![]() ![]() If the psalms are the gemstones, the different verses, hymns, and invocations of the Little Offices, Commemorations, and Litanies on the following pages are these precious stones’ settings. The repeated and rhythmic nature of these Hours trains the mind in attentiveness, attunes our whole being to the rhythms of the natural world, and urges us toward an expansive relationship with the divine.ĭrawing on their resemblance to the Liturgy of the Hours, the prayers here can be thought of like an ornate set of jewelry. Even those prayers that do not themselves contain the psalms are often intimately linked to them, because most are intended to adorn and resonate with the Liturgy of the Hours, whose very heart is the psalms. ¹ The psalms and their spirituality are essential to the prayers offered here. Saint Benedict says that the task of praying the psalms to God is so crucial to the Christian life that we should consider … how we ought to behave in the presence of God and his angels and stand to sing the psalms in such a way that our minds are in harmony with our voices (Rule of Saint Benedict 19.6–7). These forms of prayer, while sometimes unfamiliar to modern Christians, can still be great sources of spiritual nourishment, especially if they are paired with a mind attentive not only to the words but also to the quiet moments between the words, when the Spirit can intercede for us with inexpressible groanings (Rom. The monastic followers of Saint Benedict ( Benedictines) found the daily rounds of communal prayer of the Liturgy of the Hours so fruitful that they embellished and expanded them, adding other prayers that echoed the Hours’ rhythmic and embodied way of praying. As years passed, thematic verses, additional Scripture readings, and other elements were added to guide this prayer of the psalms for certain times of day, feast days, and devotions, forming what we call the Liturgy of the Hours. For hundreds of years, Christians who were trained in prayer turned especially to the psalms as to an unfailing spring of inspiration and refreshment, in the best and worst of times. These prayers come from the deep roots and flowering branches of the early Christian tradition. This book offers everyone and anyone a number of prayers from long ago-kinds of prayers that are now somewhat rare but were once the air that Christian communities breathed and that stood the test of centuries. And the silences that come between the psalms, between the hymns, between the words, are just as important, just as pregnant-perhaps more so. Praying the psalms and singing hymns can provide us a whole spiritual vocabulary, can train the mind and heart to focus on what matters, and can give us durable images to hold and offer up in prayer. ![]() These early teachers saw both forms of prayer as helping and supporting each other, not as opposed to one another. ![]() Origen, Evagrius, Saint Gregory Nazianzen, Saint John Cassian, Saint Benedict: these and many more taught that the most interior prayer passes beyond words and images, reaching to God himself. Just as surely, early Church writers described how Christians also pray beyond words, in the meditations of their hearts and the contemplation of heavenly realities. 13:15).įrom the beginning to today the words of the Scriptures and inspired songs-invoking lived experience in so many times and places and cultures-have given voice to individuals’ and communities’ thanks, praise, and reminders to stay on the Way (see Acts 9:2). 5:18–19), while the author of the Letter to the Hebrews exhorts us to continually offer God a sacrifice of praise (Heb. Saint Paul says to be filled with the Spirit, addressing one another psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and playing to the Lord in your hearts (Eph. FROM THE EARLIEST DAYS OF THE CHURCH, Christians have celebrated with their words the great works God has done. ![]()
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