The Monastic Hours: Directory for the Celebration of the Work of God and Directive Norms for the Celebration of the Monastic Liturgy of the Hours

Front Cover
Anne M. Field
Liturgical Press, 2000 - Religion - 52 pages

The liturgical prayer of the Church, and the monastic experience of it, constitutes a theological and spiritual value which is the legacy of all Christians. In The Monastic Hours, Anne M. Field, OSB, provides an accessible aid not only to the monastics of men's and women's Benedictine monasteries, but also to the oblates and friends of these communities to assist them in understanding the significance of the monastic Liturgy of the Hours.

In 1977 the Sacred Congregation for the Sacraments and Divine Worship approved a series of recommendations that ensured that the praying of the monastic Office would be in keeping with the norms of the Council and the Rule of St. Benedict, as well as with tradition and contemporary needs. These recommendations were published in 1981 as the Directory for the Celebration of the Work of God, along with a parallel document known as the Directive Norms for the Celebration of the Monastic Liturgy of the Hours. These documents are republished for wide distribution here in a second edition that includes updated text, a new foreword by Abbot Primate Marcel Rooney, OSB, and a new introduction by Ruben M. Leikam, OSB

This publication of the documents presents the theological and celebrative element of the monastic Liturgy of the Hours. Together, these documents will encourage many to love and savor the prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours. In that way they may promote a living and fruitful celebration, thus fulfilling the two-fold purpose of all liturgical action: the sanctification of men and women and the glorification of God.

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Contents

Abbreviations
6
Directory for the Celebration of the Work of God
20
Directive Norms for the Celebration of
49
Copyright

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Page 23 - In order to receive in our hearts the full sound of the voice of the Holy Spirit and to unite our personal prayer more closely with the word of God and the public voice of the Church, it is permissible, as occasion offers and prudence suggests, to have an interval of silence.
Page 46 - By the venerable tradition of the universal Church, Lauds as morning prayer and Vespers as evening prayer are the two hinges on which the daily office turns; hence they are to be considered as the chief hours and are to be celebrated as such.
Page 39 - This recommendation applies also to laypersons.120 C. Structure of the Celebration 33. The structure of the liturgy of the hours follows laws of its own and incorporates in its own way elements found in other Christian celebrations. Thus it is so constructed that, after a hymn, there is always psalmody, then a long or short reading of sacred Scripture, and finally prayer of petition. In a celebration in common and in private recitation the essential structure of this liturgy remains the same, that...
Page 20 - IMPORTANCE OF THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS OR DIVINE OFFICE IN THE LIFE OF THE CHURCH 1. Public and common prayer by the people of God is rightly considered to be among the primary duties of the Church. From the very beginning those who were baptized "devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the community, to the breaking of the bread, and to prayer
Page 49 - ... Sanctioned by ageold popular usage in the Roman Church, these canticles are expressions of praise and thanksgiving for our redemption. The antiphon for each canticle is indicated, according to the character of the day, the season, or the feast. 51. After the canticle, at morning prayer come the petitions for the consecration of the day and its work to God and at evening prayer, the intercessions (see nos. 179-193). 52. After the petitions or intercessions the Lord's Prayer is said by all. 53....
Page 33 - Christ in its objective reality, in the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ (Eph 4:13).
Page 22 - ... they should offer praise and petition to God with the same mind and heart as the divine Redeemer when he prayed. IV. PARTICIPANTS IN THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS A. Celebration in Common 20. The liturgy of the hours, like other liturgical services, is not a private matter but belongs to the whole Body of the Church, whose life it both expresses and...
Page 24 - ... by individuals, many of these parts are lyrical in form and do not yield their fuller meaning unless they are sung, especially the psalms, canticles, hymns, and responsories. 270. Hence, in celebrating the liturgy singing is not to be regarded as an embellishment superimposed on prayer; rather, it wells up from the depths of a soul intent on prayer and the praise of God and reveals in a full and complete way the community nature of Christian worship. Christian communities of all kinds seeking...

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