General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours by National Conference of Catholic Bishops

(New York: USCCB Publishing, 1975), 108

My biggest takeaway from reading this is that I want to start praying the Office for the Dead on the anniversary of deaths.

"The arrangement for the reading of sacred scripture in the Office of Readings has taken account of both the sacred seasons during which certain books are traditionally read, and the sequence of readings at Mass. The reading of scripture in the Liturgy of the Hours is linked with and completes the reading at Mass; in this way the history of salvation is viewed as a whole." (143)
The missing "optional lectionary" from (145-152, 161, 250): Q. The General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours speaks of a “Supplement,” “Optional Lectionary,” and “special appendix.” Where are these to be found? - Adoremus
- "In the end, practicality won out and the new hour entitled “the Office of Readings” was designed to be roughly the same length as Morning and Evening Prayer, and it was limited to a single cycle of Scriptural and mostly-Patristic ecclesiastical writings."
- "The Holy See appears to be in the midst of preparing an official Lectionary for the Liturgy of the Hours and the day may arrive when those “missing” references in GILH nos. 145 to 152 and no. 161 finally have a concrete point of reference for the universal Church."
- Psalm prayers: "Hence, the Latin edition of the Liturgy of the Hours does not include Psalm-prayers amidst the Psalmody—but the Holy See hasn’t yet published the intended supplement that would make them available. However, those who pray the U.S. edition of the Liturgy of the Hours know that there are indeed Psalm-prayers interspersed throughout the four-week psalter approved for use in this country. This is because the International Commission on English in the Liturgy (ICEL) obtained a draft of the prayers from the Holy See and prepared translations, which were then approved for use by several of the bishops’ conferences that use ICEL translations, including the United States. The U.S. bishops have indicated that the next edition of the Liturgy of the Hours will probably not include these Psalm-prayers."
"The purpose of the second reading is principally to provide a meditation on the word of God as received by the Church in its tradition." (163)
"By constant use of the writings handed down by the universal tradition of the Church those who read them are led to a deeper reflection on Sacred Scripture, and a relish and love for it." (164)
Importance of hymns: "They generally have an immediate effect in creating the particular quality of the Hour or individual feast, more so than other parts of the Office, and are able to move mind and heart to devotion, a power frequently enhance by their beauty of style." (173)
"The observance of the complete cycle of the four week psalter should be dear to each one's heart." (252)
Singing in the Office: "One must strive above all to inspire hearts with a desire for genuine prayer and to show that the celebration of God's praise is a thing of joy (see psalm 147)." (279)

Topic: Liturgy of the Hours

Created: 2024-01-20-Sat
Updated: 2025-01-28-Tue