Help with the LOTH

[sr.christinaosf]

In different places, customs tend to vary, for example whether or not the antiphons are repeated after the psalms and if the psalm-prayer is used.  That can be confusing, I'm sure.  The suggestion of watching a web-cam had occurred to me as well, just to see and follow how it is done.  

Another suggestion I thought of, without actually following the liturgy for the office of readings, is the use the texts offered there for timely spiritual reading.  There are many wonderful readings available in your four-volume set.  Our Community does not do the office of readings but I have used the texts for spiritual reading on more than one occasion.  

One last thought is to look at the general instructions.  In our one volume Christian Prayer book, the general instructions are given and these are helpfiul.  

(In case you're wondering about the strange hour of this post, it is because i am working the night shift and am taking a little break from my cleaning.)  Have a good day.  

 

[puellapaschalis]

When I was taught the LOTH I actually sat down and read that Instruction in the beginning of vol 1. It really did help me understand the structure of the Office and made the switch to the more traditional books that much smoother in many respects.

[Feankie]

As the others have suggested , start out small and then add an hour at a time as you get more comfortable.  I remember when I first started praying the LOTH my breviary looked as if I was braiding the ribbons - - I was SOOOO confused and tried way too hard to pray it all from the start. I took the advice of a very holy Abbess who I am friends with and started with one hour, then added another, and so on.  It just makes more sense (at least for me) to go slowly and get comfortable rather than jumping all in and become frustrated and chuck it all.  But bit by bit it becomes easier to pray the hours and it's almost like taking the training wheels off a bicycle

[:o)Katherine:o)]

Thank you all so much for your advice and input. Today I found a little book that is a practical guide for the liturgy of the hours. I am going to start with the night prayers for the next few weeks and see how it goes. I have a little laminated booklet that came with my set but it does not go into much detail.

As much as I would like to pray together in person with people I will try following along online to help with practicing.

Sr. Christina, I figured you were working the night shift! I hope that you have since rested. Thank you for sharing so much advice!

Frances Clare- I like the bicycle analogy! Very fitting!!!

 

 

[Sister Leticia]

To all this excellent advice I would just add: don't worry if later on you discover you've forgotten a saint's day, not said first vespers of a feast, or somehow ended up confused and in the wrong week. God sees your intention and desire, and that matters more than nailing it from day 1!

 

[puellapaschalis]

To all this excellent advice I would just add: don't worry if later on you discover you've forgotten a saint's day, not said first vespers of a feast, or somehow ended up confused and in the wrong week. God sees your intention and desire, and that matters more than nailing it from day 1!

Or Day 2, or Year 22, or....

I pray Office in common with a bunch of people, some of whom have been praying longer than I've been alive. We all make mistakes. You just get good at saying a quick 'sorry' in your heart and then moving on. 

Edited May 30, 2015 by puellapaschalis
Phatmass is still in the dark ages and doesn't like emojis.

[sr.christinaosf]

Has anyone noticed all the switching we have next week?  We change the altar cloths to match the liturgical colors and I think it will be like Christmas...red-green-red-green.  

[TheresaThoma]

Yes so many great Feast days coming up, I have to remember to check the section with all the feasts

As far as finding and keeping your place in the books you really have to discover your own system. I use a mix of Holy cards and the ribbons (I use Christian Prayer which has a zippered cover to keep everything neat. Eventually you will get more comfortable and will be able to find things quickly.

If you have a smartphone there is an app called iBreviary. Puts everything together, hymns antiphons, prayers etc. I use it mostly as a resource to make sure that I am on the correct week and such. I would say the best thing is to try to do it consistently. Maybe you end up on the wrong week or forget something but eventually you will figure it out. There is the basic structure but everyone I pray with and the different communities all have different styles. So there is no one perfect right way to do it.

Also if you can't pray with a community or someone in person try even over the phone. My one friend decided she wanted to start to pray LOTH but we were living in different states at the time. So we would pray over the phone or over Skype together. We had the same versions so I could give her the page numbers and such. (Technology is amazing!)

[Charbel]

Yes so many great Feast days coming up, I have to remember to check the section with all the feasts

As far as finding and keeping your place in the books you really have to discover your own system. I use a mix of Holy cards and the ribbons (I use Christian Prayer which has a zippered cover to keep everything neat. Eventually you will get more comfortable and will be able to find things quickly.

If you have a smartphone there is an app called iBreviary. Puts everything together, hymns antiphons, prayers etc. I use it mostly as a resource to make sure that I am on the correct week and such. I would say the best thing is to try to do it consistently. Maybe you end up on the wrong week or forget something but eventually you will figure it out. There is the basic structure but everyone I pray with and the different communities all have different styles. So there is no one perfect right way to do it.

Also if you can't pray with a community or someone in person try even over the phone. My one friend decided she wanted to start to pray LOTH but we were living in different states at the time. So we would pray over the phone or over Skype together. We had the same versions so I could give her the page numbers and such. (Technology is amazing!)

J.M.+J.T.

I use Christian Prayer as well.​ For those who don't know about it, there is this neat little booklet that tells you the page numbers for each hour of each day of the year and Saints days as alternatives as well. It is called Saint Joseph Guide For Christian Prayer (The Liturgy of the Hours). It is really useful and I would certainly be quite lost without it!

[LaPetiteSoeur]

What would be the best way to start praying the LOTH? I have a four volume set but I must admit it is overwhelming trying to start it and get into a rhythm. Thanks for the offer to help! 

​I used to use a just-after Vatican bi-lingual (Latin/English) breviary I found in my church library that was going to be pitched if no one took it. It was distracting because the words were so different from those used in the current LOTH. 

To start, my former SD suggested I start with "Shorter Christian Prayer," which is a great psalter for Morning and Evening prayer for the beginner. Because it doesn't have all of the hours, it is not super overwhelming. It is also a four-week psalter, with specific prayers/indroits or exdroits (I think that's the word) for Lent, Advent, Easter, and Christmas seasons. It made the LOTH much less intimidating, and eased me into the processed much more easily than my 1960s breviary! 

[Spem in alium]

Has anyone noticed all the switching we have next week?  We change the altar cloths to match the liturgical colors and I think it will be like Christmas...red-green-red-green.  

​Oh yes, this week is going to be very interesting indeed.  

My community prays morning and evening prayer, and my Office book has several ribbons which are conveniently of different colours, so I can find things easily. It's been a lot of fun learning to pray Office, and it really teaches me a lot about listening to others, about accepting making mistakes, about the value of community prayer, and about consistency. And also about leading sometimes. We recite Office in two parts, and on my side of the chapel is my superior, who is NOT a morning person and so often still sleepy, a Sister who whispers her prayers, and another who is a bit deaf and will sometimes read the wrong verse -- so sometimes I've had to guide us to the right part. It's a great experience to pray in community. 

Another good app you could consider is Laudate. When I was discerning with another congregation (before I entered), the Sisters actually loaned me one of their Office books so that I could pray at home, but I also sometimes used Laudate for night prayer (and to make sure I was praying the right week and feast, etc.). However, I do love praying with the book. When I was just starting to learn about the Office, I would use the Divine Office website, which had an audio recording of the prayers. This was really useful as it helped me to feel like I was praying with others.