Why I feel that all parishes should pray the Divine Office before or during the Daily Mass

I'm sure that many here have read my musing in February about the Divine Office, also known as the Liturgy of the Hours. Together with the celebration of the Eucharist, the Divine Office constitutes the official public prayer life of the Church. All members of the clergy are required to pray the Office on a daily basis, and lay people are strongly encouraged to do so as well. 

Not many parishes in our diocese pray the Office together on a daily basis. In fact, The Divine Office is often unheard of among the laity, and even for those who would like to take up the habit of praying it, many are not even sure how to get started. I've personally seen this, when the Circuit Breaker was implemented in April and I started an online initiative within my community, where we gather on an online platform to pray the Morning and Evening Prayer together. Many were unsure of the technicalities of the prayer. Many were unsure of when it was time for them to speak and when it was time for them to be silent, and allow themselves to be ministered to through listening. Most were unsure when to make the sign of the cross. 

I'm quite sure that this post is not going to sit well with some. However, like all my liturgical musings, this post is not an attempt to push an agenda within our diocese, nor is it meant to be a critique of the practices in our parishes. I would however like to raise awareness on this form of prayer, which is perhaps one of the best kept secrets of the Catholic Church. This post is based entirely on my personal opinion, and I stand corrected if what I write today is not in line with the teachings of the Church. 

So without further ado, here are five reasons why I feel that all parishes should pray the Divine Office before or during the Daily Mass: 

1. Priests are Required to pray it and it's meant to be a Communal Prayer:

On the day of their ordination, all priests and deacons take a promise to pray the Liturgy of the Hours on a daily basis. Most priests are cultivated with the habit of praying the Office as a community during their formation in the Seminary. However, the reality for most of the priests in our parishes is that once they are ordained, they usually pray the Office on their own. 

The Divine Office is the public prayer of the Church. Like the Mass, it is meant to be prayed with the Community. While there's certainly nothing wrong with praying the Office on one's own, especially if there's nobody around to pray it with, it doesn't make sense to me that priests who are required to pray the Office, are praying it on their own despite living together. Even if they have conflicting schedules, and are unable to come together for all 5 hours, I personally feel that they should at least come together for the Morning Prayer, the time of day when all of them are home, most of the time at least. Of course, this is not the case for all priests. There are parishes where the priests gather among themselves as brother priests to pray the Office. Priests from religious congregations such as the Franciscan Friars gather to celebrate the Office daily as well. 

Don't get me wrong, I'm not against people who pray the Office on their own, nor am I against the concept of praying the Office on one's own. After all, even if one prays the Office on his own, he joins Mother Church in her symphony of prayer throughout the day. However, by gathering to pray the Office with the Parish before or during the Daily Mass, this would aid our priests in keeping to their promise, and it would mean that there would always be a community for our priests to pray the Office with, even if the other priests are not around. 

2. It is the Highest form of Prayer outside of the Mass:

Many parishes gather to pray other forms of prayer before or after the Daily Mass. These other forms of prayer include the Rosary, the Divine Mercy Chaplet, the Examen, Praise & Worship, Eucharistic Adoration and the list goes on. 

Don't get me wrong, I am not trying to downplay these other forms of prayer which are done in the parishes. All forms of prayer are beautiful, and they are meant to nourish our walks with our God. I personally find that spending time in front of our Lord in the Blessed Sacrament is often a great aid to my spiritual life. I too make the time for personal prayer, outside of the Mass and outside of the Divine Office, and I do my best to do so on a daily basis. However, I don't think that other forms of prayer ought to take precedence over the Mass, or the Divine Office, which together make up the official public prayer of Mother Church. If we can make time to pray the rosary in our parishes, I think it's safe to say that we can make time for the highest form of prayer outside of the Mass. The Rosary is a devotion. The Divine Office is a liturgy. 

3. It is the Prayer of Jesus Christ himself: 

Like I mentioned in my previous musing, the Divine Office is also the prayer of Jesus Christ. The Divine Office comes from our Jewish roots, where the Jews would stop what they were doing at regular intervals throughout the day, to pray the psalms, which form the bulk of the Divine Office. Jesus himself was a Jew, and he too prayed the psalms at regular intervals throughout the day. 

By praying the Divine Office, we are joining with Jesus Christ himself in his prayer to the Father for the Church and for the world. How amazing is that! 

4. It Forms us by our Perseverance: 

Like I mentioned in one of my previous musings, prayer is an art of discipline. The Divine Office is a perfect example of this. For those who pray the Divine Office, they would need to stop whatever they are doing at fixed points during the day, for the purpose of prayer. By praying the Divine Office, the Church encourages us to plan our day around prayer, and not the other way round. 

It can get frustrating to pray the Divine Office, especially when the psalms do not relate to us. There will be days where we feel like we are simply "psalm spitting". However, if we are serious about taking up the habit to pray the Office, it forms us to be disciplined about our prayer life, and it will form our prayer life through our perseverance. It forms our spiritual discipline. In this way, Mother Church aids us to keep our relationship with God alive. 

By praying the Office as a parish, the faithful will be encouraged to take on the habit of praying the Office on their own, even on the days where they are unable to come to Church for the Daily Mass. Not everyone is able to spend time to commute to Church and attend the Mass on a daily basis, but everyone has 15 minutes to pray in the morning before work, and in the evening after work. Everyone also has 6 minutes to stop what they're doing in the middle of the day for the day-time prayer. And even if we have important matters that require our attention from the moment we wake up, I'm quite sure that everyone has 7 minutes before retiring to bed to pray the night prayer. 

5. It reminds us that not everything is about us, even when we pray: 

Let's be clear on this. Our faith journey is for us, but it is not about us. It is always about being part of the ONE Body of Christ, and knowing that there is something that is more important than us. 

The Divine Office is a clear reminder that not everything is about us. Like I mentioned, there will be days where we will be frustrated with the prayer, simply because it does not relate, or because we are tired and do not feel like praying. When the psalms do not relate to us, we are called to remember that there are other people in the world who are in situations that allow them to relate to those psalms perfectly, and we join these brothers and sisters in prayer as one body in Christ. When we are too tired and do not feel like praying, the Divine Office is a great way for us to pray, where we do not need to be inventive or imaginative. It reminds us that we are praying with the Church, and that we are part of something which is greater than us. This is the essence of our faith. 

The Divine Office is the official public prayer of the Church. It is the prayer of Jesus Christ himself. While most of us are not obligated to pray it, we are strongly encouraged to do so, and to join Mother Church in her symphony of prayer throughout the day, and throughout the whole world. And if our parishes were to pray it, more of the laity would come to know the beauty of the prayer of the Church. 

O God come to our assistance. O Lord make haste to help us.