Since we're talkin' Catholicism (no worries, not evangelizing here) check this out.

[LG Gone Wild]

You might of seen or heard of it before but there are two programs, one produced by the BBC and the other, ABC (Australia).

 

A Benedictine abbey for men (UK) and another for women (Australia) have 5 outsiders live in the abbeys for several weeks.

 

I am too high on vicodin right now to describe my thoughts and feelings except to say yeah liturgy of the hours.

 

Here are some links.

 

www.youtube.com/watch?v=xkfvuA27ba4

 

and

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0uX4HXQDFcE

 

You'll have to keep clicking on the clips since the programs are split up.

[Parrothead]

That would be very cool to do unless it was a silent order.

[unsinkable]

'

[unsinkable]

The above post was me at a silent order. :lol:

[LG Gone Wild]

The part I found uplifting and interesting was the dispelling of the idea that St. Benedict's rules are irrelevant in modern society when in fact most of modernity, in fact, is what is irrelevant.

[WTMCassandra]

Thank you for posting this! I just finished watching the women's version and it was very good!

[Rosie_0801]

That would be very cool to do unless it was a silent order.

 

The Australian one was pretty close to a silent order. We only watched this series on dvd a few months ago. Intriguing stuff. :)

 

 

Rosie- could be silent, but thinks using Auslan would be following the letter rather than the spirit of the law :D

[MyLittleWonders]

Thank you so much for posting. I have this secret desire to be Catholic, and am finding The Abbey completely fascinating!

[cathmom]

The part I found uplifting and interesting was the dispelling of the idea that St. Benedict's rules are irrelevant in modern society when in fact most of modernity, in fact, is what is irrelevant.

 

Love that!

 

I just read St. Benedict's rules recently and they are most definitely not irrelevant.

[MamaSheep]

Thanks for sharing this. I'm just starting #9 of 12 of the women, and am finding it quite interesting.

[iwka]

I have seen these two series over Christmas. Pretty good.

 

There is one more done by BBC where people are gone only for a week to the monastery. it is pretty shocking to see especially atheists encountering God in silence.

The Big Silence

[LG Gone Wild]

I have seen these two series over Christmas. Pretty good.

 

There is one more done by BBC where people are gone only for a week to the monastery. it is pretty shocking to see especially atheists encountering God in silence.

The Big Silence

 

I should let ya'll know that I got those videos from Iwka via Facebook. Haven't got to the Big Silence yet.

[mom2a&z]

Thanks! I've watched the first video and can't wait to finish the series.

[chiguirre]

There's a movie about Carthusians that take a vow of silence. It's called Into Great Silence.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OYNVOY/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=6125971245&ref=pd_sl_40cgl30wgo_b

[iwka]

There's a movie about Carthusians that take a vow of silence. It's called Into Great Silence.

 

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000OYNVOY/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=6125971245&ref=pd_sl_40cgl30wgo_b

 

This movie can be streamed on Netflix. The story of making it is quite amazing, since it took 16 years for the monks to decide when to make this movie. It took 5 months (with breaks) to complete it, and for 4 months the director lived like an Carthusian himself.

 

It is 160 minutes of almost total silence (only one interview with an elderly and blind monk - quite moving), yet when the movie was released in France - people flooded movie theaters.

 

 

Movie's info

[MyLittleWonders]

I absolutely loved The Abbey. The nuns were amazing, and the show itself really made me think about some things (plus I finally got a better idea of the purpose of doing something like praying the Office seven times a day - the idea of putting aside what "I" may want to do at that time to serve someone or something else really clicked with me).

[MamaSheep]

I absolutely loved The Abbey. The nuns were amazing, and the show itself really made me think about some things (plus I finally got a better idea of the purpose of doing something like praying the Office seven times a day - the idea of putting aside what "I" may want to do at that time to serve someone or something else really clicked with me).

 

Speaking of, would someone be willing to explain to me what is meant by "praying the office"? I feel I have a roughly general notion of it, but would prefer actual information.

[LG Gone Wild]

Speaking of, would someone be willing to explain to me what is meant by "praying the office"? I feel I have a roughly general notion of it, but would prefer actual information.

 

http://divineoffice.org

 

The Divine Office or Liturgy of the Hours.. it is the practice of praying several times a day. The religious (priests, brothers, nuns) are required to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. The prayers are in a set of books but the above link has it all on the website. It is a way to fulfill our duty to make God the center of our day, our existence; to lead a prayerful life.

 

Several of us on the board have started.

[iwka]

Speaking of, would someone be willing to explain to me what is meant by "praying the office"? I feel I have a roughly general notion of it, but would prefer actual information.

 

Historically, it came from the early Christians (Apostles in the Bible) praying in the Temple during the hours prescribed for prayer. It evolved through the ages, but the main idea is to be united with the whole Church praying and meditating over the same Psalms and Scriptures (and Church Fathers readings if you pray Office of the Hours) all over the world few ties a day. This unity is like nothing else on earth, when you know that millions are joining in.

[MamaSheep]

Ok, so if I understand correctly, the expression "praying the office" just means participating in all the prescribed prayers at the designated times of day, right? And there are different prayers each day, but they're offered at the same times of day? Would a person who only participated in some of them also be "praying the office", or is that just when you do the whole series? Sorry, I'm pretty ignorant. I had a Catholic roommate for a while, but her religious practice pretty much consisted of attending mass every now and then on a Saturday evening, and she wasn't comfortable with questions, so I didn't ask much. I don't think I ever saw her pray at home. Is this something that is done only at church? (Praying the office, I mean. I know Catholics can pray anytime and anyplace they want, in general.)

[iwka]

Ok, so if I understand correctly, the expression "praying the office" just means participating in all the prescribed prayers at the designated times of day, right? And there are different prayers each day, but they're offered at the same times of day? Would a person who only participated in some of them also be "praying the office", or is that just when you do the whole series? Sorry, I'm pretty ignorant. I had a Catholic roommate for a while, but her religious practice pretty much consisted of attending mass every now and then on a Saturday evening, and she wasn't comfortable with questions, so I didn't ask much. I don't think I ever saw her pray at home. Is this something that is done only at church? (Praying the office, I mean. I know Catholics can pray anytime and anyplace they want, in general.)

 

Yes, you pray pre-written prayers, 90% of it are just Psalms and parts of Bible. There is a moment for spontanously offered supplications, and you sing a hymn (or a song) also. If you pray all of the prayers daily, you will pray through all of the Book of Psalms every 3 months. There are days that are consecrated liturgically to a specific feast for Jesus (like Christmas Day, His Baptism, Crucifixion), Mary, local saints, martyrs etc. and the Psalms and readings will correspond with it.

 

Clergy and religious, depending on their spirituality, order etc, are required to pray some or all of them. Lay people can choose and pray however many times they want. All of the groups of people, no matter how many parts, can say that they pray the Liturgy of the Hours. You can pray it wherever you are, with others or by yourself.

[MamaSheep]

Yes, you pray pre-written prayers, 90% of it are just Psalms and parts of Bible. There is a moment for spontanously offered supplications, and you sing a hymn (or a song) also. If you pray all of the prayers daily, you will pray through all of the Book of Psalms every 3 months. There are days that are consecrated liturgically to a specific feast for Jesus (like Christmas Day, His Baptism, Crucifixion), Mary, local saints, martyrs etc. and the Psalms and readings will correspond with it.

 

Clergy and religious, depending on their spirituality, order etc, are required to pray some or all of them. Lay people can choose and pray however many times they want. All of the groups of people, no matter how many parts, can say that they pray the Liturgy of the Hours. You can pray it wherever you are, with others or by yourself.

 

Thanks. :) I guess all I'm left wondering is whether partial participation could still be described as "praying the office"? Like, if someone said the first three, but then quits for the day has she still "prayed the office"? Does praying one time a day still fit that description as long as it's the proper prayer for that day and time, or is it just the complete cycle that is called "praying the office"? I pretty much understand about what the prayers are like, I guess I'm just not clear as to the precise meaning of the phrase, "praying the office". And I kind of feel like I'm not doing a very good job asking what I'm trying to ask...lol...sorry.

[iwka]

It does not matter how many times you pray a day, even if one, you can say that you are praying the LOTH.

[MamaSheep]

It does not matter how many times you pray a day, even if one, you can say that you are praying the LOTH.

 

Gotcha! Thank you. I think I've got it all untangled in my head now. I appreciate your patience with my ignorance.:001_smile:

[Soror]

Looks very interesting, thanks for posting!!!

[Georgiana Daniels]

Oh, boy. I can't stop watching! Very interesting, and makes me realize how I can be more diligent in certain areas. But no way--NO WAY--can I give up the cell phone.;)

[iwka]

The Australian one was pretty close to a silent order. We only watched this series on dvd a few months ago. Intriguing stuff. :)

 

 

Rosie, what was intriguing?

[Rosie_0801]

Rosie, what was intriguing?

 

Well, it's a window into someone else's world; a sphere I am not part of, isn't it? We used to drive past an old monastery (now a Catholic school) frequently when I was young and I didn't have any information that could allow me to imagine how life might have been in there. My grandmother used to see the novice nuns change in demeanor as they progressed through their, well, it's not studies, is it? I'm not sure what word to use. :confused: They used to walk past her house every so often, until they took their final vows, then they didn't go out any more.

 

Rosie

[KatieH]

I just read St. Benedict's rules recently and they are most definitely not irrelevant.

 

Ora et labora, how can you go wrong with that? :)

[ElizaG]

The Liturgy of the Hours is the standard form of the Divine Office in the Latin Rite (i.e., for Western Catholics). At the same time, there are various other approved offices, some of them quite ancient, that are based on the Divine Office. These are also part of the public prayer of the Catholic Church, as stated in Sacrosanctum Concilium, par. 98.

 

The Little Office of the Blessed Virgin Mary is the best known of these "lesser offices." For over a thousand years, the Little Office has been prayed by many devout lay people as well as consecrated religious. People who wear the brown scapular, a very popular Carmelite devotion, have traditionally been expected to pray it daily (though priests these days will typically give them the option of saying the rosary instead).

 

In medieval times, the Little Office made up the main part of a prayer book called the "Book of Hours." The Book of Hours, also known as the Primer, was hugely popular. Rich people often had beautifully illustrated versions, and images from these are still enjoyed in our own times as masterpieces of sacred art. As printing and paper became cheaper, middle-class and poor families could also afford copies, and this was often the only book they owned. It was also the book from which children or adults would learn to read (in Latin, which was the language of literate people). This is where we get our modern use of the word "primer" for any beginner's textbook.

 

As far as I can tell, the Little Office doesn't take "littler" time to pray than the Liturgy of the Hours. It's just printed in a much smaller book, and is simpler to learn, because the prayers and readings are repeated from one week to the next. The readings for the LotH vary a lot more, so it's quite a substantial set of books. (It should really be even bigger than it is. To meet a printing deadline, they had to cut down drastically on the amount of material, making it into a 1-year cycle of readings instead of the 2-year cycle that was originally intended. This is going to be fixed at some point, but as of 40 years later, the only full edition that's been released is the Latin American Spanish one. The Vatican isn't known for hurrying. ;) Hopefully, when they get around to the English version, they'll also improve on the rather uninspiring 1970's translation.)

 

Protestants would likely be more comfortable with the LotH, because it has fewer Marian references. As for lay Catholics, it's a matter of personal devotional preference as to whether to use the LotH, the Little Office, or some other approved version. At the same time, there are many lay Catholics who don't pray the office in any form, and maybe haven't even heard of it. (Although Vatican II encouraged greater public use of the LotH, especially in parishes, this hasn't been implemented in most places.)

 

The Carthusian monks, stalwarts that they are, pray both the Little Office and the Liturgy of the Hours. :001_smile:

 

Eastern Catholics have their own versions of the Divine Office. I think they're similar to (or maybe the same as?) the ones used by the Orthodox. But I'm not sure to what extent they're used by lay people.

 

BTW, it's my understanding that the hours, in whatever version, were traditionally chanted. It's quite possible for lay people to learn to sing the Little Office, especially now that Baronius Press includes the Gregorian Chant in their edition. I'm not sure how you'd go about figuring it out with the LotH, though. The books seem to be put together more with the assumption that it's going to be spoken.

 

Does anyone here sing the LotH, in Latin or English (or some other language)? That seems as if it would be lovely, if one could find a way to do it.

Edited January 4, 2011 by Eleanor
fixed url

[iwka]

We sing Lauds and Vespers. :-)

[ElizaG]

We sing Lauds and Vespers. :-)

That's good to hear. What language do you use?

[iwka]

That's good to hear. What language do you use?

 

English.

I pray the Office of Readings sometimes by myself in Polish.

[Cabertmom]

I think spending a month in an abbey sounds like Heaven (and yes, I am Catholic). Silence would be even better. That said, I keep comparing the idea to something like Survivor and thinking how funny it is that they are making a reality TV show out of living in a convent for awhile.

 

On a similar topic, has anyone seen Oprah's interview with the Dominican Sister's of Mary, Mother of the Eucharist in Ann Arbor, MI? Here's part II. I can't seem to find part I anymore: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=25sp-bEo6ng&playnext=1&list=PL44C69C64ED4072FA&index=1

 

I was actually really impressed by how well done this was--on Oprah's side that is.

[Cabertmom]

Regarding the questions about praying the Liturgy of the Hours, a lot of 3rd orders (lay people living out the charism of a particular order in the world) like the Franciscans and Carmelites and Benedictines take on the obligation/joy of praying morning prayer and evening prayer. Those are the two most major "hours." It can be hard to learn how without someone to help, but if anyone is interested in more info, feel free to e-mail me.

[FaithManor]

I once spent three days at St. Meinrad's monestery in Indiana doing research on Gregorian Chant. The library there is a piece of heaven! But, the whole experience, from a protestant perspective, was truly inspiring. I stayed in the guest housing and went to some talks lead by a priest who has been involved in restoring fragments of historical works and composing for the missing sections. I loved the peace, the devotion, the spirit, everything about it moved me and inspired me to walk more closely with Jesus...to seek Him more. Profound!

 

Faith

[tearose]

Does anyone here sing the LotH, in Latin or English (or some other language)? That seems as if it would be lovely, if one could find a way to do it.

 

I do Vespers and Compline in Latin, but I do the old version and use a Liber Usualis. Before I moved, I used to organize chanting Tenebrae (Matins and Lauds) during Holy Week. It was great, though brutal, to sing that much three nights in a row.

[Teachin'Mine]

The part I found uplifting and interesting was the dispelling of the idea that St. Benedict's rules are irrelevant in modern society when in fact most of modernity, in fact, is what is irrelevant.

 

Yes! Thank you so much for posting these LG!!! :)