The Prayer of the Church

Divine Office http://divineoffice.org/

It was once called the Divine Office. Its current title is the Liturgy of the Hours, and it refers to the Prayer of the Church. Divided into seven time frames, it means for its adherents to pray always.

Four books fill the need to provide for seasonal changes, such as Advent, Christmas time, Lent and the Easter season and Ordinary time. The change from Advent to Ordinary time is easy, because the close of the Christmas season opens with the first week in Ordinary time.

The change from the close of the Easter season to Ordinary time can be confusing, since Easter depends on the first full moon in spring. Hence, the weeks before or after this season isn’t always the same. This year, post Easter Ordinary time begins with the Eighth Week of Ordinary Time.

Confused? Here’s some help: http://www.divineofficefordodos.com/

The seven time frames for saying the Divine Office daily are as follows:

1.     Office of Readings—Intended for the middle of the night

2.     Morning Prayer—six am

3.     Midmorning Prayer—nine am

4.     Midday Prayer—noon

5.     Midafternoon Prayer—three pm

6.     Evening Prayer—six pm

7.     Night Prayer—nine pm

The longest of the prayers is the Office of Readings which contains extended scriptural and non-scriptural readings. Morning and Evening prayers are the hinge of the Office and include reading and general prayers for the church along with the psalmody, making these two prayers long. The shortest of the prayers are midday and night prayer. If the entire Office is recited from start to finish in one sitting, it would take roughly one hour.

The various hours once bore Latin titles like terce, sext, none, compline, etc. But as can be seen, it keeps its faithful praying throughout the day, and even during the night. Those under obligation sometimes combine hours when other duties call. http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/11219a.htm

Many religious orders require their nuns, brothers, and priests to recite this prayer which is so full of Scriptural references. In fact all priests are bound by its recitation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgy_of_the_Hours#Obligation_of_recitation