The glenstal book of prayer is a rich, nourishing resource on the dark, mysterious, but exciting journey that is prayer. The effective catechetical leader series one book, one parish adult faith. See more ideas about rule of st benedict, catholic and contemplative prayer. We come together to do this work of god and it is the glue that holds our community life together. While written primarily for benedictine oblates, this simple yet elegant prayer. Oblates who use this prayer book will not find it the least bit burdensome. Anyone who has a copy of the original 1611 authorized version king james of the bible may notice that in the front of the book we find the schedule of daily bible readings and the thirtyday cycle of psalms, for daily morning and evening prayer. While written primarily for benedictine oblates, this simple yet elegant prayer book also gives the unfamiliar user a starting place from which to progress into a more intense practice. We hope you discover that our application is strengthening your prayer life and find what we present here is a good tool to bring you closer to god. No exact date, however, can be assigned to the inauguration of the official prayer of the church, the divine office, as weve come to know it. Divine office, liturgy of the hours, opus dei work of god. Opus dei or canonical hours, often referred to as the breviary, is the official set of prayers marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer. Oblate news and resources osb index general osb information.
Prayer in the monastic tradition benedictine nuns, holy. The psalms for each day include at least one of those which benedict recommended for the liturgical hour. However, formatting rules can vary widely between applications and fields of interest or study. From its beginnings, benedictinism has touched the lives of many people beyond those who dwell in monasteries. This new book has been enriched with more psalms, symbolic material involving the body, and texts from the churchs eastern and anglican traditions. Worship and work as benedictine monks, we approach prayer in a distinctive, monastic way. This public prayer of the monastic community is made up primarily of biblical. Publiturgical pressprepared especially for oblates, this prayer book arranges morning and evening prayer for a 2week period using the icel psalms. The origins of the divine office, the opus dei or work of god, are to be found in the early church.
Click on each title to read a brief overview about the book. It consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns, readings and other prayers and antiphons. Every week they pray each of the psalms at least once. The ancient desert prayer that turns the heart to god. Apr 29, 2019 growth through the rule of st benedict. Benedict but by anyone else who is seeking the nourishment of benedictine spirituality. Benedictine daily prayer provides an everyday edition of the divine office for people who desire to pray with the church in a simple manner. In modern times the institution of benedictine oblates, lay people who associate themselves with a monastery while continuing to lead their life in the world, implicitly builds on this principle. In the rule, which was written for laymen, not for clerics, prayer is referred to as the work of god. We pray the psalms, those ancient, ironage poems given to the church by the people of israel, at regular times each day. That rule of life is what the book of common prayer gives to us. Anglican writer martin thornton points out that the spirituality of the rule is built on three key moments. While written primarily for benedictine oblates, this prayer book also gives the unfamiliar user a starting place from which to start progress into a more intense practice. The glenstal prayer book is a wonderful daily prayer book, both for simplified home use and for travel and retreat needs.
While written primarily for benedictine oblates, this simple yet elegant prayerbook also gives the unfamiliar. She reminds that in the rule of benedict, in the economy of monastic life, prayer is work and work is prayer. We offer our daily services and other prayer opportunities to everyone who wishes pray and meditate in the benedictine tradition. Reaching for god, by roberta werner, osb, is a compendium of benedictine life and prayer for the lay person. In the rule, st benedict uses almost two dozen different words to refer to it, including the praise, the hours, the divine office, the divine work, prayer, psalmody, and our service. Beautifully bound with giltedged pages and one ribbon marker, it is a handsome addition to any book shelf.
This is the work of god apostolate, where you can find messages from jesus, mary, scriptures, word of god, gospels explained, books, devotions, prayer requests and much more. A short breviary is a boon to anyone seeking a pattern of prayer, personal or public, that combines the familiar structures of the daily office with a rich variety of readings, hymns, and prayers. Publication date 1997 topics benedictines, benedictines. While written primarily for benedictine oblates, this simple yet elegant prayer book also gives the. The eight daily prayer periods benedictine abbey of. Prayer, then, is work and work is prayer in the economy of monastic life. The origins of the divine office, the opus dei or work of god, are to be. Oblates seek god by striving to become holy in their chosen way of life. Based on fifteen hundred years of liturgical prayer within the benedictine monastic tradition, benedictine daily prayer offers a rich diet of classic office hymnody, psalmody, and scripture. Benedict sought to live a life apart from the distractions of the world, but even in his. O almighty and everlasting god, who delivered the most holy confessor benedict out of the prison of the flesh and bore him up to heaven, grant us we beseech you, your servants, who are celebrating this festival, forgiveness for all our sins, so that, united in rejoicing in his glory, we may by his intercession before you partake together also in his merits. In an earlier post, i mentioned purchasing a book of benedictine daily prayer. When benedict uses such an unusual expression as work of god for the public.
Work and prayer in the style of st benedict loyola press. St benedict rightly calls the liturgy the opus dei, i. Yes, work, too, is a basic tenet of benedictine spirituality, chris sullivan nexplains in her blog post work and prayer in the style of st. New copies of this book tend to be pricey look for a good used copy. The divine office also called the liturgy of the hours, or the opus dei the work of god means certain psalms, prayers, hymns, and biblical readings to be recited at fixed hours of the day or night according to a general and ancient structure. It brings together in one volume the essence of benedictine spirituality its history, its relevance through the ages and in the present, and a summary of the most fundamental gifts and values it offers for living a meaningful life.
The names of the work of god in the rule st benedict instructs his monks. Benedictine monks and nuns pray the psalms seven times a day, seven days a week. One of the first things we have to learn is that if we do all the talking, well end up talking to ourselves. By integrating their prayer and work, they manifest christs presence in society. Breviary psalter schemas in use in the 20th century. Instead of wondering how to squeeze prayer into the busy schedule of our work days, we can adopt a new vision in which all. Drawing on the rich resources of the benedictine tradition, the glenstal book of daily prayer aims to share with christians everywhere some of that tradition as it is celebrated daily in glenstal. We forget that it is a relationship with god, and like all relationships, needs nurturing if it is to grow.
Oblate director blue cloud abbey marvin, south dakota. Benedictina publications, medals of saint benedict, prayer books, etc. We have to get used to the idea of a conversation with god made. Some great psalms are psalm psalm psalm psalm 72 speaking of jesus as king of gods kingdom. The eight daily prayer periods in a letter from the year 384, saint jerome wrote the following. Work of god relies substantially on the icel psalms. There are also fascinating essays on the life and rule of benedict, the meaning and practice of benedictine spirituality, lectio, feasts, compline. I should have heeded my sponsor, because i found myself with not enough time to learn how to use it, and using the shorter christian prayer book. In the monastery or on the road, prayer should result in the deepened awareness of god that the rule describes under the heading of humility. Work of god, a onevolume breviary, is short and pure. I personally use this volume on a regular basis and recommend it to anyone interested in exploring praying the liturgy of the hours at home.
A prayer to saint benedict for protection, prayer in honor of saint benedict, prayer of saint benedict to seek and find god, the blessing, saint scholastica and the benedictine nuns. Suggested readings oblates saint meinrad archabbey. The liturgy of the hours benedictine abbey of newark. Anglican liturgical prayer books are specifically benedictine. The apostle indeed admonishes us to pray without ceasing 1 thessalonians 5. For those looking for an everyday grounding in benedictine spirituality and who wish to pray according to the benedictine style of liturgy of the hours, the work of god is an ideal resource. A prayer book of the psalms in accordance with the rule of st. The closing prayer for each liturgy is linked through words and images to some concept or quotation in the rule, thus providing more of connection to benedictine spirituality. Benedictine prayer immerses us in the fullness of the scriptures. A short breviary the benedictine handbook work of god. Read download benedictine daily prayer pdf pdf download. Our monastic prayer is conversational in nature, reflected in both the back and forth that occurs between the two sides or between the cantor and the choir, and also in the periods of silence after psalms and readings that open us up to both speak and listen to god. Prayer prayer is so simple yet we tend to make hard work of it. It does conform to the basic benedictine format, but with a wonderful celtic spirit and intentionality of worshipfulness and joy that makes this prayer book one to move into in your heart and prayer life in a permanent sense.