Overwhelmed by the Liturgy of the Hours? Start With Night Prayer

[Michie]

So, you have a red leather-like Christian Prayer book, or the abridged version Shorter Christian Prayer, or someone bequeathed you the four-volume set, and you’re one of the many who has tried to figure out how to pray the Liturgy of the Hours yourself—and found it’s easier said than done. This convoluted way of prayer is best learned by praying together with people who already know how!

Instead of a normal book you could use a smartphone or tablet app, or you could order Word On Fire’s monthly booklet-format Liturgy of the Hours. And in all honesty, if you want to hit the ground running one of those may be the way. But what if you want to pray alone with the breviary (Liturgy of the Hours book) you already have?


I want to suggest that Night Prayer, a.k.a. Compline, is the easiest point of entry for learning on your own. If you later want to learn Morning and Evening Prayer you’ll grapple with quite a few more variables, but will build on what you can master while praying Night Prayer.

I’m going to explain for the person praying alone, but it can also be ideal for spouses. Unlike for the other hours that require you to find your bearings in the liturgical calendar and in a 4-week cycle of psalms, all you need to know to get on schedule for Night Prayer is what day of the week it is—though it helps to know that “After Evening Prayer I on Sundays” means Saturday night.

Continued below.
Overwhelmed by the Liturgy of the Hours? Start With Night Prayer

 

[BrAndreyu]

I need to start doing this. If I prayed more, I feel like I would be less stressed out about all of the horrible changes taking place in America and Europe. Problem is, I don't feel like my prayers are "heard" by God because I led a wicked life in my twenties and up until about two years ago.

I had periods where I tried to make Catholicism stick, but the doubts I have are simply too hard to be able to be like a lot of the people on this forum. The biggest problem I have is with the dogma that the eucharist is the literal body and blood of Christ, because to me it looks, feels, and tastes like bread & wine so unless Christ was a gingerbread man, I don't understand how I am supposed to believe that the eucharist is literal flesh and blood, because it's obviously not. I know that I am going to hell for this, and that's why I was crying at communion today and saying to God "Why can't you just make me believe this dogma the way the rest of them do? I need this to be real more than I need anything else in this world".

I just want to find the peace that other people have. I've been a catholic since I was baptized as one as an infant. I did first communion, I did confirmation (and then for whatever reason, had a flirtation with protestantism and evangelicalism that never really felt real either) so I always found myself back in mass on Christmas and Easter. I never bothered to experiment with any of the paganism nonsense that was popular among teens when I was growing up because I knew that it was absurd on it's face, but I've tried to make my faith stick many times and I always end up turning away and neglecting the things I am supposed to be doing because I am too in love with fleeting follies like music, food, and video games. I despise that about myself.

 

[RileyG]

I need to start doing this. If I prayed more, I feel like I would be less stressed out about all of the horrible changes taking place in America and Europe. Problem is, I don't feel like my prayers are "heard" by God because I led a wicked life in my twenties and up until about two years ago.

I had periods where I tried to make Catholicism stick, but the doubts I have are simply too hard to be able to be like a lot of the people on this forum. The biggest problem I have is with the dogma that the eucharist is the literal body and blood of Christ, because to me it looks, feels, and tastes like bread & wine so unless Christ was a gingerbread man, I don't understand how I am supposed to believe that the eucharist is literal flesh and blood, because it's obviously not. I know that I am going to hell for this, and that's why I was crying at communion today and saying to God "Why can't you just make me believe this dogma the way the rest of them do? I need this to be real more than I need anything else in this world".

I just want to find the peace that other people have. I've been a catholic since I was baptized as one as an infant. I did first communion, I did confirmation (and then for whatever reason, had a flirtation with protestantism and evangelicalism that never really felt real either) so I always found myself back in mass on Christmas and Easter. I never bothered to experiment with any of the paganism nonsense that was popular among teens when I was growing up because I knew that it was absurd on it's face, but I've tried to make my faith stick many times and I always end up turning away and neglecting the things I am supposed to be doing because I am too in love with fleeting follies like music, food, and video games. I despise that about myself.

It sounds like you are dealing with scrupulosity. I advise you see a priest to discuss your issues. Sorry to hear you are having a hard time. Remember in confession you are forgiven. In Communion, you are fed with the Body and Blood of Christ. Trust God and be at peace.

 

[RileyG]

I love Compline. It is short and beautiful. I am becoming acquainted with the LOTH again and am reading more about it. Thanks for posting this, Michie.

 

[BrAndreyu]

It sounds like you are dealing with scrupulosity.

No, I'm legit not a good person. Sins can be forgiven through the sacrament of reconciliation, but I just keep on committing them and I hate it.

I have way too much hatred and anger in my heart towards my fellow man, I am a felon because I threatened the CEO of YouTube over political nonsense, and I am a recovering drug addict who spent his twenties and thirties (until about 6 months ago) fornicating with women & consuming inappropriate contentography in a way that would make Mike Tyson blush. I'm also a raging hypocrite on pretty much everything (but most people are, according to my best friend). I'm way too attached to material possessions and money, and I have no wife or kids because I am selfish. Basically I had a lot of potential as a youth and then squandered it all on partying and trying to be a "cool guy" so now I am in my late thirties and realizing that I have absolutely nothing to show for my life and will probably be working at a no-skill, no degree job until the day that I die.

The one ability that I do possess is the ability to look back on my life and realize what I did wrong, and I use that to warn younger people against falling into the same trap that I did.