Liturgy of the Hours

I've been praying the Liturgy of the Hours for a long time - so long I can't recall when I started. And I do so not because I'm obligated to do so as a Secular Franciscan, but because now it is a habit, and if I miss a Morning or Evening prayer I feel buggy.

I pray Morning and Evening prayer and on the weekends the Office of Readings - I just can't find time during the week to pray the Readings - but I'm working on it.

My first exposure to Morning and Evening prayer, as I said a long time ago, was when I purchased a paperback book "A Christian's Prayer Book". It's byline is Psalms, Poems and Prayers for the Church's Year. I recently ran across this in one of my bookshelves and noted it was published by the Franciscan Herald Press - small world.

Years later, browsing in a St. Paul's media center store I ran across "Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours". So I graduated to the "official" text of the Hours. During this phase I was praying it on and off as I found time. I had not yet developed the habit. But I found it rewarding to pray the prayers of the church. I was one of many throughout the world praying the hours incessantly to our Lord. I was praying the same Psalms our Jewish brothers had some 3000 years ago.

I guess it was around the time I was discerning to become a Franciscan that I obtained the one volume of the Hours for Franciscans that included the proper of Franciscan Saints. And soon I obtained the four volumes which included the Office of Readings.

I would encourage everyone to get into the habit of praying the Hours. It does take some time finding the time and getting into the habit. But I find it very rewarding.

Wikipedia Article here:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liturgy_of_the_Hours

Franciscan Resources has the Franciscan Liturgy of the Hours here:
http://franciscanresources.com/store/category/ao3g/Franciscan_Prayer_Books_and_Books_About_Prayer.html