Pray without Ceasing

The Church gives us a beautiful gift with the Liturgy of the Hours. The Liturgy of the Hours is a public prayer of the Church consisting of psalms, canticles, scripture passages, and readings from the early Christians. As the name suggests, it is prayed at particular hours of the day. There are 5 hours: Office of Readings (which may be prayed any time of the day), Morning Prayer, Daytime Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer. During seminary formation, seminarians slowly commit themselves to pray these hours daily because, at ordination, priests make a promise to pray these hours faithfully on behalf of the People of God. Following the Second Vatican Council, the laity is now encouraged to participate in praying the Liturgy of the Hours.

The Liturgy of the Hours is a response to the apostle Paul’s message to the Thessalonians, “pray without ceasing” (1 Thess 5:17). Obviously, Paul does not mean we must be on our knees all day in prayer, but rather, we should sanctify the day with a routine of prayer. The Liturgy of the Hours does just that! It allows us to pause what we are doing and spend some time praying with the psalms and reflecting briefly on God’s word. It may be a bit intimidating at first, but once you make it a habit, you begin to develop a deep love for the Psalms and Scripture. Maybe begin with just Morning Prayer or Evening Prayer, and if the Spirit moves you, add another hour to your daily routine. I encourage you to consider joining the Church in praying the Liturgy of the Hours and respond to St. Paul’s command to pray without ceasing.