Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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68 of 68 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A Great Devotion for Christians, March 12, 2002
I am a layman who has been praying the office for about three years now, and have found that it does help you establish a prayerful rhythmn throughout the day and keep you mindful of God and your fellow Christians.This book has morning, daytime, evening and night prayers, with a compressed Office of Readings (you'll need the 4-volume Breviary for the full Office). It can be a little hard to get started with the Liturgy of the Hours, and some people may get frustrated. I'd suggest finding someone to help you get started--priests, deacons, and religious (e.g., nuns and brothers)all say the Liturgy, and some laymen too. Keep in mind that the Liturgy of the Hours has its roots in the Hebrew tradition of praying seven times a day, so this is a way to pray like Jesus and the earliest Christians. While traditionally the Liturgy of the Hours has been considered more the domain of priests and religious, I think it can help satisfy a much wider need. A lot of people (including myself) have a lot of respect for the rigorous prayer life of Muslims, who pray five times a day--and I think many want to imitate that discipline as well. This is a very old Christian discipline that may help people satisfy that desire, and I hope that more people will discover the Liturgy of the Hours.
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28 of 28 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Which one volume version is better?, July 1, 2006
There are two one volume versions of the office, this one by the Daughters of St. Paul (DSP) and one by Catholic Book Publishing Company (CBP). How to choose? Let me go through evening prayer on Tuesday of the 12th week in ordinary time comparing both volumes. CBP publishes an annual booklet that tells you what day it is liturgically and where to find the different parts of the prayer. There is nothing comparable for the DSP but I have never felt the need for it. DSP prints one hymn without music at the beginning of the office. CBP offers two hymns with music but you must go to the back of the book to find them. Usually people say the office alone and do not sing the hymns. As another reviewer states the DSP prints the antiphon before and also after the psalm. CBP does not. The psalm can continue onto a second page so if you repeat the antiphon (optional) CBP may require flipping back. Finally, for the Canticle of Mary CBP requires going to another page in a section called the Ordinary. DSP prints the Canticle of Mary right where you need it.
DSP has the psalter and a selection of readings of the Office of Readings. At least you can try out this particular office. The patristic second readings are worth browsing through on their own right. They used to sell a one volume office of readings which is now very hard to find.
I prefer the stiff binding of the DSP to the vinyl covered paperback style of the CBP.
Overall, the CBP may be a little easier for a person who is new to the liturgy of the hours or who prays it intermittantly because of the annual guidebook. If you want the music it's definitely the way to go. A person who pays close attention to the liturgical year anyway and wants to pray the office regularly may prefer the DSP - as I do.
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26 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Great edition, April 7, 2005
I have often admired the committment of Muslims, whose religious practice gives them a framework through which they pray five times a day, combining their scripture with prayers to God. They stop whatever they are doing, and whther alone or with a group, they pray and they know that everyone within their time zone is conversing with God at the same time each day. I only learned about a year ago that this ancient tradition is inherent in all Abrahamic faiths, originating with Judaism (being the oldest of the three faiths). The Liturgy of the Hours is the Christian format and tradition.
I prefer the Pauline format used in this book to that offered by the Catholic Publishing company, because I better understand when to include the antiphon. I found the book relatively easy to use for the prayers, becuase I acquired it within the Ocatave of Easter. But I don't know if I would have found the correct week if I purchased it outside of a holiday.
There is much information in this version as to how to pray the liturgy of the hours, but I have not figured out how to incorporate the non-biblical readings. I am sure there must be more information somewhere, but I can't grasp the chart, as there are not enough days for it to be one reading a day during the Easter season, and somehow they must repeat themselves.
That being said, I looked at the other one volume version (be Catholic Publishing Co.) available and this version is more user friendly. Still, I recently ordered the guide "Lord Open My Lips," hoping that it will enlighten me as to how to use the nonBiblical readings for the full devotion.
I feel as if the book has greatly enriched my prayer life. It did not take long at all to recognize the format for the prayers, and the daily selections are a good combination of petitions for help from and praise to God. I highly recomed that anyone interested in praying with scripture try this method of prayer. There is a comfortable feeling from knowing that when you pray these prayers, even though you may be alone in your room (but many Catholic churches offer the lauds prayers before mass each morning, so if you live near one and want to join in - ask they'll be thrilled to have you there), many, many people are praying them with you each day at the set times.
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