Introduction to the Liturgy of the Hours
By †Gabriel Obiano, D.D. The Christian life is a life of prayer. If we speak of prayer as the breath of the soul, then the Liturgy of the Hours is the Church’s steady breathing—rhythmic, communal, and sanctifying. It is not an optional extra for the spiritual elite; it is the prayer of the whole People of God, ordered through the day so that every hour is touched by praise. In what follows I want to introduce this ancient practice plainly and pastorally: what it is, why it matters, how it grew, what it contains, and how clergy and laity alike can make it part of daily life. What is the Liturgy of the Hours? The Liturgy of the Hours—sometimes called the Divine Office, the Breviary, or the Prayer of the Church—is the Church’s official prayer, made up principally of psalms, canticles, readings, and intercessions. It is the voice of the Church rising without ceasing: morning praise, midday remembrance, evening thanksgiving, nighttime trust. When monks chant at dawn, when a parish pri...