Discovering the Breviary
A “New” Way of Prayer
The Breviary, also called the Liturgy of the Hours, is a compilation of prayers and readings which are recited by priests and religious at certain hours of the day
Last year, after the COVID-19 pandemic started, I discovered a new way of prayer — the Breviary.
The Breviary, also called the Liturgy of the Hours, is a compilation of prayers and readings which are recited by priests and religious at certain hours of the day. Through the centuries, different breviaries existed. Today, the Roman Breviary is the standard for the Roman Catholic Church.
The number of prayer times in the day in the Breviary has also changed. At one point in time, there were eight “hours”. Some of these have been suppressed since then. Now, priests and religious are required to say at least five of these prayer hours spread throughout the day.
Although the Liturgy of the Hours is required for priests and religious, I found it to be a good way of prayer for me as a lay person as well. Hence, I downloaded the app iBreviary and started with my prayer journey.
At the onset, I tried praying as many hours as I could. When we were in enhanced community quarantine, doing five “hours” was possible. Now that we are back to the office, I reduced my prayers to just the “Office of the Readings”, formerly Matins, and the “Morning Prayer” or Lauds on weekdays, and trying to complete five on Sundays.
I find these quite effective. On one hand, it provides you scriptures for meditation, for praise and for communicating with God. On the other hand, it also helps enrich your knowledge and understanding of the Faith.
It has been a good experience for me, and I hope that you too will find time to try the Breviary. Start trying the different “hours” of the day. See what makes sense to you. Then, embark on a journey to form a habit of prayer in a more structured way using the Breviary.
Ave Maria!
