Reflection from Fr. David: Types of Prayer (4): Liturgical Prayer

Liturgical prayer is the official public worship of God by the Church as the Body of Christ. It tends to be more formal, with prescribed structure, rubrics, and words, and usually led by an ordained minister. The Eucharist and the Liturgy of the Hours are the most common examples of this sort of prayer. The documents of Vatican II speak of the Eucharist as "the summit toward which the activity of the Church is directed" and "the font from which all her power flows," (Sacrosanctum concilium, 10). The Eucharist is the "fount and apex of the whole Christian life" (LG 11).

The Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office, is a liturgical prayer of praise based on the biblical prayer of the Jewish synagogues. In the early Church the Offices, or "hours." were celebrated both in the major churches and in the monasteries. The basic structure of an hour of the early cathedral Office would have included several psalms and canticles, the Gloria in excelsis, some intercessions, and a closing blessing and dismissal.

Vatican II sought to restore the original rhythm of the Office so that it might become again a prayer not just for priests and religious but for the entire Church (SC 100). It singled out Morning and Evening Prayer as "the two hinges on which the daily Office turns; hence they are to be considered the chief hours and are to be celebrated as such" (SC 89). Today the Liturgy of the Hours is prayed by an increasing number of lay Christians. Many religious communities pray the Office in the morning, at noon, and in evening, establishing a rhythm of prayer to the day.

Liturgical prayer is meant to unite the various parts of the Body of Christ into one body, with Christ, our High Priest at the head, represented by the deacon, priest, or bishop, leading us together to the Father. Because of the diversity of the members of the Body of Christ, liturgical prayer is more structured, with texts chosen from the rich history, scripture, and tradition of the Church, and focuses on the Paschal Mystery. In liturgical prayer, the royal priesthood of the baptized faithful is practiced as they offer the sacrifice of the Mass. There is not, however, much room for insertion of personal preferences or prayers. The liturgical prayer unites and transforms us – it changes us, we don't change it. It belongs to the whole Church, not to any one of us. It is the prayer to the Father by Christ, our High Priest who invites us to join into the life of the Trinity. Each liturgical celebration has a sacredness that surpasses anything else, so it is unmatched and irreplaceable (SC, 7).

Liturgical prayer and devotional prayer are meant to work together to lift our minds and hearts to God. Devotional prayer allows us to develop our personal relationship with the Lord according to the way that best suits each of us. That is why the type of devotional prayer one chooses is more subjective; even the manner of praying the same prayer may vary from one person to the next. Having established a relationship with the Lord in our devotional prayer life, we bring that to liturgical prayer, where it is united with the others in the Church and incorporated into the Paschal Mystery. Then both will form the foundation of a strong spiritual life.

Ultimately, between the two types of prayer, we learn to "pray constantly," to lift our minds and hearts to God at all times, as we walk together to our heavenly home. This is a difficult expectation, at least at first, but it gets better with practice.