Divine Office By the Book
Posted by DariaSockey in Faith on Wednesday, March 09, 2011 11:00 AM
Starting to pray the Divine Office these days is a cinch thanks to online breviaries. Just click and there you are: all the antiphons, psalms and readings for the day.
But suppose you are like me, and like doing things the traditional way. Or you’d like your Divine Office time to also be a time to rest your eyes from the computer screen. Besides, there’s that breviary sitting on the bookcase that you got years ago, and you really do want to learn what to do with it.
Rank beginners should start with the hour of Night Prayer, which is said close to bed time. Night prayer is a repeating 7-day cycle that starts with Saturday night (also called Sunday I. Sunday night is called Sunday II) and ends on Friday night.
Begin by making the sign of the cross while reciting “O God, Come to my assistance. O Lord make haste to help me.” and then saying the Glory Be. (I mention this because some breviaries doesn’t print this opening verse with Night Prayer.)
Skip the hymn—that’s for community gatherings. You then take a moment to examine your conscience and say an act of contrition. Next, there’s either one long psalm or two short ones. Read the antiphon, then the psalm, say the “Glory Be” (another thing they don’t print in the breviary) and then repeat the antiphon.
That’s the basic formula for any psalm or canticle in the Divine Office. Continue with the reading, responsory, Canticle of Simeon, and the concluding prayer. Conclude by making the sign of the cross while reciting, “May the Lord bless us, protect us from every evil, and bring us to everlasting life. Amen.”
That’s it. After a week or two of doing Night Prayer, you will be ready to learn more. If you need help figuring out the other liturgical hours, just ask me in a comment box here or over at Coffee and Canticles.
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