Customer Reviews

Benedictine Daily Prayer: A Short Breviary

5 star:		(19)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Overall I think it is really quite thorough and ought to serve for a long time to come.

Things I like:

1. The separate service for Vigils and Lauds; None of my other prayer books do this, and I like it.

2. The longer readings for Vigils and the non-Biblical readings;
there are some really great readings there from the Christian ancients.

3. The Psalter and supplemental psalter in moderately inclusive
language (but see below).

4. The hymnody integrated with the psalter (one less page flip than I was expecting to have to make!), with some really nicely written hymns. Many are English translations of ancient latin hymns.

5. Most of what is needed in the psalmody so that I don't have to
flip back and forth between the common and the psalter too often. I especially like the common canticles printed in card stock at the front and back of the book, making it easy to get to.

6. The faithfulness to the Rule's intention, though obviously updated in many ways.

7. The excellent cover, binding and 5 ribbons make it easier to use the book frequently.


What I'm not so fond of:

1. A fixed invitatory.

2. A fixed Compline. Because I tend to have the most time at night, and am in the most prayerful "mood", having a fixed Compline is very disappointing (though traditional). One thing I've done is that I supplement the Compline with the next morning's Vigils. That seems to work out well for me
since I don't have enough time in the morning to do both Vigils and Lauds. I sometimes use either Celtic Daily Prayer (Northumbria), The Rhythm of Life (David Adam), Hour by Hour (from the BCP), or the Holy Cross Monastic Breviary during Compline because they all have certain variations to Compline.

3. The "aid to praying benedictine prayer" in the opening pages and introduction is too short, repetitive, and really doesn't explain much for a person who doesn't already know how to do it. I can't overstate this. If you already know how to do the Liturgy of the Hours, you don't need this section, and if you don't, this section will not help you. You'll need help from someone who knows how to do it.

4. The calendar is very full. I don't use very many of these, because I find them confusing, disruptive and additional page flipping. On the other hand, for those people who really dig that stuff, this is a real boon for them. On the plus side, major feasts are printed in all caps, making it easier to pick those out. Also as a plus, the readings for feasts are wonderful. Flipping through many sections (Proper of Saints, one of 3 Commons, and Festival Psalter), is not fun at all.

5. The selection of additional prayers in the Appendix is much, much, much, much too short. In this regard, the Glenstal Book of Prayer, Work of God (Judith Sutera), Hour by Hour, and Monastic Breviary are all far better. I would have gladly given up a few pages of memorials to saints in favor of some additional prayers for occasions.

6. While significant effort has been made to make the work ecumenical, some additional work could have been done to make it more so. It is particularly uncomfortable for those who struggle with Catholic mariology. You'll also notice readings from books that some protestants consider non-canonical. That's okay with me, but thought I'd mention it.

7. The psalter, the supplemental psalms (available only for vigils and lauds), festival psalter and all others put together, still omit over 1/3 of the psalms. Including some of my very favorite ones. That's really too bad. It would have been better to include more psalms, over a 2-, 4- or 7-week cycle.

8. It contains no traditional nor contemporary confessional prayers. I ended up pasting one into the back of the book. I consider this to be a signficant omission.

This latest edition of the distinguished series of "Short Breviaries" ( a sort of oxymoron if you think of it) by St. John's Abbey is in some ways an answer to a need. The need for clerics, religious, and liturgically-interested laity to have at last an English language breviary with good English and a repect for Catholic and monastic tradition. Not here do we find that godawful "Morning; Mid-Morning; Noon; Afternoon;Evening;Night Prayers" but the traditional and already acceptably "Englished" Lauds;Terce;Sext;None;Vespers and Compline. We also find decent and pleasing translations of the actual liturgical hymns in the "Liturgia Horarum" NOT the gleanings of the 70's vintage LH which is still the only official English LH in the US. The Collects are also freshly translated in a more literal and beautiful English than we currently find in the official liturgical books. (On this, more anon.)
In short, is this the ( in my opinion) long-awaited death-blow to ICEL and its monopoly?
The book itself is literally and figuratively "handsome": it is pleasant to look at and fits rather nicely in one's hand.
It is in my view amazing for the richness of content that it manages to pack into one volume in comparison with the cumbersome and bulky 4-volume LH.

However...
For those (like your servant here writing) of a more traditional RC bent there are the occasional shocks. The new Grail Psalter with its "horizontal inclusive" language can almost make one laugh with its dextrous acrobatics to avoid at all costs the use of the dreaded word "man" ( a fault shared in other places in the Book); the "litanies" of the ferial office composed by members of the Abbey community that ( in my opinion) are at times a little too psychological and individualistic for a liturgical book; not to mention political ( are "we" REALLY fostering intolerance and violence? ); and the occasional "howler" of a Collect. A prime example is the Collect for the Feast of the Transfiguration, August 6th, which is more more about Hiroshima than Tabor.
There is also of course the question (forthrightly addressed in the introduction) of its non-canonical status for RC clerics and religious bound to the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours.
So, why do I use it, as dubious as I am?
Well, I suppose, just the sheer joy of finding an English Breviary that I can hold in my hand, can pray and not be ashamed of; with none of the sadly time-worn gimmicks and dishonesties of the 70's ICEL 4-volume "jumbos". Also, the traditional Compline, the daily use of the Gradual Psalms in the "little hours"; and reasonably sized readings in "Vigils".
I make up the defects for myself from the Latin LH and the "old Breviary" ( the "Preces feriales" cover all the territory nicely) when necessary; and leave the question of my "obligation to say the Office" to God and my confessor.
Since I got this Book I've almost never missed a day; more than I could say before.

Having prayed the official Liturgy of the Hours for four years, the general pattern of praying every morning and evening is built into me almost subconsciously. However, I do occasionally like to break with my routine to spice-up things a bit and come back to the LOTH fresh. Benedictine Daily Prayer is a nice way to do that. It's a fun way to keep my regular prayer habit while still trying something new and different.

What I enjoy:
1. BDP is beautifully bound with burgundy leather with the five color ribbon markers sewn right into the binding. This makes it more esthetically pleasing than my Christian Prayer breviary that is bound in vinyl with the ribbons connected to something that slips into the spine. The gospel canticles for lauds and vespers are printed in card stock in the back of the breviary, making them easy to find and unnecessary to use a ribbon to mark there place in the pages.

2. The hymns are original and often end with the same trinitarian verse and `amen', which I find to be a nice touch of monastic prayer. The structure of the psalter gives four psalms for each hour, which is a nice change from the usual three provided in the LOTH. It also has a good feel in the hands, a good sized type, and repeats the antiphons at the end of the psalm, preventing repetitive page flipping.

3. The scripture readings are from the NRSV, a Bible translation I have used for years, and is also part of why BDP is more ecumenical than other breviaries.

4. Uses the Sunday Gospel as one of the readings for vigils each Sunday, which I appreciate because I often like to read the passage before Mass.

What I don't care for:
1. The psalter is only one week long which means anyone using this breviary daily will probably want to graduate to a higher one at some point. There is a section for supplemental psalms to create a two week cycle of psalms but this is only provided for vigils and lauds. This repetition means BDP will probably never completely replace the Roman Breviary for me. However, the scripture readings are in a four week cycle and the antiphons for the gospel canticles, the intercessions, and the closing prayer are all in a two week cycle, preventing the repetition from getting entirely maddening.

2. Though I enjoy having the weekly Gospel passages at my fingertips, I would prefer if this volume didn't have vigils at all. For someone like me who usually only says lauds, vespers, and an abbreviate compline, the readings and prayers for vigils only take-up space. Without them the book would be quite smaller and therefore easier to handle and store and carry on trips.

3. Probably the most confusing part of this breviary is it's instructions on use. For someone starting cold on daily liturgical prayer a prayer partner would be needed to learn how to use this volume unless one if already familiar with the LOTH. Some of the closing prayers also have an awkward ending, with the last sentence being "This we ask of you." For someone who isn't used to the common liturgical practice of collecting prayers with "We ask this through your son, our Lord Jesus Christ..." this abrupt ending would be a throw off.

All in all I think BDP is a nice way to break from the official LOTH for those of us who are easily bored. It would also be a nice way to start the habit of praying throughout the day or something to try during Advent or Lent. I am still on the look out for a breviary that combines the seriousness of the Liturgy of the Hours but makes way for originality and contemporary language. BDP was a right step in that direction.

This is a very well put together Daily Office. As a parish priest in the Episcopal Church I appreciate its ecumenical sensitivity and traditional liturgical piety. The readings for the sanctoral cycle are superb: instructional, inspirational, theological and pastoral. They provide a great resource for daily preaching. A great find for all who wish to pray in the spirit of the Rule of St. Benedict.

If I were to change the book, I would have all 150 psalms included in the weekly cycle of prayer. I also would refrain from editing the psalms (the contemporary Roman usage eliminates the so-called "angry" verses and psalms from the liturgical psalter). This being said, I value the hard work of the Benedictine monks and oblates who made this short breviary for people who do not have the time to recite all 150 psalms in the course of one week and who might find "angry" psalms confusing and unsuitable for their personal prayer.

As someone with an abiding interest in the Benedictine rhythm of prayer, I've found this short breviary a useful tool for incorporating prayer and contemplation into my routine. The format is clear and much less confusing than more traditional breviaries; the propers for the seasons and saints are easy to follow with a little practice, and the Ordinary for the Liturgy of the Hours lays out the course of daily prayer in a clear, concise fashion.

I personally enjoy the inclusive language of the Grail translation, even if it does make the psalms less quirkily beautiful than they are in the KJV or RSV versions. I do agree with other critics that the Benedictus and the Magnificat are poor prosaic paraphrases of the elegant poetry of scripture, but it's easy enough to paste alternative versions onto the breviary's endpapers.

Prayer is work, and this short breviary helps make that work meaningful rather than merely frustrating. For those who find comfort in the structure of liturgy, this volume will be a welcome resource.

I was disappointed when I received "Benedictine Daily Prayer." I found the layout and typeface of this book less eye-friendly and far more complicated than either the one or the four volume editions of the Liturgy of the Hours. For a book of over 2000 pages, the selection of psalms is even more abridged, and certain of the "harshest" verses in some psalms e.g., 110 and 137 are censored without even noting it. Like most things in life, the page-flipping can be mastered, but if this is the only resource one uses for daily prayer a limited and biased view of God's word will eventually result as it violates the Benedictine principle of reciting the ENTIRE psalter over a period of time.

On the plus side, it does include far more readings, both Biblical and non-biblical, than the one volume LOH, including writings from and about more recent and even occasionally non-Catholic saints. The intercessions are more timely for 21st century Christians. This book could work for those who don't care about the abridged psalter and want an expansive selection of readings in one volume.

In short, I would use this as a resource for the readings and intercessions, and either a Bible or some other psalter scheme for a fuller psalmody.

The past seven years I have been searching for something to use for daily prayer that would join me with the community of believers who are praying the Liturgy of the Hours. Along the way I have found prayer books that work somewhat, but in Benedictine Daily Prayer I have found a home!

I learned to pray the Divine Office aka Liturgy of the Hours as a Benedictine, and although I left community life nearly thirty years ago, I have not abandoned my monastic roots and the pursuit of God. Benedictine Daily Prayer brings together the Day Hours and the Office of Readings into one volume that is easy to use and aesthetically pleasing as well. It mixes contemporary with the historically familiar to form a text that has dignity and has enriched my prayer.

One needs to adjust to the positioning of the ordinary and festal texts, but, quite frankly, I found that easy to do once I took the time to read the directions, no longer written in rubric red!

I have also enjoyed the simplicity of the The Glenstal Book of Prayer and use that as a traveling companion , when I am away from home. Here Benedictine Daily Prayer is my breviary of choice.

General comments: font is smaller than some might like or need. However, the book is imminently portable and a blessing to be all in one. Paper is of high quality, print is two colored, easy to read and the book is light weight. The leather is perfect, it lays flat in the hands.

Weekly Psalter: Benedict set up the Monastic Breviary to say all 150 psalms in one week. The night office has 70, 10 a day. Because Vigils are abbreviated and have only three psalms, the "supplemental week" provides the reader an ability to recite more psalms. For an Oblate this is a perfect there are not that many lay persons who have time for the entire Vigils office.

Canticles: Canticle of Zachariah · Canticle of Mary translation, sigh... I didn't care for them. For me I used the Liturgy of the Hours translation for 10 years, I copyied the Common Texts 1 card and cut it down to size and added it to this book. If you haven't used anything else, this probably won't bother you.

Proper of Saints: The Optional Memorials are reduced to a prayer, the readings for those Optional Memorials are not in this Breviary. However, a huge plus, there are Benedictine saints (i.e. St Walburga) and days (i.e. All Benedictine Souls) that you can only find in a Monastic Breviary/Diurnal. For an Oblate it is good because it focuses on the Benedictines. Much like the Carmelites or Franciscans who have their own Propers that they can use to augment their Lauds/Vespers.

Readings: Excellent! The NRSV is superior to the NAB. However, the readings do not correspond to the Liturgy of the Hours, or the lectionary. The bonus is the Sunday Gospel readings are the new three year cycle (A, B, C). This is wonderful. The reader is able to link the Vigil reading to the Sunday reading and a following patristic reading. The patristic reading doesn't follow the Liturgy of the Hours book, however it is a higher quality translation. Other than the Sunday readings there are two Scriptural readings, in the Hours book there is a Scriptural reading and a patristic reading. For an Oblate who might not be Catholic I see this as a bonus because it comes off as less "Catholic". For an Oblate, this fits so well with the Rule, and Lectio Divina. I love the Scriptural focus, it provides an opportunity to read more Scripture in daily prayers.

Overall: Well worth the price. Excellent Breviary.

Christians from the earliest times prayed the psalms--in Christ! Now with this updated version of The Short Breviary, Benedictine Daily Prayer sets out a way for the average Christian to pray through the Book of Psalms every week. I have prayed this book for a little over a week now and find it to be a great aid to praying throughout the day (seven times) and keeping God at the center of my life.

I am the author of The How-To Book of the Mass: Everything You Need to Know but No One Ever Taught You

A wonderful prayer book for modernity. As you can see from previous reviews, traditionalists are not as appreciative of this prayer book as one would hope, but it is not for us traditionalists as we are an esoteric culture now... it seems. I highly recommend this Prayer Book and am pleased so much so as to have ordered an additional copy. We use it in our home for family worship and will for years to come. It is very well made and the typeset is wonderful for my aged eyes. It is as stated, a short breviary, and is easier for our younger Christians to understand versus the Elizabethan English of our standard Prayer Book. All will be well pleased with this volume and its usage I would think. The volume accomplishes its goal...PRAYER! Honestly, what else really matters but to pray and to pray at the hours is done so much easier with this Short Breviary. I think all can benefit from its usage and ownership!
PAX