.” Before we begin let’s “briefly” review what the Divine Office consists of and examine its ancient history.įirst of all, the “Divine Office” or “Liturgy of the Hours” is a liturgical prayer of the Church that priests and religious are bound to pray lay people are encouraged to participate as well. The thought of engaging in such a complex prayer as the Liturgy of the Hours can be daunting, but thankfully many individuals have made it as easy as clicking a button. We even have our communal prayers on digital tablets so you can easily follow along with us as we pray.Technology has simplified many activities and one of those is praying the Divine Office. You can either sit in the dark of the Church and listen to us, or you can come join us in our choir stalls where a monk will be happy to find you a seat. Simply come to Church at the times listed for our communal prayers. Our monastic schedule is always open to allowing visitors to pray with us. This explains the peace many people find in monastic chant it brings into harmony the discordant noise of the human spirit. Monastic music helps us to express our human passions and to ground them in the poetry of the liturgy music helps the work of prayer transform us. For monks and others who join us, it is a way of prayer, combining both a contemplative and an active dimension. We remember our need for God’s help, we thank Him for His mercy and kindness, and together with the rest of the Church we pray for the whole world.Ĭhant is one of the most distinctive features of monastic life in all religions and Gregorian chant in particular has been one of the defining elements of Benedictine life. The Psalms help focus the mind on God and to provide a stable source for prayer, for they express a wide variety of emotions, thoughts and aspirations. To prepare himself to listen, the monk sings psalms and other songs from the Bible, while spending time also in quiet silence like Elijah listening for the whisper of God's presence. This is the heart of every time of prayer. These times are a way of reminding us to make every day holy for God they remind that we look to God for the meaning and direction of our lives God always comes first and whatever we do is secondary to Him.ĭuring these times, above all, a monk listens to God and to His word in the Bible. ![]() Due to the regularity of these hours of prayer, the Divine Office is also known as the Liturgy of the Hours. He also kept to the monastic tradition of a long time of prayer during darkness: monks were to get up very early for Vigils. Just like Jesus, his disciples, and most Jews of the time who would have made the daily prayer of the psalms central to their daily life, St Benedict suggests seven times a day when his monks would come together to pray: at daybreak (Lauds) the start of the morning (Prime) during the working day at the third, sixth and ninth hours (Terce, Sext, None) as afternoon turns to evening (Vespers) and before going to bed (Compline). Paul told the early Christians to pray constantly. He also calls it the “Opus Dei" (Work of God), and it is the most important work a monk does in the monastery. The Divine Office is a term used by St Benedict to refer to the regular times of common prayer in the monastery. The worship of God is at the center of Benedictine life and in the Divine Office we praise God who has created us, redeemed us and given us a share in His life. So it is not surprising that when we pray we find it easier to use words less and less and to pray in silence. We will often realize that the words are not all that important God knows what we want to say, and there is more to share with Him than we can ever put into words. However we do it, the important thing is to put ourselves in the presence of God and open our hearts to Him, knowing that He is with us as a merciful Father who always loves us and knows us better than we do ourselves. Others prefer to express themselves more freely, using their own words. Some like to pray using familiar words of prayers like the Our Father. There are all sorts of ways of doing this. Simply put, prayer is the way in which human beings seek to raise their hearts and minds to God. ![]()
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