This shorter edition of Christian Prayer (which is the one-volume edition of The Liturgy of the Hours) has been drawn up precisely for this purpose. Contact with the riches of this liturgical prayer, which is pervaded by scripture, will give Christians authentic food, encourage them to do good, and unite them closer to the Church of God throughout the world. It is also a perfect means of putting into practice the word of Jesus "about the necessity of praying always without growing weary" (Luke 18:1). The Liturgy of the Hours, distributed over various periods of each day, is intended to sanctify time and work. The Church desires that wherever possible at least the celebration of Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer in public worship services should be encouraged. The Liturgical Renewal of Vatican II has endeavored to make it accessible to all Catholics by a simplification of structure. The Liturgy of the Hours is the prayer of the entire Church. The preface to Shorter Christian Prayer says it better than I can. You can pray the Liturgy of the Hours in a form that was intended for you as a lay person. If you are not an ordained priest or deacon, then there is no need to pretend that you are by burdening yourself with the obligation to pray more hours each day unless you simply want to, and have the time. But many Catholics who are in the "priesthood of the laity" simply use the shorter edition to make the morning and evening offering. These editions seem to have been made with clergy in mind. Regardless, I consider myself definitely in the "all days alike" camp, and prefer the simplicity of shorter editions of the breviary.īishops and priests are obligated to pray all seven hours of The Liturgy of the Hours, and deacons are obligated to pray certain Hours as assigned by their bishops, so the complete four-volume edition Liturgy of the Hours and one-volume edition Christian Prayer are what they need in order to fulfill their obligation. Let everyone be fully persuaded in his own mind. one person considers one day more important than another, while another person considers all days alike. I wonder if such people are included in the following description? A lot of people prefer simplicity over variety, and an unchanging daily routine over the disruption caused by special days. When I'm using a more complete edition of The Liturgy of the Hours, on some special days I have to flip back and forth between up to five different sections, sometimes for the sake of one sentence of text! I can't see the point. And these special days don't have as many options within them as the larger editions. Some shorter editions do have solemnities and some of the feasts. And it's those special days that really differentiate the shorter editions from the larger ones.
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I would call them "simpler but complete" editions that don't include as many options for special days such as solemnities, feasts and memorials. Nor are they "abbreviated" versions of the Liturgy of the Hours, as some have written, which seems to imply that they are lacking content and are therefore inferior to larger volumes.
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I would not dismiss these shorter editions as only for beginners, or as merely an introduction to the Liturgy of the Hours which will help you eventually make the transition to the "real thing" as some have claimed. These "shorter" editions contain all you need to continue the morning and evening offering of worship, and the Lord will "meet with you" and "speak there to you." Today the holy priesthood is comprised of all baptized believers. and the temple duties of the priests came to an end. The Temple in Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D.
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The Israelites could also pray at those times wherever they were, in union with those offerings. This morning and evening offering was made by the priests every day. Image taken from a 1849 illustration in public domain It shall be a continual burnt offering throughout your generations at the door of the tent of meeting before the LORD, where I will meet with you, to speak there to you. One lamb you shall offer in the morning, and the other lamb you shall offer in the evening Īnd with the first lamb a tenth measure of fine flour mingled with a fourth of a hin of beaten oil, and a fourth of a hin of wine for a libation.Īnd the other lamb you shall offer in the evening, and shall offer with it a cereal offering and its libation, as in the morning, for a pleasing odor, an offering by fire to the LORD. Now this is what you shall offer upon the altar: two lambs a year old day by day continually.