![]() “In this ‘public prayer of the Church,’ the faithful (clergy, religious, and lay people) exercise the royal priesthood of the baptized ( CCC 1174). And the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually” ( Sacrosanctum Concilium, 100, emphasis added). “Pastors of souls should see to it that the chief hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts. Since Vatican II, the Church has continued to promote this “public prayer of the Church:” The Church Asks the Laity to Participate in the Divine Office ![]() The divine office is a development of this early prayer of the Church and connects us to the early followers of Jesus. ![]() Daily they assembled for ‘morning and evening hymns'” ( Praying the Liturgy of the Hours: A Personal Journey ). This type of prayer was maintained as the Church grew and is recorded, “Throughout the Church, in Palestine, Antioch, Constantinople and Africa, Christians gathered in their churches twice each day to pray the psalms. Since most Christians were converts from Judaism in the decades after Christ’s death, they continued the Jewish tradition of praying the Psalms. 2. It is the Prayer of the Early Christians So praying the Psalms (divine office) connects you to Jesus, who prayed them on a daily basis. Jesus is recorded praying the Psalms on multiple occasions, most famously the words of Psalm 22 (“My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”). This developed into a program of praying the Psalms in particular as they expressed the many desires of the human heart. The Jewish people began a tradition of praying three times a day: morning, afternoon and evening. “When Daniel knew that the document had been signed, he went to his house where he had windows in his upper chamber open toward Jerusalem and he got down upon his knees three times a day and prayed and gave thanks before his God, as he had done previously.” (Daniel 6:10). King David, who is believed to have wrote the Psalms, proclaims,Īnd he will hear my voice.” (Psalm 55:17)Įven the prophet Daniel is shown to have a specific set of prayer, Historically Jews prayed at fixed intervals throughout the day. The Divine Office Allows You to Pray Like Jesus Here are 5 reasons why you should consider praying the divine office daily: 1. In fact, it is a prayer that is designed to unite the entire Church in prayer and has the capacity to truly deepen a person’s prayer life. While that is true, it is not meant to be reserved only to them. Yet very few lay people pray the divine office (aka the “Liturgy of the Hours ” praying the Psalms on a daily basis). It is often seen as the prayer of the priest, nun or monk. While the Rosary is a great devotion, the Church names a different prayer the “public prayer of the church:” “The divine office, because it is the public prayer of the Church, is a source of piety, and nourishment for personal prayer” ( Sacrosanctum Concilium, 90). If I were to ask someone, “what is the public prayer of the Church,” I would typically get the answer of the Rosary. ![]()
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