It has been such a long time since I last posted on this blog, and my excuses are many. But like all excuses, none of them count like one good reason (or two).
I believe I resemble many people during COVID - finding myself in shock at first and then not engaging fully in life for a while, waiting for the other shoe to drop, and also letting a lot of "things" go (cleaning my house regularly was one of those things). In 2020, I also had yet another run-in with cancer that set me back for a good five months during COVID time as well. But my main reason for not posting is because I wanted my views on the death penalty and the sin of racism to be front and center on my blog site. And I'm glad that those who have been newly introduced to my blog wrote to let me know their feelings about these two postings...
However I've been feeling the pull to return to writing, as life has begun to pull me back into it: Completing my COVID vaccinations while my little corner of the world reopened. One thing that I did not "let go" during the last year and a half though was my prayer life. So I write today to tell you about an ancient and wonderful form of prayer that recently came into my life - The Liturgy of the Hours (LOTH).
As a beginner, I cannot give instructions, helpful hints, or ways to make following the breviary easier for any layperson; that is exactly what this posting is NOT. 😊 I can barely make it through Morning (Lauds), Midday (Sext), Evening (Vespers) and Night Prayer (Compline) myself - and not at all in the length of time that the seasoned prayers of the LOTH claim it takes for them to read and chant these beautiful psalms and canticles. But I made sure that I was firm in my decision to these prayer times before making the monetary commitment to the four volumes.
All that I needed was to find and recite the prayers for the 12th Sunday in Ordinary Time, and I was convinced that I would take the plunge into this devotion with heart, soul, and resolve! The length of the psalms and the readings and responses were not seen as daunting but an opportunity for me to dive deeper into time spent with the Blessed Trinity, knowing I was praying with and in Him who lovingly gave us the Holy Spirit who prompts us to pray. I discovered more about what it means to "pray without ceasing," (1 Thessalonians: 16-18) as the LOTH invites us to pray seven times a day. If I just pray the "Hours" three to four times a day, it gives me a strong sense of hemming in my spiritual life with small opportunities for grace sewn into the fabric of my day. By devoutly reading the Psalms, we all learn how we can turn to God about everything in our lives - or in other words, praying without ceasing.
I also love knowing that I am praying with "the communion of saints" around the globe. Over the course of 24 hours, there are millions of faithful people singing or praying the same hymns, the same Psalms, the same intercessions that I am praying. We are united in our purpose in praise, in furthering the Kingdom of God, and in knowing our Lord more fully.
Lastly, for me, I love know I am praying the words that Christ spoke Himself while on earth. Lest we forget, the 150 Psalms are the prayers of our Jewish brothers and sisters (who prayed multiple times a day long before Christians), and Jesus would have recited these same prayers and loved them too. He came to fulfill the words of the prophets and the Psalms. Jesus was so familiar with the Psalms that he spoke from them, even while dying on the cross. Knowing how the Liturgy of the Hours gives me an opportunity to pray the same words as the Lord prayed adds Truth and Light to my life.
Therefore, I will persevere with this oft confusing and sometimes downright baffling way to navigate through the breviaries until I am good at it, because the reward of the Liturgy of the Hours is already so consoling. My hope is that your relationship with God has blossomed over the many months of COVID. The complete slowing of our lives along with the whole world has been the perfect time to reevaluate what is important in this life and life eternal. If you avoided, barely missed, or survived the pandemic, I hope you'll see that now is a good time to give your heart to God in a new way.
💙
