Praying With the Whole Church: The Liturgy of the Hours

“Public and common prayer by the people of God is rightly considered to be among the primary duties of the Church” (Congregation for Divine Worship, “General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours”).

One spring afternoon during my senior year of high school, I found myself looking through a teacher’s box of “giveaway” books. Among the dilapidated hardback copies of Shakespeare’s plays and the occasional algebra text was a small, thick red book with tissue-thin pages. Printed in gold on the cover were the words, “Christian Prayer.” Intrigued, I took it.

I have been praying the Liturgy of the Hours ever since.

When we hear the word “liturgy,” most of us think of the Mass; but “liturgy” actually refers to the Church’s official public, worship — as distinct from devotional prayer (like praying the rosary or doing Ignatian meditation). The liturgy is comprised of both the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours: prayers prayed in common, officially, by the whole Church. All religious men and women and diocesan priests commit to praying Liturgy of the Hours daily. The laity are invited to join as we can.

Stemming from the ancient Jewish practice of praying certain prayers at fixed intervals throughout the day, Liturgy of the Hours is currently said five times daily. Historically, the hours of the day were marked by the prayers set for each. (Hence the name.) During Liturgy of the Hours, the entirety of the psalms are prayed in a four-week cycle, as well as many other passages of Scripture and readings from the rich theological tradition of the Church.

Here are three reasons why I love praying Liturgy of the Hours so much and recommend it to others:

1. Along with the Mass, it’s the best way to pray in common with the whole Church.

I live in London, and my loved ones are spread out over several continents and time zones. It’s hard to feel connected a lot of the time, but by praying together, no matter which “hour” it is for each of us, we’re praying in unity. Monks and nuns from China to Alaska and everywhere in between are praying the very same psalms, every day, together. The priest who says Mass locally spent his morning reading the same ancient homily that I did — and that every other Catholic priest on the globe has, too. It’s a real connection to the Body of Christ.

2. The Psalms are poetry for the soul.

Most of us don’t think of Scripture as poetry, but that’s exactly what the Psalms are: ancient Hebrew poetry. Unlike the Gospels, which focus on the Person of Jesus of Nazareth, or many of Paul’s epistles, which are heavy on exhortation and teaching, the Psalms offer up the human experience in worship of God. In them, you’ll find the full range of human emotion: anger, despair, sorrow, hope, joy, exaltation, victory — there’s a psalm for every situation. Angry at God? Psalm 13. Feeling surrounded by enemies? Psalm 10. Wondering at the glories of Creation? Psalm 148. Grateful just to be alive? Psalm 138. Pray the psalms often enough, and you’ll find that a verse or phrase burrows into your soul, springing up again just when you need it.

3. I don’t have to be inventive: I am taken up into something bigger than myself.

Personal prayer is essential to the spiritual life; simple conversation with God feeds and nourishes the soul. But my personal relationship with God is made possible through my baptism into the Body of Christ — the Church. Like the Mass, praying the Liturgy of the Hours allows me to enter into that communal life in a conscious way. It also helps when I find myself too tired for conversation, too worn out to think of anything to say. I don’t need to say anything at all; I can just let the Word of God speak to me as the Body of Christ prays together. It’s freeing to know that I am worshipping God, regardless of whether or not I feel like it, emotionally.

While I’ve never prayed all five hours in one day, over the years, I have found myself gravitating to particular times for different seasons of my life. As a graduate student, I loved joining others in the chapel for Night Prayer at the close of a long day of study. Starting my day with Morning Prayer before teaching classes really helped orient my work properly. Lately, I’ve taken great joy in soaking in the riches of ancient homilies and early Christian letters in the Office of Readings.

Currently, the Liturgy of the Hours is printed in a four-volume set of (hefty!) books. They are an investment, but they will last you through a lifetime of prayer. If you’re just getting started, the book of Christian Prayer that I found in high school is an abbreviated one-volume version that focuses mainly on Morning and Evening Prayer. If you like to pray with a device or computer, Universalis offers all the readings (and options for special feast days) online. The app is worth the cost, especially since it takes on the work of telling you which readings go with which days (a learning curve for the beginner).

Starting to pray the Liturgy of the Hours can be intimidating at first, but there are many helpful articles and YouTube videos available online that can help you out. Of course, the best way to learn is to ask someone with experience to teach you; any priest, monk, or nun can help! Some parishes and prayer groups pray Morning and Evening Prayer together regularly; perhaps you might even be called to begin doing so in your own circles. But whether you’re at home in your room or in the chapel of a monastery, the beauty of the Liturgy of the Hours is that you’re never praying alone.

Kerri Christopher is a life consultant. She helps individuals learn to discern well, discover their priorities, and make plans to move forward. From “what am I doing with my life?” to “why is my closet always a mess?,” she loves helping people sift through the tough questions by integrating the wisdom and truths of the Christian life with the best practices of human “self-help.” Kerri has both an MA and STL in theology and has taught at universities in the US and UK. With her British husband, she lives in London, where she enjoys discovering cozy pubs and beautiful architecture. You can find her online at Clarity Life Consulting.