As Secular Franciscans, we are asked to pray, on a daily basis, the Morning and Evening Prayers of Liturgy of the Hours or Divine Office, which in Latin is Officium Divinum, and means Work of God. It comes in 4 volumes or 1 volume and is often referred to as simply the Hours or the Breviary and it is the official daily prayer of the Church which is prayed all over the world, marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer.
The Hours are actually a meditative dialogue on the mystery of Christ, using scripture and prayer. At times the dialogue is between the individual soul and God; at times it is a dialogue among the members of the Church; and at times it is even between the Church and the world. The Divine Office is truly the voice of the Church addressing her Bridegroom.
This dialogue, however, is always in the presence of God and uses the words and wisdom of God. There are five canonical Hours which includes sections from the Psalms. The five Hours of the Divine Office are Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer (which can be prayed midmorning, midday, or mid-afternoon), Evening Prayer and Night Prayer.
The Secular Franciscans are asked to pray only the two most important or hinge Hours: the Morning and the Evening Prayer. As you know, these include a Gospel canticle: the Canticle of Zechariah from Luke 1:68-79 for Morning Prayer, and the Canticle of Mary from Luke 1:46-55 for Evening Prayer. The Gospel canticle acts as a kind of meditative extension of the scriptural proclamation in light of the Christ event. Morning and Evening Prayer also include intercessions that flow from the scriptural proclamation just as the Psalms prepare for it.
In the Hours, the priesthood of
all the baptized is exercised, and this sacrifice of praise is thus connected to…. the sacrifice of the Eucharist, both preparing for and flowing from the Mass. The Hours, reveal more deeply the meaning of the mystery being celebrated that day and help prepare us for silent prayer.
The Morning Prayer is intended to sanctify the morning. It is prayed in the morning so as to recall the early morning resurrection of Jesus and serves to remind us to celebrate His glorious resurrection.
When evening approaches and the day is already far spent, Evening Prayer is celebrated in order that we may give thanks for what has been given us, or what we have done well, during the day. It may also be interpreted spiritually as the evening sacrifice that our Lord entrusted to the apostles at supper on the evening He instituted the sacred mysteries of the Church.
Liturgy of the Hours is not simply the prayers of individual Christians joined into one. Neither is it a corporate “prayer service” of many persons together. It is rather the
official prayer of the Church formally assembled; the prayer of Christ in the Church offering His “body” and “bride” to the Father in the Spirit.
The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the whole church. All who have been baptized in Christ are called to participate in this prayer of praise. By praying the Liturgy of the Hours we celebrate the mystery of Christ and his saving power. This public prayer is seen as a complement to the holy sacrifice of the Mass, which the “source and summit” of Christian life. It is a means of extending this worship into the daily rhythms of life, a way of praising God and sanctifying the day.
Becoming acquainted with Liturgy of the Hours is neither easy nor quick. It demands a degree of time spent in prayerful study. So, don’t be tempted to say, why add one more demand – life is busy enough - and find shorter versions under different names True, they are beautiful private prayers but they are not the prayers of the entire Church.
Unlike our own personal devotions and prayers, Liturgy of the Hours (4 volume) or Christian Prayer (1 volume) is the daily “liturgical” prayer of the whole church. It is not new; it has centuries of Christian tradition behind it. When we pray together, especially at the principal hours of morning and evening, we are united with the Universal Church across the
whole, entire world. By involving ourselves in this prayer we are reminded that Christianity is not a once-a-week experience, but a daily extension of the Mass and a living-out of our baptismal call which we promised at our profession.