What is Liturgy of the Hour/ Divine Office?

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    Liturgy of the hour (LOTH) or the Divine Office is a set of prayer that is prayed by the Catholic Church including both the west and the east*. It is compulsory for clergy and religious to pray the Divine Office every day. 

    The Divine Office is divided into 7 part to be prayed throughout the day. The different religious status will have a different degree of praying the Divine Office. For example, A catholic priest is obligated to pray for all 7 parts of it while a religious sister is only obligated to pray 3 parts (Morning, Evening and Night prayer) out of the 7 parts. The 7 parts of the Divine Office marks the hour of the day and sanctifying the day with prayers. 

    The Divine Office mainly composed from the book of the psalm, hymns and other books in the bible. Although laity is not obligated to pray, the Catholic church encourages laity to do so, at least the main part of the prayers, which is Morning and Evening prayer.

CCC 1174  This celebration (Liturgy of the Hour), faithful to the apostolic exhortations to "pray constantly," is "so devised that the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praise of God." In this "public prayer of the Church," the faithful (clergy, religious, and laypeople) exercise the royal priesthood of the baptized. Celebrated in "the form approved" by the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours "is truly the voice of the Bride herself addressed to her Bridegroom. It is the very prayer which Christ himself together with his Body addresses to the Father.

 

Name of the hour of prayer

Time*

Office of Readings

First Hour of waking up (Around 7am or even earlier) / Midnight for enclosed community

Morning Prayer

Around 7 am

Midmorning Prayer

Around 9 am

Midday Prayer

Around 12pm

Midafternoon Prayer

Around 3 pm

Evening Prayer

Around 6 pm

Night

Any hour before sleep

 *The time shown is just an example, time of prayer is flexible and depends on the schedule of the work, as long as the prayers are said before the end of the day, it is fine.

* LOTH is more familiar in the Western Church, the Eastern Catholic Church pray something similar but it may not be known as LOTH. 


If you wanted to know the reasons I pray the Divine Office as a laity click here.


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