This month's Bright Maidens blog topic is daily devotions. It's perfect timing because I'm in the middle of learning a new one. My in-laws gave us a copy of Shorter Christian Prayer for Christmas, so we're trying to use it together every day.Praying the Liturgy of the Hours together is something we've talked about doing for a long time. It seems like a good fit for us. I usually prefer psalms to the rosary. The Southern Baron has to make his own schedule while he's dissertating, so he likes the automatic structure of marking morning, evening, and night. Plus the vintage 1988 illustrations take us back to our childhood. Doesn't that old school CCD textbook vibe make you feel cozy and nostalgic?
It's easier said than done, though. There are a lot of different parts of the script to juggle. The opening hymn usually becomes a round of "let's sing along with a YouTube video." And even though this was my idea in the first place, once the novelty wore off I started to balk. Sometimes when my husband reaches for the little book, I feel like whining "Do I hafta??"
I'm glad the Southern Baron is more dedicated than I. He reminds me that if we stick with it, evening prayer after dinner will become part of our routine. Even if I'm reluctant sometimes, I know that talking to God is better than running on empty. Reciting alternate verses of psalms and canticles is a collaboration, and gives us a chance to work as a team. We hope that one day our kids will be singing the Marian antiphons along with us. And if they whine "Do I hafta?" I'll encourage them that it gets easier once you power through the doldrums.
I love the Liturgy of the Hours! One of my favorite experience of it was when I was staying at the house of a married deacon. He and his wife sat outside their son's bedroom door to pray night prayer. It was a tradition that started when he was a baby; now that he's almost ready to go off to college, they still do it.
ReplyDeleteI know it doesn't have the same feel as the cool little book, but I like the iBreviary app, because it compiles everything into an easy flow and I don't have to think about whose memorial it is or what feast is happening -- the app does it all for me. It doesn't sing however, so you would still need YouTube.
The Divine Office app is an absolute lifesaver for me. I use it on the subway in the mornings, and the first thing I do is always look at this nifty globe function that shows you all the Catholics around the world praying in unison with you. (well. maybe not in exact unison. but you get the picture!)
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