Blogging A to Z: "L" is for Liturgy of the Hours

One day shortly after the renewal of my faith in 2002, I paid my twice-monthly visit to my favorite Houston antiquarian bookstore, Detering Book Gallery. They were having their big annual sale that weekend, 30% off all regular stock. Browsing in the Philosophy/Religion room, I espied four volumes, each a different color, perched atop a random pile on a table. They looked, at first glance, like Bibles, but looking closely at the spines, I saw the words "Liturgy of the Hours."

Until my return to the faith I had no idea what the Liturgy of the Hours was; I had been so long away from the Church, having "left" it while still a teenager, and even before then, I was ignorant of many things, including this beautiful and universal prayer, the official prayer of the Church. I finally became aware of the Liturgy of the Hours, or the Divine Office, as it is frequently called, when I began discerning a vocation to religious life. I learned that the primary apostolate of contemplative nuns was prayer, and the Divine Office was their most important work; indeed, they are bound by pain of sin to pray the Divine Office, in full, every single day of their lives, a duty which they share with the clergy. However, laity are also encouraged to pray the Office, or at least a part of it, every day, in addition to attending Mass faithfully. It is an extension of the Mass.

When I stumbled upon the four-volume Liturgy of the Hours at Detering that day, I felt it was more than mere coincidence. God was gently steering me toward a life of prayer; whether as a religious or as a lay person, he wanted me to pray the Office. And the fact that those usually costly volumes were priced 30% off an already "used book" price clinched the deal for me!

The problem I then faced was: how do I pray the Office? Looking through the books, called breviaries, I was completely mystified, even after I read the copious introductory material in the first volume, and the Ordinary, which is found in all four volumes. Finally, I went online and found a website that explained the Office very simply and clearly, step by complicated step. With a hardcopy of those instructions close by and my breviary in hand, I began what has now become one of the most important habits of my daily life.

By praying the Office, the liturgical year with all its glories unfolds day by day, not just Sunday by Sunday. Morning, midmorning, midday, midafternoon, evening, and night -- with each of these "hours" of the Office, I am not only sanctifying the day, but am sanctifying it with the whole Church in praise and through the contemplation of God's word. The reciting of the entire cycle of Psalms over a four week period, along with the other Scripture readings, provides a constant source of inspiration, strength, and revelation; more importantly, it serves to strengthen and unify God's Church on earth. When I open my breviary, I am aware that millions of Christians throughout the world are opening theirs, too, and together as one body, we are worshipping the God who created us.