Sunday, June 26

The Divine Hours: Prayers for Summertime (pp. 131-132)

To read this morning's office, click here.

One of the regular lines in The Divine Hours is from Psalm 55:18: "In the evening, in the morning, and at noonday, I will complain and lament, and he will hear my voice." This verse is one of the biblical foundations for the regular practice of prayer, or the development of sacred rhythms.

More than one person has told me that Phyllis Tickle taught them how to pray. How so? By developing sacred rhythms of prayer (3x a day, or 2x a day), our day is punctuated by a pause that draws us into the presence of God with the Church.

I know it has been wonderfully beneficial to my own prayer life and to praying with Kris. We struggled to pray together but now, in the morning (when our morning schedule permits) and in the evening (and we rarely ever miss), we pause to say our offices with The Divine Hours. There are many benefits, including the sense of praying with others, but perhaps the most significant is the use of Scripture, especially the Psalms, as words that become prayers. Instead of simply reading Scripture, our sacred rhythm teaches us to pray Scripture.

Hollowing out time for prayer is a hallowing of that time.