If there's a time to incorporate the Liturgy of the Hours into your prayer routine, the time is NOW

 It has been a week since the authorities in Singapore have tightened movement restrictions in response to the pandemic. From being able to dine out in groups of 8, and from being able to gather with up to 250 people in our Churches for the celebration of the Eucharist, it seems as though we are back to square one. As much as it is not a full lockdown like we had last year (as we still can have up to 2 visitors to our homes each day), but with orders to work from home and to go out only for essential activities, it has left many of us rather frustrated with the whole situation. I have to admit, I was most upset when the Taskforce made the decision to order the gyms to close, as much as I understand why this needs to be done. 

As much as it is more than understandable that people are frustrated with the whole situation, I'm a firm believer in making lemonade when life gives us lemons. As much as it breaks my heart to know that I won't be able to celebrate the Eucharist with the Body of Christ on a weekly basis for the time being (as the number of required volunteers has also been cut), and as much as I can't gather with my community physically for our Friday sessions, I'd like to think that there are still ways for us to nourish our individual walks with our triune God. And one of these ways, which has been used by Christians throughout the ages, is by praying the Liturgy of the Hours. 

It's a pity that not many Catholics see the value in this wonderful treasure of the Church. Not many of us appreciate the beauty of this Liturgy, which helps to sanctify our daily work with prayer. Not many of us see the importance in having structure in our prayer life, which the Liturgy of the Hours certainly helps us with. Many of us are simply unable to find the time to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. 

The Liturgy of the Hours comes from our Jewish roots, and it is the prayer of Jesus Christ himself. It is also the highest form of prayer outside of the Mass, and together with the Mass, it makes up the official public prayer of the Church. When we gather to pray the Liturgy of the Hours, whether as individuals or as a community, we are allowing our God to reach out to us, and we reach out to his salvation in response. It is a wonderful treasure of the Church, which has been prayed by Christians for centuries. It encourages Christians to plan their day around prayer, not the other way round. 

Unfortunately, this wonderful treasure of the Church seems to have been swept under the rug. Perhaps it's because most parishes and communities did not gather to pray the Hours in the days before the pandemic. Perhaps it's also due to the fact that we have placed such a heavy emphasis on other forms of prayer and devotion, such as the Rosary or the Examen (which are wonderful of course, and I am in no way trying to downplay any of them). However, I can't help but wonder whether or not we have gotten our priorities straight. Surely, a Liturgy should take precedence over a private devotion? 

The Liturgy of the Hours is a prayer that constantly reminds us that the faith which we profess is not about us. There will be days where we simply do not relate to the psalms, or where we do not feel as though we are praying. There will be times where we feel as though we are simply "psalm spitting"and that our prayers are not as heartfelt as we would have hoped for them to be. This is part of the beauty of this Liturgy, that we are constantly reminded that it is not solely about our emotions. We are reminded that God does not need for us to cry to him with all our troubles in order to know what we are going through. Instead, we are called to unite our prayers together with the entire Church, to pray as one body of Christ. It reminds us that we are part of something which is bigger than ourselves. This is the essence of the Christian faith. 

Now that we are unable to gather weekly for the celebration of the Eucharist, I think that this is an opportune time for us to re-claim this wonderful tradition of the Church. With most of us having to work from home, and having the luxury of telecommuting when it comes to work, I'm sure that most of us have no excuse not to find the time to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. There should be no reason why we can't set aside 15 minutes to pray the Morning Prayer before starting the day's work, so as to consecrate the day to God. There should be no reason why we cannot set aside 6 minutes to pray the mid-day prayer, to ask the Lord for the strength to walk in his ways, before having lunch. There should be no reason why we cannot afford to spend 15 minutes before dinner to thank our God for the gift of the day through the Evening Prayer. And there should be no reason why we cannot spend 7 minutes before retiring to bed to close the day with our God and our Blessed Mother by praying Night Prayer. 

My dear friends, I know that I've written about this many times before, but I will continue to do so. The Liturgy of the Hours is a most wonderful treasure 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. 

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