The Liturgy of the Hours and a Idea For A Retreat House should Spread

I think I share a a problem that most Christians have. That problem is keeping up a regular and productive prayer life. A prayer life that leaves me open to hearing God's voice and for me to converse with him. The rich treasury of Christ's Church as always provides the answer. That answer is the Liturgy of the Hours.

The Liturgy of the Hours(also called sometimes the Divine Office) is the pretty much the official prayer of the Church. It is quite ancient. The Church has been really trying to encourage the faithful to pray it. It is ironic but it seems the ones that are picking it lately are evangelicals and those other non Catholics. The Anglicans have always had a strong divine office tradition.

The Liturgy of the Hours is focused chiefly around the Psalms. The two hinges of the Hours revolves around the Morning Prayer and the Evening Prayer. The various other prayers during the day are great and especially the Office of Readings. But it is morning and evening prayer that are of the most importance.

When I was a new convert I had difficulty getting into the liturgy of the hours. This has a little to do with still adjusting to a liturgical life. However much of it had to do with my reaction to the Psalms. The Psalms are prayers and in fact are Liturgical prayers. But they are often some blunt converstions with God. I think at that point I had not "lived " enough out of my sheltered experience to appreciate the Psalms and have them speak to me. Needless to say, that has changed quite a bit for me since those early years as a new Catholic. I have had great ups and downs and now I realize why these prayers have been said by Christians since the beginning.

There is a retreat House here in the United States thats whole focus is the Liturgy of the Hours. It is fact their special mission. That place is called the The St Thomas House of Prayer. It is located in Pennsylvania. I am really struck by this place and what they do. One might ask if can succeed in Pennsylvania why not elsewhere.

I am not going to try to reinvent the wheel as to explaining the Liturgy of the Hours when they have done it so nicely. Here are a few pages to go look at their site.

Check out this page to get an overview of the Liturgy of the Hours and what the Church teaches about it.

To see a time frame of how the Hours are usually prayed go here.

Don't want to go out and buy the one volume or four volume set of the Hours. Go here and print out the complete hours for the day. Need Adobe.

The Liturgy of the Hours and how to pray it is often intimidating for new comers. The first key is to relax. God is more concerned that you are trying to reach out than you get everything right at first. I highly recommend you go here and get the excellent free materials on the Liturgy of the Hours. The file Discovering Prayer is great.

I might start posting on my prayer life and the liturgy of the hours. I shall also share what other insights Catholics and even what some non Catholics have as we are praying it togther. The great thing about the Liturgy of the Hours is that we are all praying the same prayers and following the same Church year together. It truly is praying as Church.