How to Use the Liturgy of the Hours
The Roman Catholic Office of the Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship invites Roman Catholics to "pray without ceasing." The Liturgy of the Hours consists of prayers and spiritual readings read at certain times during the day and night. Use the single-volume or four-volume Liturgy of the Hours to pray with the Church, at Mass and individually, throughout the year. Pray the Liturgy's litanies and hymns at each designated Hour, leading you deeper into your journey of faith.
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Instructions
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Open the Liturgy of the Hours and familiarize yourself with the contents. Browse through the Proper of the Seasons located at the beginning of the book. Learn to pray the one-year cycle, beginning with Advent, continuing through Easter and throughout the periods of Ordinary Time. Review the Psalter, Night Prayer, the Proper of Saints and the Common of Saints.
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Review the hours. Find the three major hours: the Office of Readings, Morning Prayer and Vespers (Evening Prayer). See that the minor hours consist of Daytime Prayers and Compline or Night Prayer.
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Mark each day's readings with bookmarks for easy reference. The website Chastity in San Francisco suggests placing ribbon markers at the beginning of the Ordinary Time and Night Prayer sections.
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Follow the Catholic Church's liturgical calendar to guide your readings and prayers at home. Pray the Morning Prayer, a prayer of praise. End each day with an Evening Prayer, which is a prayer of gratitude, explains DivineOffice.org.
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Recite the components of each hours' readings and prayers. Recite, for example, the opening verse of the Morning Prayer. Read two psalms aloud, followed with a canticle from the New Testament and a Scripture passage, provided in the book. Read the Canticle of Zechariah from the Gospel of Luke, and pray the Lord's Prayer.
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