A Layman's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours : How the Prayers of the Church Can Change Your Life

by Timothy M. Gallagher

St. Paul exhorts us to “pray without ceasing” — a beautiful goal that sounds daunting, even impossible. But wait! These pages break open an authoritative, time-tested method that countless laymen still use today to pray with constancy and thereby soar to the heights of holiness. It’s called the Liturgy of the Hours. Also known as the Divine Office or the breviary, the Liturgy of the Hours is an important vehicle for advancing in the spiritual life — a step that any serious Catholic, with the help of Fr. Timothy Gallagher, can take today. Relying on insights from popes and saints, as well as on his five decades’ experience praying the Liturgy of the Hours, Fr. Gallagher opens your eyes to this spiritual treasury and shows you how, by means of its sanctifying rhythm, it will help you progress on your spiritual journey. Soon, you will be among the multitude of Catholics who pray the Hours daily and are richly blessed by the flow of graces these prayers yield. From the wise Fr. Gallagher, you’ll • The basic elements of the Liturgy of the Hours • How to incorporate them into your day, no matter how busy it may be • How the Hours will revitalize your daily prayers and prevent them from becoming routine • How they will extend the graces you obtain at Mass into your entire day • How praying the Hours with your family will link you more intimately to each other—and to the universal Church If you’re looking to invigorate your prayer life and draw closer to Our Lord in friendship and holy contemplation, discover the Liturgy of the Hours.

Genres: Catholic, Prayer, Theology, Religion, Nonfiction, Spirituality, Devotional

98 pages, Kindle Edition

Published March 10, 2019

Reviews

[booklady · Rating 4 out of 5]

Helpful background info for preparing myself for guiding Aspirants to a better understanding and appreciation of this wonderful prayer.

[Cameron Turner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Giving Lay People Permission

It was amazing to read testimonies of moms and dads like me who are still able to pray the Liturgy of the Hours. It gave me permission not only to pray them, but to pray as much as I am able as a father to a young daughter and another on the way. For example, I now listen to Evening Prayer on my commute home after work with the Divine Office app. Fr Gallagher painted a beautiful picture of this liturgical prayer and his own stories at times brought me to tears of consolation. This book has resurrected an old prayer habit of the Liturgy of the Hours and I am very grateful.

[Paulina Rae]

I had been wanting to start praying the diving office and this was recommended as a good starting point. I don’t really want to add a rating since I feel like this kind of book is more informational than stylistic. It was more than a bit sentimental at times for my tastes, but hey, it gave me the overview I wanted and had some good suggestions for digital resources.

[Jose Luis]

I'm in a reading-slump or something at the moment, so it's taken me forever to read anything lately. But it has been by no fault of the books I'm working on.

Father Gallagher's writing-style is highly readable, and I took away some good insights from his book.

Rather than a how-to guide, it is more of an exhortation to include the Divine Office in your life. I liked the explanation of how to pray/read a psalm in the concluding chapters. I used to be confused as to why some lay people prayed the Divine Office when I always thought it was only for the religious. It is now clear to me that Vatican II called for the laity to also include this form of liturgical prayer in their daily lives in whatever capacity they could.

Back in December I went on a short silent retreat with Regnum Christi. They gave us a retreat booklet with morning and evening prayers that I have been using ever since. They have helped me a lot, and I think I should keep doing these since they are proving to be very fruitful for me.

This book has encouraged me to start praying the Liturgy of the Hours, and noon prayer sounds like a good option for me. I'm already trying to do the Angelus at this time in the middle of my workday, so it'll be a nice addition and shouldn't take too much time.

So yeah, let's all pray the Liturgy of the Hours. :)))

[Mariclare Forsyth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book! Was hoping for a little more practical here's how to use the 4 volume LOH books, but I'm guessing I just need to invest the time myself.

[Blake Vajgrt · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great overview of Liturgy of the Hours. I think it would be a great study guide and component to a group beginning to pray LOH. I found that as a seasoned prayer of LOH that the Holy Spirit through Fr. Gallagher stirred up a flame of love for this Prayer.

[Pete Kieffer · Rating 5 out of 5]

BEGIN HERE

This is an excellent introduction to, The Liturgy of the Hours. It explores, what it is, background information, how the prayers are laid out, and the various ways to pray these prayers. It even has a section on how to pray the psalms. Recommended.

[Margaret Closs · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Overview

Great Overview and introduction to the Liturgy of the Hours. Detailed yet accessible. Good examples and explanations and good read

[Emmy MW · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just started praying the LOTH, specifically the Morning Prayer (Lauds) and the Night Prayer (Compline) using iBreviary, and wanted to read more about it.

Father Timothy did a great job in explaining what LOTH is, its history and the different prayers. He had a chapter for each of the hours, and I loved that he used a specific date with its Psalms in explaining how to go about praying each. His commentary on the Psalms mentioned were truly inspiring. The section "A Prayer of Praise", albeit short, was eye-opening, and the "But I Still Have Questions" dealt with the major issues most Catholics would have when it comes to praying the LOTH.

I wish there was a section on how to navigate the books (as I’m getting Christian Prayer soon) but I understand that it's actually best to have someone show this to you, or to watch videos on it. The section on "What Have The Popes Said" was also, to me anyway, not really needed.

All in all, this is a good resource for anyone thinking of starting the LOTH. It will really inspire a Catholic to start praying it, even if it means just doing one of the major hours:)

PS I'm currently reading Discovering Prayer by Seth Murray, which is a step-by-step guide, and it seems great so far! Here's the link to the PDF:
chrome-extension://efaidnbmnnnibpcajpcglclefindmkaj/https://prayer.rosaryshop.com/discove...

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very good book when beginning the Liturgy of the Hours, (or Divine Office as some still call it). I started practicing the Liturgy of the Hours last Spring after reading some things Bishop Barron wrote about this form of prayer. It's beautiful!

This book took me a significantly long time to read because of some real-life problems and difficulties, despite being very accessible. His language is very clear and easy to understand. I recommend it for those considering this form of prayer.

[Marilee Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

So much insight into using these prayers and integrating them into the lives of those that take it on. I love the voice and manner of Fr. Gallagher.
Liturgy of the Hours was traditionally considered only for Priests and religious. However, the psalms and canticles as well as scripture in small doses throughout the day has been revelatory for me in my life. And what I have to look forward to is that all this is a work in progress.
Shooting for Sainthood. Why aim low?

[Alicia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had purchased this book so that I could learn how to use the Liturgy of the hours.
The book was well written and mostly about the author's experience with the Liturgy of the hours. It was a bit of a how-to, but I am still a bit confused about the order of things.
All in all a motivational book which I will keep on my shelf and re-read. It gave me a sense of "why".

[Mae Clair · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative book and a good starting point to better understand the Liturgy of the Hours. I enjoyed the background on how praying the LOTH came to be, also the more practical aspects of application. Fr. Gallagher provided more than enough information to get me started and also added resources for deeper study. I walked away with a far better understanding and deeper appreciation of the LOTH.

[Hannah Garstecki · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not an extensive how-to, but more of an answer to "why" a layman should pray the liturgy of the hours. A very great brief introduction as to where the liturgy of the hours come from and why it is important. If don't know much about the liturgy of the hours and need encouragement to pray it, this is the book for you.

[Nathan Picard · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a very passionately written aide to anyone interested in deepening their prayer life through the liturgy of the hours. As you’ll read, the divine office becomes this approachable and adaptable form of individual, family, or group prayer that anyone can do! I highly recommend this book to anyone remotely curious about the liturgy of the hours; you won’t regret it!

[Duenas · Rating 5 out of 5]

CONCISE AND EASY TO UNDERSTAND

It took me awhile to get used to the flipping of the pages. But this book has helped me understand and appreciate the Liturgy of the Hours’ beauty and relevance in our prayer life.

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful

In my journey to a deeper relationship with God. I found father Gallagher book insightful and easy to understand. He provides a lot of information on how to start and where to find resources.

[Courtney Muller · Rating 5 out of 5]

Perfect for anyone wanting to learn and pray the Liturgy of the Hours

A simple yet comprehensive of the Liturgy of the Hours and a fantastic guide on how too. Highly recommend for new Catholics, and anyone wanting to learn.

[Kimberly Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Helpful and inspirational

Very helpful and informative. Author’s enthusiasm is contagious. Would recommend to anyone who wants to learn more about this prayer.

[Frank Aleman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Book

A very informative book! I was inspired to pray the Liturgy of the Hour, daily. It also offered another apps to download for more praying.

[Steve · Rating 3 out of 5]

I rated this book three stars, but I am not its target audience; if I were, I might have rated it higher. It is intended for newcomers to the Liturgy of the Hours (while I have been praying it for nearly forty years), and so it is extremely basic. As such, it provides a reasonably good introduction to the structure of the office, the mechanics of praying it, and to its spirituality.

[Billy · Rating 4 out of 5]

It is a good book for those who want to understand and how to utilize the Liturgy of the Hours. A simple yet, straightforward read that can be done less than two days, but as usual, I took my time and pondering on each chapter.

[Sandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Catholic tradition is so rich with beautiful ways to know, love, and serve God. I understand the Liturgy of the Hours more now, so it broadens my understanding of praying the Psalms and understanding the format of the Divine Office.

[Chip · Rating 3 out of 5]

I believe this book would be great for a beginner in praying the LOH. Part 1 is excellent. The remainder of the book is too simplistic.