The breviary, or the liturgical book containing the Liturgy of the Hours, is seen in this illustration photo (CNS photo/Bob Roller)
By Joe Laramie, S.J.
Jun 7 2023
Another busy day: Zooms, meetings, emails and two Masses. I squeezed in a quick run before lunch. After dinner in my Jesuit community, I am in my room, sitting in my recliner, watching the sun go down. It is time for morning prayer. “Lord open my lips, and my mouth will proclaim your praise.” Well, Lord, it is morning somewhere. In Australia, it is tomorrow morning.
An old teacher once said, “If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing well.” She was right. An even older Jesuit once said, “If something is worth doing, it’s worth doing poorly.” He was right, too.
This reflection is about praying the Liturgy of the Hours badly, but still praying it. Also sometimes called the Divine Office, it is a collection of psalms, prayers and other texts arranged for daily prayer throughout the church’s liturgical year. Morning prayer, daytime prayer, evening prayer and night prayer are meant to be prayed at particular times each day. Morning prayer includes an introductory psalm, a song, three psalms, a short reading from Scripture, the Canticle of Zechariah from Luke 1, petitions, an Our Father and a closing prayer. For convenience, these texts are arranged into a set of several printed books commonly called a breviary. And yes, there is an app for that: iBreviary.
Priests are called to pray the breviary five times each day. Many religious orders also pray it according to their own rules. Morning prayer takes about 10 minutes—eight if you are precise and efficient, and five if you rush through it. That is 13 psalms each day; it takes 45 to 60 minutes to pray it all.
Read full texts in America Magazine.
