Homily for 5th Sunday of Easter 2010

Prayer is love of God expressed in word, in song, in movement, in silence and in works of mercy. Prayer is love of one's neighbour in the same way. Prayer is simply our love finding words or not finding any words at all. Prayer bears fruit in loving as Jesus has loved. It cannot be put in a box. It is as varied as there are people who pray. Prayer is the Holy Spirit at work within us. This variety in prayer is found in our personal prayer and the Church's community liturgical prayer as well.

In view of the Archbishop's Pray 2010 program in July we began reminding ourselves of some of the varieties of prayer with an account of Taize prayer last month. This weekend we turn to one form of liturgical prayer, the Prayer of the Church, The Liturgy of the Hours, or the Divine Office, as it is called. This form of praying has a long history. At it's heart it is simply praying the psalms in a communal way. The book of Psalms in the bible is the Jewish prayer book. The Christian Church prays them in the light of Jesus' great prayer: his cross and resurrection.

The second Vatican Council wanted the Prayer of the Church to be more widely used. However, it was very much structured around the rhythms of monastic life and its daily timetable. An attempt was made to simplify it for the use of anyone. It was not entirely successful as it still has its challenges. Yet, it is a most rewarding form of prayer so that many people, both clergy and lay, find it very rewarding. Adrian will now speak to us of his experience of praying the Prayer of the Church. (Text of talk not included here).

For a link to an example of the Liturgy of the Hours in a Monastic context go to: Monastic Liturgy of the Hours

For the texts of this prayer for daily use see: Liturgy of the Hours

Fr Graham