A Companion. Liturgy of the Hours:

Transcription

1 A Companion to the Liturgy of the Hours: Morning and Evening Prayer By Shirley Darcus Sullivan CATHOLIC BOOK PUBLISHING CORP. New Jersey

2 Preface The Church has extended an invitation to all people to share each day in its magnificent prayer, the Liturgy of the Hours. In earlier ages this prayer had the title of the Divine Office and constituted a duty (officium) to be fulfilled by those under religious vows. In our own time this prayer, made available in many languages, has become a privilege in which all can share. Yet the Liturgy of the Hours is not an easy form of prayer to adopt. Its structure is complicated. Its format is not quickly or easily understood. At first we need a guide in order to understand the sections of the Hours. Mastery of the format, however, comes after a certain time and we can with some sense of triumph realize that we can say the Hours. Say, yes. On the one hand we can expertly flip to the required sections. We can confidently face even a 5-ribbon day. We can join enthusiastically with others in a community recitation of the Hours. Praying the Hours, on the other hand, may be quite a different experience. Most who take up the invitation to share in the Hours will very likely say them in private. For people in this situation the Hours ideally will enhance their prayer life. There can be, however, a danger of rote repetition in the private recitation of the Hours, if carried on faithfully year after year. The Hours may come to be more a duty than a source of inspiration. Completion of the Hours may seem to be all that is required and to be somehow in itself meritorious. Sometimes too the mind may wander; the heart may be far otherwise engaged. The will may bring about the reading of the words but may not in any measure be captivated and held by the presence of God. 5

3 6 Preface What can help us to make the experience of the Hours prayerful? This Companion to the Hours hopes to show some ways in which this can be done. In its approach it will draw on the rich spirituality of Carmel, especially that of Elizabeth of the Trinity. The book will offer detailed instructions on how its contents can be used to attend the praying of the Hours. The discussions of the psalms, canticles, and readings will act as spiritual commentaries and contribute, it is hoped, to the depth and intensity of praying the Hours. The present Companion will comment on the psalms, canticles and readings in the 4-volume version of the Liturgy of the Hours (New York: Catholic Book Publishing Co., 1975), which is the official text for the United States and Canada. This Companion should also prove valuable to anyone who is saying the Liturgy of the Hours in the format presented by the webpage:

4 Contents Preface Introduction to the Companion Week I: Morning and Evening Prayer Week II: Morning and Evening Prayer Week III: Morning and Evening Prayer Week IV: Morning and Evening Prayer Canticles of Zechariah and Mary Select Bibliography Index of Passages Discussed

5 Introduction to the Companion AS we begin to say the Liturgy of the Hours we encounter a complicated structure. If we focus on Morning or Evening Prayer, we basically find psalms, canticles, readings, and intercessory prayers made for the whole Church. Our first challenge is to become familiar with these portions of the Hours until their structure is completely known and anticipated. Then we can begin to pray the Hours. In this Companion we will suggest three possible ways which can enhance our praying the Hours. These ways are possibilities only, and many other approaches to the Hours could similarly make them rich sources of prayer. What sort of prayer are we seeking? The Hours should provide us with an opportunity to enter deeply into God s presence but with a particular focus. Friend is to meet friend. We are to know who we are: human beings redeemed by the blood of Christ and called on a journey to be transformed into his image. But for all of us the way can be long, the progress, slow. Yet Jesus never stops summoning us to change and to grow: 1 Behold, I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my voice and opens the door, [then] I will enter his house and dine with him, and he with me (Revelation 3:20). If we are faithful on the road he has laid out for each of us, Jesus promises a new life within the soul. We are no longer to be alone. Instead, deep within, company will come and be our companions: Whoever loves me will keep my word, and my Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our dwelling with him (John 14:23). 1 All quotations from the Scriptures that are not found in The Liturgy of the Hours are taken from the St. Joseph Edition of the New American Bible by Confraternity of Christian Doctrine 1991, 1986, All quotations from the Scriptures found in The Liturgy of the Hours are taken from the New American Bible 1970 by the Confraternity of Christian Doctrine except for the Psalms, which are in the Grail version. 9

6 Sunday 2. Week II: Morning and Evening Prayer In the rays of dawn and sunset your radiant loveliness shines forth. I: Morning Prayer Psalm 118 As we begin our prayer of Sunday morning, our hearts thrill with the knowledge of our own salvation and with joy at the resurrection of Jesus. On one level, we can pray this psalm with our own voice. We address God directly and this brings us close to him. What we realize first is that God loves us always. The love of God endures for ever. We are so overwhelmed with this knowledge that we want to share it with the whole world. Let everyone say: God s love endures for ever. Once in the past God saved me from my foes; so he will do in the future: I am not afraid of my foes. I have learned to trust the Lord, not earthly powers. God is my best refuge and best source of strength. With this strength I became victorious, and now I want to sing. I recognize God s activity: his right hand raised me. I shall live. Yes, what has happened to me I may consider as a punishment because I have sinned. This I know. But death did not come. I am alive and can praise God for his gift of life to me. Now I have come to long for one thing: holiness. If I am allowed to enter, I will thank you! I address God directly, expressing my gratitude: you are my savior! I have been like a stone... rejected, but now I am like a corner stone. This change had nothing to do with me: 75

7 Sunday 3. Week III: Morning and Evening Prayer What joy can ever compare with the gentle touch of your hand? I: Morning Prayer Psalm 93 We begin our day with praise of God, praying in our voice and the voice of the Church. In the first and fourth stanzas we refer to God in the third person. In the second, third, and fifth stanzas we address him directly. Who is the Lord? He is king, robed with might and power. We speak to God, so grateful that he has made the earth and his throne firm. We need not fear because our dwelling place and the dwelling of God who rules us with love are not to be moved. Then we describe the essence of God: from all eternity, O Lord, you are. We speak of the waters, probably representing forces of disorder or chaos. These waters appear to challenge God but to no avail. We describe God as greater than any waters or surgings of the sea. Our God is glorious on high. We speak confidently to God. We can trust his decrees. We know that he is holy. This psalm confirms our confidence in God. We need not fear anything because he is stronger than all forces that could destroy us. We need not fear that the earth will be moved because God has made it firm. We can trust the law, the decrees, he lays out for us to follow. Most of all, we can ever revere God because holiness ever surrounds him. 123