Liturgy Of The Hours

[EWIE]

[quote name='Saint Therese' date='Jun 15 2008, 04:42 PM' post='1572070']
Does saying the Little Office count? :

To which one are you referring?

The LOH is the Official Prayer of the Church, second only to the Mass.

[alicemary]

I am not sure what you mean by 'count'. I pray because I choose to, it my connection to God. I do not believe in doing a set number of prayers...or feeling I 'have' to do anything. I pray the Little Office of Mary because it fits my life. I do have more detailed Office books, but prefer the Little Office because my time is limited.

[Chiquitunga]

Here's a neat site with the current Liturgy of the Hours in Latin, [url="http://www.almudi.org/Portals/0/docs/Breviario/fuentes/breviario.html"]Liturgia Horarum[/url] There's even examples you can play of religious communities chanting, like if you go to Compline.

[Maria Faustina]

Ok this is probably a really stupid question to most of you, but do they update the actual LOTH books each year, so you have to buy new ones each year? I have the second one, the red one, but I can't find the the third one like anywhere (at the catholic stores in my area)!!! Ahhhh, alas, I guess I will have to order it on line, along with my Aquinas College sweatshirt.

[DeoOptimoMaximo]

[quote name='Maria Faustina' post='1582470' date='Jun 25 2008, 12:57 AM']Ok this is probably a really stupid question to most of you, but do they update the actual LOTH books each year, so you have to buy new ones each year? I have the second one, the red one, but I can't find the the third one like anywhere (at the catholic stores in my area)!!! Ahhhh, alas, I guess I will have to order it on line, along with my Aquinas College sweatshirt.[/quote]


no, they don't update them every year... You can purchase an inexpensive little booklet, called an "Ordo" which tells you what pages to turn to and the saints/feasts, for each day of the year... that is updated yearly.

most of the LOTH books were originally published in the 70's... but have been reprinted since then

[VeniteAdoremus]

Last week I used one that was printed in 1976, I believe. It listed the dates of Easter until 1982. I was born in 1984. That's tradition, people!

It's nice to have a booklet with the dates... although I use my dad for that, which also works very well As long as you manage to keep track of the week (probably printed on the Sunday Mass booklets) and check the calender (which should be in your LotH book itself) regularly, you'll be fine. The best method is never skipping a day

I must say that the English-language version is infinitely more user-friendly than the Dutch one, even if it comes in three volumes (we only have one). I have to go back and forth between sections three times during a normal, weekday Hour. And don't start about memorials and feasts! (The psalms of "one martyr" with the antiphones of "several martyrs", reading of "several martyrs", magnificat antiphone of the memorial, concluding prayers of "several martyrs" of the next day, so printed seven pages forward, and concluding prayer of the memorial... [i]what were they thinking?[/i])

I think it's a hidden intelligence test. And it explains why we used to have so many Dutch missionaries, too - they just tried to escape our edition of the Hours!

[Fr. Bruno]

[quote name='TotusTuusMaria' post='1486779' date='Mar 28 2008, 08:10 PM']I am discerning.

I pray the Little Office of the BVM. I don't pray the "big" Office because I don't know how. It is confusing. And when I ask for help... everyone tells me that I can "omit" this and that I need to pray that... but everyone says something different. And it seems like it is all over the place... I wouldn't know which page to turn to. [/quote]
I suppose the "big" office you're talking about is the office of readings... the one that takes more time than the others. Now, if you want to know how to pray it, or how to pray the hours in general, I recommend you just read thru the general presentation which is normally in the first volume. Any priest can lend it to you, because they only use from Advent to Christmas and a couple of more weeks at the begining of the year. You don't have to read everything, though (it's quite long), but just the things that are helpful for you.
God bless !

[cathoholic_anonymous]

I pray Lauds, Vespers, and Compline. At the moment I don't have the time in my day for the others.

[emilier98]

I really want to, but I have no idea how to do it. I get confused on what I'm supposed to flip to for what. The websites help, but I'm still super confused so I ended up giving up. I am borrowing the four volume set. The Divine Office is really complicated.

[Lisa]

[quote name='emilier98' timestamp='1310763761' post='2267904']
I really want to, but I have no idea how to do it. I get confused on what I'm supposed to flip to for what. The websites help, but I'm still super confused so I ended up giving up. I am borrowing the four volume set. The Divine Office is really complicated.
[/quote]

If you can, pray it with the others (Dominicans, diocesan priests all say at least Morning/Evening). Start with just one "prayer" a day- maybe Evening or Night.

I know money is super tight, but if you can, get this booklet: [url="http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Joseph-Guide-Liturgy-Hours/dp/0899423442/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310764301&sr=1-1"]http://www.amazon.com/Saint-Joseph-Guide-Liturgy-Hours/dp/0899423442/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1310764301&sr=1-1[/url] (free shipping with Amazon Student). It will tell you the pages. With the 4 volume, there should be minimal flipping (except for feast days).

Prayers as you start!

[FutureSister2009]

I would like to start but I know the book set is expensive and I'm still trying to learn how to say it. It seems kind of confusing.

[Chiara Francesco]

[quote name='emilier98' timestamp='1310763761' post='2267904']
I really want to, but I have no idea how to do it. I get confused on what I'm supposed to flip to for what. The websites help, but I'm still super confused so I ended up giving up. I am borrowing the four volume set. The Divine Office is really complicated.
[/quote]


Don't give up! It's not really that confusing! I self taught myself (and was confirmed I was right by several prioresses/abbesses). I started with the "Christian Prayer" Liturgy of the Hours that is a scaled down version of the full 4 volumes into one book - it's the same with the 7 hours of the day but limited in the seasons like Lent, Easter and Christmas and the saints in the proper - until I got familiar enough with the Office and then bought the 4 volume set.. But the little booklets that came with it and reading the small print in red that says things like "turn to page whatever for this or that" and there are some good sites that help on line too.

Some sites: http://divineoffice.org/ and maybe this one: http://divineoffice.net/divine_office.htm

For any Franciscan vocations, this site has the 4 separate volumes of the Proper for the Franciscan saints and blesseds that go along with the 4 big volume set of books, Christian Prayer one volume books and the 4 volume sets. The Proper of saints is call "CHRISTIAN PRAYER SUPPLEMENT FOR THE FOUR VOLUME EDITION OF THE ROMAN FRANCISCAN LITURGY OF THE HOURS - PUBLISHED BY CATHOLIC BOOK PUBLISHING and is the 4th item down - sadly out of stock now but it is great to get the complete 7 hr offices for many of the big Franciscan saints, like St. Francis and Clare and partial for the others. It helps you learn about many other of the Franciscan saints. This link is: http://franciscanresources.com/store/category/gwsn/ROMAN_FRANCISCAN_LITURGY_OF_THE_HOURS_-_GUIDES_-_SUPPLEMENTS-COVERS.html

ALSO on this Franciscan link above, they sell a book called, "How to Pray the Liturgy of the Hours" for $3.95, 48 pages that might help too,

But I plugged along every day and eventually, within a fairly short time, worked it out.

I now pray all 7 hours of the Office, if I miss an hour or hours, I will often double or triple-up on them when I can! EX: I can say morning, but miss the 3 daytime hours, then I say all these 3 together by saying one hymn the mid-morning psalms and reading then going right to the midday prayer the same and then onto the mid-afternoon prayer and then say the closing prayer. And then if something happens, I might have to do the same with the evening and night prayer, etc. But usually I can say all 7 hrs separately.

What helped me is to printout a the hororium/daily schedule of the order and/or community your are discerning with so you know the hours they pray their offices - it helps you feel like you are praying the office hours with them - some what at least! I have printed out a community's hororium and with a bit of scotch tape, tape it to the inside cover of each of my 4 volumes of the Divine Office so I can try to stay on time and spread out each hour when I can.

For the Carmelite vocations, see this site for the 2007 DISCALCED CARMELITE PROPER OFFICES OF CARMELITE SAINTS AND BLESSEDS FOR THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS: http://carmelcanada.org/liturgy/office.pdf . I have the 2006 hardcover book - was is either hard to find or really expensive and I use this 2007 site to look for new saints added or updates. This too is great to use along with the main 4 volume Divine Office books and have the full offices for Carmelite saints. I just used it July 13th for St. Teresa of the Andes' feast day.

[Deus te Amat]

[quote name='emilier98' timestamp='1310763761' post='2267904']
I really want to, but I have no idea how to do it. I get confused on what I'm supposed to flip to for what. The websites help, but I'm still super confused so I ended up giving up. I am borrowing the four volume set. The Divine Office is really complicated.
[/quote]

Do you still have an iPhone? Or an iPod touch? There's a free app that takes care of all the confusion.

Or, you can wait til I get back, and I'll help you sort it out.

[HopefulBride]

[quote name='FutureSister2009' timestamp='1310765842' post='2267936']
I would like to start but I know the book set is expensive and I'm still trying to learn how to say it. It seems kind of confusing.
[/quote]

I purchased my set over a period of two years. I started buying it one volume at a time and the first year I skipped the first volume since it was used so lightly. Regarding how to pray it I would suggest getting with your parish pastor or someone who knows how to do it.

Prayers for you,
DR

[faithcecelia]

I do miss the full Office from the full set of thr Brievary, but I now do (as I did before I entered Q) have Motning and Evening Prayers from thr Divine Office, with night prayer.



When I had a 'normal' job i would do the 3 Offices in the book, but rarely the memorias as it got too complicated. With work as it is just now, I tend to only say Compline, often from memory flat on my back in bed once I have given up what I am doingcollapsed into bed!