Liturgy of the Hours/Divine Office

The Prayer of All the People of God

The Transcendent Nature of the Liturgy of the Hours/Divine Office^[1]

This official liturgy of the Church is joining the angels and saints at the throne of God; it is Christ’s song brought to earth from the halls of heaven.

15. In the Liturgy of the Hours the Church offers to God “without ceasing” a sacrifice of praise., … it is “the very prayer that Christ himself, together with his Body, addresses to the Father. … All who render this service are not only fulfilling a duty of the Church but also are sharing in the greatest honor of Christ’s Bride for by offering these praises to God they are standing before God’s throne in the name of the Church, their Mother.” (General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours)

16. The Church unites itself with that hymn of praise sung throughout all ages in the halls of heaven; it also receives a foretaste of the song of praise in heaven, described by John in the Book of Revelation, the song sung continually before the throne of God and of the Lamb. Our close union with the Church in heaven is given effective voice “when we all, from every tribe and tongue and people and nation redeemed by Christ’s blood and gathered together into the one Church, glorify the triune God with one hymn of praise.”

“ … The Divine Office is the voice of the Church, that is of the whole mystical body publicly praising God, … the laity … are encouraged to pray the Divine Office, either with the priests or among themselves or even individually.” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy #99, 100)

This beautiful and powerful biblical prayer is quick and easy to obtain in digital form and is free. Particularly recommended is iBreviary: App Store or Google Play > search: iBreviary. Many Catholic apps include the Liturgy of the Hours in their content.

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Devotions

Rosary

Divine Mercy Chaplet

Scapular

Through the Scapular and the Rosary, Our Lady draws us to her Son and His promise of eternal joy. To all who embrace devotion to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is a promise of her heavenly intercession and protection in times of temptation and for Our Lady’s spiritual guidance in our daily lives.  “Let the faithful hold in high esteem the practices and devotions to the Blessed Virgin approved by the teaching authority of the Church. It is our conviction that the Rosary of Mary and the Scapular of Carmel are [effective channels of grace for the sanctification of the People of God.]”

The Liturgical Seasons

Advent Season

Length

4 weeks

Characteristics

Prayerful, joyful anticipation, hope filled expectation

Purpose

Preparation for the Christmas Season.

Basic theological meaning: 2 comings of Christ

• Christ was (primary), is (also important), is come (primary)

Primary symbols

Advent wreath (anticipating Christ) + 4 candles

1. Anticipates Christ light world coming Christmas
2. Progression 1,2,3,4 symbol of anticipation, preparation. Christmas, Christ, approaching, getting nearer.
3. Pink candle – Gaudete Sunday, gaudium, joy. 3rd Sunday.

Color

• Violet, color indicating preparation

Primary scriptures, main figures + main message

• Prophets: Isaiah primarily, Jeremiah, Barack. Conversion, personal + communal
• John the Baptist: Prepare conversion “ Prepare the way of the Lord…” straight his paths” “Reform your lives” “ Every valley filled, every mountain + hill leveled. Windings made straight + rough ways smooth” Let one with 2 coats give him one. One has food do same.
• Mary: (1) virgin conceived with power of the Holy Spirit.

               (2) model disciple “I am the servant of the Lord…”; “trusted that the Lord’s words to                                                 her would be fulfilled”

*Immaculate Conception Dec 8th Mary’s conception with no original sin in the womb of her mother.

• Our Lady of Guadalupe 12th of December.

Christmas Season

Length + purpose or relationship liturgical year; characteristics

1. 3 weeks more or less
2. Purpose: Remember + celebrate Christ’s birth + early manifestations^[2]
3. Characteristics: festive, hopeful, joyful, communal- meant to be shared, show love for others, inspired by God’s show of love for us in incarnation.

Basic theological meaning

1. The incarnation – the birth of God as a human being. The fundamental mystery of the christian faith.
2. But he is also born today, in our hearts.

Primary Symbols

1. The birth – symbol of the incarnation
2. The light: (a) In the northern hemisphere, days begin to lengthen around Dec. 25th. Symbolizing Christ the king of the world has come down to earth, enlightening the world with truth + probability of eternal life. (b)The Christmas lights- God has come to the world; the truth is with us and lives with us.
3. The Christmas tree- evergreen, symbol of eternal life.
4. The gifts- symbols of God’s gift of himself in the incarnation; his love for us; the love we have for one another.

Colors

White & Gold, indicating (a) festivity (b) purity – Christ and Mary

Main Scriptures, main festivities and basic message

Matthew and Luke – infancy narratives, telling of Jesus’s birth

The Sacred Family

The Epiphany – principal meaning of the incarnation, Christ the savior of all nations, all towns, the gentiles and jews

The Baptism of the Lord

Message  (a) the proclamation of salvation much later in Jesus’s life

                (b) Other events – epiphanies & manifestation that Jesus is the word made flesh

                (c) The passages of the closings of Christmas time show the fulfillment the advent                             dreams

Season of Lent

Easter Season

Length + role in liturgical year

[A week of weeks+1] It takes 50 days to celebrate the resurrection of Jesus + its implications for humanity, one week of weeks is not enough. We fast for 40 days and we feast for 50 days.

Characteristics

• Joy
• Spirit of new life + rebirth
• Hope

T.P

Principal Symbols

• The eight – celebrates time outside of time. A celebration that earthly time cannot measure.
• Length (look above)
• The holy water – as a reminder of the gift and compromise of our baptism.
• The paschal candle : Christ is the light of the world, the way, the truth and life.
• The flowers – festivity, new life

Main feasts and solemnities

• 50 days of Easter (a week of weeks + one day)
• The Ascension – the glorification of Jesus and completion of the Incarnation
• Pentecost – gift of the Holy Spirit to the Church

Color

White

Main scriptures and basic message

• Only the christian scriptures
• The eight : the gospels announce the resurrection by the an the history and the Christ apparitions of the resurrected Jesus. Easter Sunday and it’s eight celebrate the resurrection in Christ resurrected present among us as well.
• The Acts of the Apostles and the gospel of Jesus open life to the mystery of the resurrection.
• The mission of the community. One of the implications of the resurrection.
• The B.P.

Ordinary Time

Length + relationship to liturgical year as a whole

33-34 weeks. Thus could also be called  “Ordinary time” because they are numbered. Consists of the portions of the year between the major seasons.

Characteristics

1. Simplicity without the barrenness of Lent.

Basic Theological meanings

1. Not less important or “plain” in some way. Celebrates the mystery of Christ in total, does not emphasize an aspect of this mystery in particular (like in Christmas and the Paschal Triduum)
2. Celebrate the wonder and gift of time and the gift of salvation.

Main Symbols

N/A

Color

Green

Principal Scriptures and basic message

1. The public ministry of Jesus (followed in sequential readings throughout both parts of Ordinary Time)
2. The discipleship – the gospels are like a test or book about how to be a disciple of Christ.

Main Festivities

1. The Presentation of the Lord (lighting + blessing of candles) 2nd of February
2. The Holy Trinity 1st Sunday after Pentecost
3. The Body and Blood of Christ 2nd Sunday after Pentecost
4. The Transfiguration 6th of August
5. Solemnity of the Assumption August 15th
6. All Saints Day 1st of November
7. Day of the Dead 2nd of November
8. Patronal day of the Parish ( a solemnity that is during ordinary time)

The Triduum: High Point of the Year

Length and role in liturgical year

            3 days ( Triduum) beginning with Holy Thursday’s Mass of the Lord’s supper, reaching a climax of the whole liturgical year. It is to the liturgical year what Sunday.  The climax of the whole liturgical year. It is to the liturgical year what Sunday is within the week.

            We spend these days with Christ to serve, suffer, die and rise with Him. We enter a mystery that is sacred and outside of time. In these days the elect reach the climax of their initiation, i.e., their baptism, confirmation and first Eucharist at the Easter Vigil.

The faithful, those already baptized, complete and fulfill their Lenten retreat.

Characteristics

1. Not business as usual. Entire parish retreats from usual activities (including work on Good Friday- a witness to the importance of Good Friday and the Triduum.)
2. A spirit of prayer and reflection; includes fasting until the Easter Vigil (the paschal fast, a different meaning than the Lenten fast).

Basic Theological Meanings

1. Basic purpose of the Paschal Triduum – Christ accomplishes His paschal mystery to redeem us and thereby give perfect glory to God.
2. Not mere historical remembrance but present participation. The events are historical, therefore we cannot repeat or reenact them. What happened one time in history passes over into the mystery of the liturgical and sacramental celebrations of the assembly. They do not celebrate what happened once to Jesus but what is happening among us as a people called to conversion. They celebrate God’s taking possession of our hearts at their deepest core, recreating us as a new human community broken like bread for the world – a community rich in compassion, steadfast in hope and fearless in the search for justice and peace.

Principal symbols

Holy Thursday – the washing of the feet, representing humble service

Good Friday – the cross

Easter Vigil

1. The service of light, the fire: “ Christ our light.” Christ is the light of the world.
2. Length, Why so long? Nothing matters more than the mystery of the resurrection which gives us life in eternity.
3. The water – baptism, our passing through to life. Immersion Sprinkling.
4. The paschal candle – the presence of the risen Christ.

Colors

Holy Thursday – white

Good Friday – red

Easter Vigil and Easter Sunday – white

Principal scriptures and basic message

1. Holy Thursday, gospel the washing of the feet. (John’s account of the Last Supper – for him, the washing of the feet (symbolizing humble service) embodies the core meaning of the eucharist.) the institution of the eucharist and the priesthood. The commandment to love and serve.

                        1st reading – the Last Supper shapes the structure, content and themes of the                                           Christian eucharist.

                        2nd reading – the earliest account of the celebration of the eucharist.

2. Good Friday  The passion of the Lord – His suffering and death. God’s infinite,                                       unconditional love for us. The full ramifications of our sinfulness.

3. Holy Saturday  The Easter Vigil celebrates our belief in the resurrection, the cornerstone                           of our Catholic faith. The principal themes (readings 2,3,4, gospel): creation, covenant,                            baptism and the resurrection.

4. Easter Sunday The gospel of  John’s story of the empty tomb and Luke’ story of the                                      appearance on the road to Emmaus. The three readings: the resurrection of Jesus (the                                   nucleus of the Christian gospel, its implications for believers and hope of future glory                               and eternal life.) The resurrection of the Lord demonstrates God’s ultimate power over                                      all realities and forces, including death. By His resurrection, Jesus opens the door to                           eternity to all believers. The mystery of the redemption, initiated in the incarnation,                                      reaches its purpose in the resurrection. Faith in the resurrection is the cornerstone of the                                 christian faith.

Ranking of the Triduum

Transcends feasts, solemnities and holy days of obligation. The Paschal Triduum gives meaning and life to all feasts, contains the meaning of all days and times.

                                                            A Look At Lent

Length and role in liturgical year

40 days (Lk 4, 1-2)

Season of spiritual preparation for the celebration of the sacred Triduum, the high point

            of the church year.

Characteristics: baptismal and penitential

1. Baptismal: final period of intense preparation for the catechumens preparing for baptism at Easter. It is also a time of preparation for the rest of the community to renew their baptismal promises at Easter.
2.  
3. Penitential: we prepare for the baptismal aspects by focusing on repentance (true condition or sorrow for our sins coupled with a firm resolve to turn away from them). As a sign and expression of this we make Lent a season of self denial. We ask God’s forgiveness for our sins through the sacrament of reconciliation.

Principal symbol   The desert LK 4, 1-2

Color

Purple- in the tradition of the church, purple represents preparation and penance.

Principal scriptures and basic message

1. 1st Sunday Lent- the temptations of Jesus in the desert
2. 2nd Sunday Lent- the Transfiguration
3. 3rd, 4th, 5th Sundays Lent.- themes of repentance and renewal
4. 6th Sunday Lent- Palm Sunday
5. During the week, first half of Lent: the call to a life of gospel conversion (moral biblical texts that speak of beginning anew, of prayer, fasting and almsgiving, of absolute claims of love and justice over ritual and cult, of the call to holiness and so forth.) During the week, second half of Lent (begings Monday, 4th week of Lent): passages from the gospel of John leading to death of Jesus.

Principal feasts

1. Joseph  March 19
2. The Anunciation March 25
3. Palm Sunday – the celebration of the Lord’s entry into Jerusalem to accomplish the paschal mystery

Oración para adopción espiritual

Jesús, María y José, los amo mucho. Os suplico que salveis la vida de la criatura que esta por nacer, que yo he adoptado espiritualmente y que está en peligro de ser víctima del aborto.

Arzobispo Fulton J. Sheen

An Indian Prayer

O’ Great Spirit whose voice I hear in the winds, And whose breath gives life to all the world, hear me! I am small and weak, I need your strength and wisdom. Let me walk in beauty, and make my eyes ever behold the red and purple sunset. Make my hands respect the things you have made and my ears sharp to hear your voice. Make me wise so that I may understand the things you have taught my people. Let me learn the lessons you have hidden in every leaf and rock. I seek strength, not to be greater than my brother, but to fight my greatest enemy- myself. Make me always ready  to come to you with clean hands and straight eyes. So when life fades, as the fading sunset, my spirit may come to you without shame.

The Sharing

We told our stories – That’s all. We sat and listened to each to other and heard the journeys of each soul. We sat in silence entering each one’s and sharing each one’s joy. We heard love’s longing and the lonely reaching out for love and affirmations. We heard of dreams shattered and visions fled. Of hopes and laughter turned stale and dark. We felt pain of isolation and the bitterness of death.

But in each brave and lonely story God’s gentle life broke through and we heard music in the darkness and smelt flowers in the void. We felt the budding of creation in the searchings of each soul and discerned the beauty of God’s hand in each muddy, twisted path. 

And His voice sang in each story His life sprang from each death. Our sharing became one story of a simple lonely search for life and hope and oneness in a world which sobs for love. And we knew that in our sharing God’s voice with mighty breath was saying love each other and take each other’s hand.

For you are one though many and in each of you I live. So listen to my story and share my pain and death. Oh, listen to my story and rise and live with me.

Images of God

1: Nature is beautiful – the mountains, the forests, the birds, the lakes and the peace. An image of             God is nature. When we enjoy nature…

All: Lord, we experience you.

2: Our families and friends are very special to us. An image of God is family. When we share in their joy, pain and sorrow.

All: Lord, we share with you.

3: When we struggle with things in our life, we may need help in dealing with our problems . An image of God is counselor. When we receive help from others.

All: Lord, we receive help from you.

4: We search for answers for our many questions. You teach us to believe in you. An image of God is teacher. When we learn from scripture.

All: Lord, we learn from you.

5: When we are sick, doctors, nurses, medicines, and faith help us to heal. an image of god is healer. When faith helps us to heal.

All: Lord, you are helping us.

6: Our minds are logical. We look for the meaning of our being. We search, we ask why? An image of God is the purpose of life. When we accept faith.

All: Lord, we are accepting you.

Amen.

Votive Candle Lighting Prayer

Lord, may this candle be a light for you to enlighten me in my difficulties and decisions. May it be a fire for you to burn out of me all pride, selfishness and impurity, May it be a flame for you to bring warmth into my heart toward my family, my neighbors and all those who meet me. May it be an offering of thanksgiving to you for all you have done for me. through the prayers of Mary, Virgin and Mother, I place in your care those I wish to pray for. Especially ………. I cannot stay long here with you in your church. In leaving this candle I wish to give you something of myself. Help me continue my prayer In everything I do this day.

Thinking of You

May Jesus protect you inspire and direct you and keep every peril from you path afar. May Angels beside you E’er guard you and guide you.

God keep you, that no danger may befall: God bless you. In all things great and small. God love you with a love that sweetens all This day and every day.

Oración de Ofrecimientos

Señor Jesus:

Te entrego mis manos para hacer tu trabajo. Te entrego mis pies para seguir tu camino. Te entrego mis pies para seguir tu camino. Te entrego mis ojos para ver como tu vez. Te entrego mi lengua para hablar tus palabras. Te entrego mi mente para que tu ores en mi.

Te entrego todo mi ser para que crezcas tu en mi, para que seas tu, Cristo, quien viva, trabaje y ore en mi.

Te fresco esta primera hora de trabajo para tu mayor gloria y bienestar de tu Santa Iglesia. Amen.

^[1] From the handout Singing the Divine Office with the Mundelein Psalter by The Liturgical Institute, Mundelein IL

^[2] Therefore Christmas season is a primary season of the Church year.