Unlike the full version of the divine office, the antiphons are only printed once at the beginning of each Psalm. When praying with other people, you will recite the antiphon after every stanza.īefore we go any further, a note about Christian Prayer. If you are praying the Invitatory on your own, you will say the correct antiphon once, pray Psalm 95 and then recite the same antiphon at the end. This is composed of an antiphon and Psalm 95 and is typically prayed before Morning Prayer (or the Office of Readings). Until you have them memorized, you can always turn to the Ordinary to find them.Īfter you have read the Ordinary, leave your first ribbon where it says Invitatory.
These prayers are said at Evening and Morning Prayer and are typically memorized when prayed frequently. The Ordinary also has prayers that are repeated each day such as the Magnificat and Benedictus. It is suggested to read through the entire Ordinary before going any further. There are plenty of instructions and options, so read it all carefully. In the Ordinary we abide by the common phrase “Say the Black, Do the Red.” All the words printed in the color red are instructions and all the words printed in black are the prayers you actually pray. The Ordinary is the basic “instruction manual” for the Liturgy of the Hours and acts as a reference point if you ever get stuck. To begin setting the ribbons, take one of them and open to page 686 where the “Ordinary” and “Invitatory” are located. **Note: To see the correct page numbers of Christian Prayer for today, click here.įirst of all, as with any breviary, there are the all-important “ribbons.” These are extremely important and allow you to mark the correct parts of the Divine Office. Click on the pages below to start the step-by-step guide. It is designed for the everyday lay person who wants to deepen their prayer life by immersing themselves in the Psalms. There are other publications of the Divine Office, including digital versions, but for the purposes of this article we will only cover the most common one.Ĭhristian Prayer contains: Morning, Evening and Night Prayer, with an abbreviated section for the Office of Readings and Daytime Prayer. Today, we will give you a step-by-step guide through the most common prayer book lay people can pick up to pray the principal hours of the divine office: Christian Prayer. However, after an initial introduction to praying the Liturgy of the Hours, it becomes much easier and soon it will be like clockwork. If one chooses to purchase a physical breviary (the book that contains the Liturgy of the Hours) it can be challenging especially if no one is there to show you what to do. The foundation of the prayer is simple, praying the Psalms, but in practicality can be quite difficult. Read more: What is the Liturgy of the Hours? The Second Vatican Council highly encouraged the laity to “recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually” ( Sacrosanctum Concilium, 100). The Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office, is a beautiful and ancient tradition in the Church that is not reserved for priests and religious, but can also be prayed by the lay faithful. In this way, prayers become liturgy, a way to fulfill our divine calling and a practical approach for addressing the suffering of the world.Want to pray the Divine Office? Here is a step-by-step guide for those starting out.
He means for us to adopt an ongoing attitude of prayer that is a way of life and a constant intercession for the salvation of all mankind.Īs the mystical body of Christ prays in unison, it fulfills what Paul advises as Christian conduct, that believers at once pray for the good of themselves, their neighbors, and the world. Paul advises us in 1 Thessalonians 5:17 to “pray without ceasing,” he intends more than simply bowing our heads and speaking to God on a regular basis. It automatically downloads the appropriate prayers for each office, every day of the year, including Solemnities, Feasts, and Memorials. The Divine Office App is designed to make praying more convenient, enjoyable, and simple enough for anyone to use. It contains the official text and audio of daily prayers from the Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church (Breviary) and has been approved for use in the United States by USCCB.
This version is the official prayer book of the Catholic Church, however, it is suitable for all Christian faith traditions. If you are unable to pray in community, but love the contentment of praying with others, a praised feature of the Divine Office App lets you view locations where other Christians around the world are simultaneously praying with you. The Divine Office App is an opportunity for you to participate in the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours, an ancient and meditative collection of psalms, hymns and scripture that represent the public prayer of the Christian community.
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