HOLY EUCHARIST
LAY CARMELITE COMMUNITY
of Rhode Island
LITURGY of the HOURS
The Liturgy of the Hours is intended to become the prayer of the whole People of God. In it Christ himself "continues his priestly work through his Church."
- Catechism of the Catholic Church (CCC) 1175
LITURGY OF THE HOURS
The Liturgy of the Hours is the Prayer of the Church and together with the Mass constitutes the Official Liturgy of the Church.
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With the assistance of the Liturgy of the Hours four volume breviary or the one volume Christian Prayer, Lay Carmelites gather monthly to pray morning or evening prayer communally. This is a response to the Churches wishes to restore the Liturgy of the Hours as a regular devotional life for all laity, as well as religious.
- Carmel's Call, Prayers/Meetings section
The Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office or the Work of God (Opus Dei) is the daily prayer of the Church, marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer.
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Each of the five canonical Hours (Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, Night Prayer) includes selections from the Psalms that culminate in a scriptural proclamation. The two most important or hinge Hours are Morning and Evening Prayer. These each include a Gospel canticle: The Canticle of Zechariah from Luke 1:68-79 for Morning Prayer (known as Benedictus), and the Canticle of Mary from Luke 1:46-55 for Evening Prayer (known as the Magnificat).