This week's address from the Holy Father concerning the importance of praying the psalms and the Divine Office is entirely consonant with the Brothers' own longstanding apostolate of celebrating the liturgical hours in parishes and with congregations. With that in mind we want to draw your attention through several links to the remarks of the Holy Father on these subjects.
First we include here a direct link to the Vatican Information Service's transcription of the Holy Father's remarks on the importance of praying the Liturgy of the Hours.
http://www.visnews-en.blogspot.com/
Fr. Zuhlsdorf has taken up the Holy Father's request that the faithful enrich their Catholic spiritual lives and identity by deepening their relationship with the psalms and the Divine Office. Here is his take:
http://wdtprs.com/blog/2011/11/pope-benedict-everyone-should-pray-the-psalms-liturgy-of-the-hours/
Here the Rorate Caeli Blog emphasize that the traditional Divine Office, or Liturgy of the Hours in its reformed state, is meant for everyone, lay and those bound to its recitation:
http://rorate-caeli.blogspot.com/2011/11/divine-office-is-for-everyone.html
Finally, New Liturgical Movement offer some considerations and their suggestions for establishing a practical routing with which the layman may involve him or herself with the Divine Office:
http://www.newliturgicalmovement.org/2011/11/pope-pray-divine-office.html
We hope you'll take this Papal encouragement to heart, and if you'd like to put it to practical and liturgical effect, please join us as we expand our apostolate at the parish of St. John of the Cross in Lemon Grove. The office of Completorium (Compline) is sung with the encouragement of the Pastor and clergy on Monday evenings at 8:00pm, and Sunday Vespers will be forthcoming very soon. We'll keep you posted!
