And the laity, too, are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with the priests, or among themselves, or even individually” ( Sacrosanctum Concilium, 100).īut how does someone pray the Divine Office? Pastors of souls should see to it that the chief hours, especially Vespers, are celebrated in common in church on Sundays and the more solemn feasts. Since Vatican II the Church has continued to promote this practice and has encouraged the laity to join in this Liturgy. The time of day is less an issue for those in the world than it is for men and women of the cloister, who abide by a sacred rhythm of prayer and work. For example, if a parish priest is in meetings all afternoon and evening, he will pray Evening Prayer and Night Prayer immediately following each other before retiring for bed. Currently it consists of a four-week Psalter where all the Psalms are prayed throughout a period of four weeks (if all of the “hours” of prayer are observed).Ĭontemplative monasteries keep to this rhythm of prayer, while priests and other active religious tend to “clump” the hours together. The Church spread out the 150 Psalms over the course of these hours and eventually created a cycle of prayer.
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