This kind of common prayer gradually took shape in the form of an ordered round of Hours.

The prince of the Apostles “went up on the housetop to pray, about the sixth hour” (10:9) “Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, the ninth hour” (3:1) “about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God” (16:25).Ģ.

There we read of the disciples gathered together at the third hour. These were seen by the Fathers as foreshadowed in the Acts of the Apostles. In the course of time other hours came to be sanctified by common prayer. Then, in different places, the custom soon grew of assigning special times to common prayer, for example, the last hour of the day, when evening draws on and the lamp is lighted, or the first hour, when night draws to a close with the rising of the daystar. The witness of the early Church teaches us that individual Christians devoted themselves to prayer at fixed times. The Acts of the Apostles give frequent testimony to the fact that the Christian community prayed with one accord. From the very beginning those who were baptized “devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the community, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers” (Acts 2:42). Public and common prayer by the people of God is rightly considered to be among the primary duties of the Church. The Calendar and Choice of Office or Part of an OfficeĬhapter V: The Rites for Celebration in Commonġ. The Intercessions, the Lord’s Prayer and the Concluding PrayerĬhapter IV: Various Celebrations Throughout the YearĬhapter IV-III. The Hymns and Other Nonbiblical SongsĬhapter III-XI. The Readings in Honor of SaintsĬhapter III-X. The Readings from the Fathers and Church WritersĬhapter III-VIII. The Readings from Sacred ScriptureĬhapter III-VII. The Canticles from the Old and New TestamentsĬhapter III-VI. The Arrangement of the Psalms in the OfficeĬhapter III-V. Methods of Singing the PsalmsĬhapter III-IV. The Antiphons and Other Aids to Praying the PsalmsĬhapter III-III. The Psalms and Christian PrayerĬhapter III-II.

Combining the Hours with Mass or with Each OtherĬhapter III: The Different Elements in the Liturgy of the HoursĬhapter III-I. Morning and Evening PrayerĬhapter II-VII. The Introduction to the whole OfficeĬhapter II-II. The Participants in the Liturgy of the HoursĬhapter II: The Sanctification of the Day: The Different Liturgical HoursĬhapter II-I. GENERAL INSTRUCTION OF THE LITURGY OF THE HOURSĬhapter I: The Importance of the Liturgy of the Hours or the Divine Office in the Life of the ChurchĬhapter I-IV.

Divine office psalter week