(This is the second article on the Liturgy of the Hours. Click here to go to the previous article)
At the November meeting we were talking about stability and obedience. The reason for praying the Psalms is because it is essential to the stability of your prayer life. The Church has often referred to the Psalter – the 150 Psalms of the Bible – as the “School of Prayer.” All Jews at the time of Jesus prayed the Psalms three times a day, morning, afternoon (3 PM) and evening. The Church continued that tradition. For centuries Benedictines and other Christians have found this form of prayer the most beneficial for the developing a relationship with God.
It also provides structure to our prayer and reminds us of the importance of keeping the whole day holy. Remember that the most precious gift we can give to God is our time. In addition, the Psalms of the Liturgy helps us to pray even when we do not feel like praying or cannot pray from the heart. But in this time when so many people are not at peace, where large percentages of the population are taking drugs for depression or various other stress related issues, perhaps there has been at “treatment” that has been overlooked. By praying the Office every day, issues that were of crisis proportions seem to take on new relevance as we offer them over to a power greater than our self to manage.
We are also reminded in the Psalms that problems and issues we face are not unique or new. The Psalms reflect the emotions of us all from anger to grief, loneliness to jubilation.
Praying the Psalms persistently will, over time, develop a sense of calm and peace. But it also brings to the forefront issues that you would rather not have dealt with within your own person. Since the Psalms are from the Holy Spirit he will often use them to stir within you thoughts and perspectives that you may not have thought of before. This is not something to be avoided but embraced, pondering the meaning not only during the office but throughout the day.
Finally, by following the Liturgy of the Hours, particularly as outlined in the Rule, we come as close as we can to joining our prayer with the entire Benedictine order and the Church as a whole. So take the time and learn to use the breviary knowing you are doing a “work” that is as old as the Church – “a work” that is distinctly Benedictine as well as Christian – and as you do remember always… Nothing is to be preferred to the Work of God. (RB 43:3)
