![]() Vespers, the sunset prayer, a time of thanksgiving and reconciliation Ĭompline, the closing of the of the day, a prayer for protection and rest. Prime, Tierce, Sext and None, also known as the ‘little hours’, short psalms prayed during the daytime Lauds, the sunrise prayer, a time of praise Matins, (or Vigils) a night time prayer that focused on history and wisdom Traditionally there were eight periods of prayer in the monastic schedule. It calls us to enter the now, to stop, to listen and to heed the message of this moment. It is one method of praying always, of celebrating the holiness of time by making time throughout the day to pray. It is about the sanctification of time and is linked with the Feasts and Seasons of the Liturgical Year as well as with the natural rhythms of the day, especially the alternation of light and darkness. ![]() "Seven times a day I praise you, for your righteous ordinances," (Psalm 119:164) Why pray the Divine Office at different times of the day? The purpose of this prayer is to praise God and shape our souls into the likeness of Christ as we soak ourselves in the Word of God day after day, year after year. Opus Dei, Latin for ‘work of God’, is Benedict’s descriptive term for the Divine Office. We leave our work or whatever we may be doing to remind us that God IS the center of our lives. Exposure to the broad spectrum of the psalms as they are prayed daily over the course of life, builds up in us a treasury of words for our own prayer.Īt the hour for the divine office, as soon as the bell has been heard, let them leave whatever they have in hand and hasten with all speed, though in orderly fashion… Indeed, nothing is to be preferred to the Opus Dei.” - Rule of Benedict, Chapter 43įor monastics who follow in the Benedictine tradition, the Liturgy of the Hours holds a primal place in the prayer life of the community. The psalms give voice to the cries of the human heart, to joy, pain, frustration and grief. ![]() It is based on the psalms, the very prayers that formed Jesus himself. The Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office is the daily, public prayer of the Church. ![]() We believe that the Divine Presence is everywhere… beyond the least doubt we should believe this to be especially true when we celebrate the Divine Office. ![]()
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