St. Stanislaus Kostka Parish
"Growing Together in Faith"
For Christians who practice the discipline of daily prayer, there seems to be a natural
rhythm. It seems natural to begin the day with a prayer of thanks for a restful, uneventful
night, as well as to ask God to bless the day; and when the day is done, to reflect on
one's activities, and ask God to accept our best efforts and forgive our failings as well as
to ask God to bless our sleeping. Morning and Evening prayer have been called the
"hinge hours" because they lead us in and out of our daily living. For some, the daily
habit of prayer also includes blessings at meals and quiet, reflective times of meditation.
This natural, daily regimen of personal prayer is reflected in the Church's communal
prayer, commonly known as The Liturgy of the Hours and The Divine Office. (Clerics
refer to it as the "breviary" which describes their book of prayers.) The Liturgy of the
Hours, together with the sacraments, are the way the Church heeds St. Paul's challenge
to "Pray without ceasing!" (IThes. 5:17). This hourly prayer is meant to sanctify the day
and be a source of strength and blessing for those who pray it.
Most Catholics are aware that the Liturgy of the Hours is what the priest and deacon
pray each day, as well as religious communities. Some Catholics may also have
experienced this prayer in their parishes or other gatherings. Members of St. Stan's
began to experience the Liturgy of the Hours in the late 70’s. This renewal of the Liturgy
of the Hours in parishes was part of the liturgical renewal generated by the Second
Vatican Council. The Council directed that a thorough reform of the Liturgy of the Hours
was to take place in order for it to better express the sanctification of time, to compliment
the contemporary schedule of pastoral ministers, and to be more attractive for laity to
pray.
As much of the liturgical renewal, the final form of the Liturgy of Hours is an
expression of compromise - i.e., while there was the hope that the style of the Hours
would be adapted to a non-monastic setting, the final forms reflect a monastic form of
antiphonal prayer; but there was the addition of more scripture as well as other readings
from the church's spiritual tradition. Yet, even thought the renewal of the Hours is not
perfect, it has a number of distinctive features which reflect the goals of the Council: a
simplified and somewhat abbreviated structure; a vastly enlarged range of biblical and
non-biblical readings, the latter not only from the Fathers and traditional writers, but also
from modern sources; psalm prayers to give a Christian reflection upon the Old
Testament songs of praise; canticles from Scripture not used in the previous Office; new
intercessory prayers in litany form; wide flexibility and adaptability in the use of texts.
(From: "A call to prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours," U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.)
This brief visit to the history of the Liturgy of the Hours is intended to prepare the
parish for the season of Advent in which there is the plan to pray the Hours. The most
important point, however, is in the actual praying of the scripture in community at the
morning and/or the evening hour. You are invited to come and join the prayer of the
Church v
~By Fr. Dennis Lynch
rhythm. It seems natural to begin the day with a prayer of thanks for a restful, uneventful
night, as well as to ask God to bless the day; and when the day is done, to reflect on
one's activities, and ask God to accept our best efforts and forgive our failings as well as
to ask God to bless our sleeping. Morning and Evening prayer have been called the
"hinge hours" because they lead us in and out of our daily living. For some, the daily
habit of prayer also includes blessings at meals and quiet, reflective times of meditation.
This natural, daily regimen of personal prayer is reflected in the Church's communal
prayer, commonly known as The Liturgy of the Hours and The Divine Office. (Clerics
refer to it as the "breviary" which describes their book of prayers.) The Liturgy of the
Hours, together with the sacraments, are the way the Church heeds St. Paul's challenge
to "Pray without ceasing!" (IThes. 5:17). This hourly prayer is meant to sanctify the day
and be a source of strength and blessing for those who pray it.
Most Catholics are aware that the Liturgy of the Hours is what the priest and deacon
pray each day, as well as religious communities. Some Catholics may also have
experienced this prayer in their parishes or other gatherings. Members of St. Stan's
began to experience the Liturgy of the Hours in the late 70’s. This renewal of the Liturgy
of the Hours in parishes was part of the liturgical renewal generated by the Second
Vatican Council. The Council directed that a thorough reform of the Liturgy of the Hours
was to take place in order for it to better express the sanctification of time, to compliment
the contemporary schedule of pastoral ministers, and to be more attractive for laity to
pray.
As much of the liturgical renewal, the final form of the Liturgy of Hours is an
expression of compromise - i.e., while there was the hope that the style of the Hours
would be adapted to a non-monastic setting, the final forms reflect a monastic form of
antiphonal prayer; but there was the addition of more scripture as well as other readings
from the church's spiritual tradition. Yet, even thought the renewal of the Hours is not
perfect, it has a number of distinctive features which reflect the goals of the Council: a
simplified and somewhat abbreviated structure; a vastly enlarged range of biblical and
non-biblical readings, the latter not only from the Fathers and traditional writers, but also
from modern sources; psalm prayers to give a Christian reflection upon the Old
Testament songs of praise; canticles from Scripture not used in the previous Office; new
intercessory prayers in litany form; wide flexibility and adaptability in the use of texts.
(From: "A call to prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours," U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.)
This brief visit to the history of the Liturgy of the Hours is intended to prepare the
parish for the season of Advent in which there is the plan to pray the Hours. The most
important point, however, is in the actual praying of the scripture in community at the
morning and/or the evening hour. You are invited to come and join the prayer of the
Church v
~By Fr. Dennis Lynch
The Hinges of Prayer—Liturgy of the Hours