By Love Inspired or Duty Bound:
A Spirituality of the Divine Office
Introduction
When I told a parishioner the title of this work, she said
to me that it sounded like a romance. She is right. This is
a romance. It is a romance that is both deeply personal and
at the same time universal. There are only two types of
people who say the Divine Office - those who have to and
those who want to. This is not to say that those who are
obligated by Canon Law to say it don't actually like the
Office. Far from it. But it is a reality. This work is
perhaps a way to see the Office as a means of spirituality
rather than an as solely an obligation or a fleeting period
of piety.
To say that the Divine Office is a "Liturgy of the Hours"
(as its secondary title states) conjures up images that are
essentially ceremonial. I would venture to say that these
images are replete with chanting monks, ceremonies of
incense full-vested choirs, etc. This the public image of
the liturgy. And it is a wonderful experience whether it be
in a remote monastery or at a Papal Vespers such as in
Newark's cathedral in 1995. Many seminaries, religious
houses and even parishes regularly celebrate the Divine
Office in public with varying degrees of solemnity. One of
my finest memories of Seminary is the Solemn Vespers we
celebrated as a house in Advent and Lent. This form of
celebration can be said to be, with full accuracy, the
"proper" way of celebrating the Divine Office. But it is
not the usual.
To say that the Divine Office is a "private Liturgy" is
both a recognition of reality for most people as well as a
practical heresy to some liturgists. The idea that any
liturgy of the Church can be celebrated without a cast of
thousands or myriad committees is unthinkable in many
circles. For instance, the idea of a "simple Sunday Mass"
(read: without music) is an anathema. Even the most private
of religious moments, Confession, seems to be surrounded by
a liturgical celebration that calls for hymns, gestures,
numerous participants. I sometimes feel you walk into
church ready to shout "Lights! Cameras! Liturgy!" For
hundreds of years, it was not this way. The image of the
Divine Office is similar. It was Father walking up and down
the aisles of the Church with his Breviary, "doing" his
Office. Of course, the reason he was walking was to stay
awake since the priest in the busy urban parish was praying
what was then a lengthy monastic breviary. But said it he
did. And by himself.
While the Office today has been considerably shortened, Deo
gratias, most priests still say it privately. One of the
main goals of Vatican II's reform of the Office was to
shorten it for the sake not only of relieving the modern
priest of what - given today's demands - was becoming
excessively burdensome, but it was also clearly intended to
be accessible to the laity. This goal of Vatican II is not
realized. Unfortunately, I have rarely seen "Morning
Prayer" or "Evening Prayer" on a Sunday schedule and
attended with enthusiasm. In some places, and in parts, it
is and I salute those whose efforts and dedication have
made it possible.
So how does a priest, religious, or a lay person heed
Vatican II's call to this "Official Prayer of the Church"
given that the public and communal celebrations are not
[yet?] a vibrant part of the scheduled liturgies of their
parish? This work will attempt to answer this question.
First, we have to understand why we are not an "Office
Church" and thus, why we are not a community that strongly
feels the desire to pray in common in order to mark the
passing of time. Secondly, we have to appreciate what the
Liturgical prayer of the Office is apart from its communal
celebration. In making this distinction, we will have to go
the roots of our understanding of what worship is. Thirdly,
we have to consider the dynamics of the Office itself which
point to the heart of its prayer. Lastly, we need to come
to a practical appreciation of what this prayer is for us
and, thereby, for the Church.
The Divine Office is the circulatory system of the Body of
Christ. It carries the nourishment of the Sacraments to the
whole Church. In whatever form it is celebrated or even
understood, it is the song sung throughout the ages which
joins the grace of grace of God to creation. I am in love
with the Divine Office and it is not without seriousness
that I refer to my Breviary as my "wife." I hope this work
will deepen our marriage.
