Breviary Tidbits

Here is something I found at the pre-Vatican II Breviary.net. It is written by Fr. Pius Parsch, in the 1950s.

And yet priest, religious, or lay person could well find more than enough prayer formulas in the breviary that would serve admirably to clothe the spirit of his prayer; he could find satisfaction for all his prayer needs in their most ideal form, if only he would learn to pray the Office at the proper time and with the proper understanding. There would be no need for him to say even a single Our Father in addition to the Divine Office. The Office contains prayers aplenty, and as for content, which is the only really important thing, he can pour as much devotion and meaning into the prayers of the breviary as he is capable of expressing. If one feels the urge to spend more time at prayer, he can double the time of the Office with a slower, more meditative recitation. In our century we will have to relearn how to focus our prayer life on the breviary and on the psalms.

That paragraph is packed and solid with meaning. He makes a passionate case for the serious use of the breviary, and I have two out of three volume set, with Fr Parsch's meditations, published just prior to Vatican II. I first read it when I was sixteen years old. It made an impression on me, and taught me that saying the Liturgy was to participate with the Host of Heaven. It gave me a sense of the contact between myself and the invisible world.

You might think I would be more careful about praying the LOTH. Usually, around 2:30 in the afternoon I start thinking about Nones, very seldom do I go and pick up the book and say Nones. However, I do stop and remember God. If there are going to be moments of contemplation in my day, it is going to be at such a moment. What is needed is a discipline of picking up the book and doing it.

A friend once said to me that when you set a precedent of praying at certain times, you have made an appointment with the Holy Spirit, which knows when to find you in prayer. Not showing up for prayer is breaking an appointment with the Holy Spirit. When I keep that in mind I do not falter. But, boy, is it easy to forget!