Prayer in our lives

The Divine Office -The Liturgy of the Hours

Each Redemptoristine daily prays the great Official Prayer of the Church which is the Divine Office, or Liturgy of the Hours, contained in the Breviary in Community.  In the Divine Office the Redemptoristine, with the Church, praises God through her mouth and, with the Church, struggles after souls with her hands through her work.

The Divine Office is a guide to genuine spiritual growth for each individual Redemptoristine.

Consecrated to the Divine Worship and especially commissioned to celebrate this public prayer of praise and intercession in the name of all, including those who do not pray, the Redemptoristine accomplishes a hidden but very fruitful mission in the service of the Church and the world.

Christ Jesus, in taking our human nature, introduced into this earthly exile that hymn which is sung throughout all ages in the halls of heaven. Having entered into the glory of the resurrection, He is 'always living to intercede for us'.  The Church, His faithful Spouse, prays day and night with Him in celebrating the Liturgy of the Hours to the praise of the Father.

This Liturgy of the Hours is...

Community Prayer - prayer said in common and in the name of the Church and forms an integral part of the Redemptoristine's daily routine. The focus is not primarily on the individual but the Church, the Bride of Christ.

Historic photo - Redemptoristines, centered in Christ the Redeemer, pray together in Community
before Christ present in the tabernacle in the beautiful Monastery Chapel

The aim of the Prayer of the Church is 'for the Kingdom of God on Earth'... a sharing in the life of the Church and her problems. The Church is praying through each individual Redemptoristine who offers her mind and voice to pray with the Church for all the great objectives of Redemption and for God's honour and glory.

The sentiments of the Church then, find a special resonance in the heart of each Redemptoristine...this gives deeper content to our prayer by reaching out beyond ourselves.
 

The Divine Office The Liturgy of the Hours

T h e     B r e v i a r y

The Redemptoristine is given the brief of saying the Divine Office at her Profession with the words:

"Receive the Breviary that you may pray the Liturgy of the Hours to the praise of the Father as you are consecrated to the Divine Worship, specially commissioned to celebrate this public prayer of praise and intercession in the name of all."

We rejoice through our joys together with those who rejoice, we weep together with those who weep and we do penance with the repentant.

The Psalms, the great hymn prayers, which brilliantly lend themselves to alternating response in Choir, are the loom with which the Divine Office is woven. We chant the Divine Office each day and sing it on special feasts and occasions.

So,
One central way the Redemptoristine participates in the official ministry and care of souls is through the Divine Office, the Liturgy of the Hours.

The objectives of the Church, which are those of Christ's Redemption, become the Redemptoristine's personal interest and objective. The Redemptoristine shares in the Priesthood of Christ in her Monastery from early morning until late at night.

The first Community Prayer offered before dawn is for our Holy Father, Pope John Paul 11, beseeching Our Lord to sustain, strengthen and enlighten him in his Pontificate, and to obtain a Plenary indulgence that day by offering prayers for the Pope.

Prayers are then offered for the INTENTIONS OF THE DAY - which are specific in all Redemptoristine Monasteries around the world.

The break of day reveals the splendours of Christ the Redeemer's creation
with which we fill our lives and in which we glory as we greet the day.
 

'Today is a day that the Lord has made, let us rejoice and be glad'

The Intentions of the Day

There is a specific list of intentions for each day of the week :

SUNDAY - The Intentions are for the Sovereign Pontiff, the exaltation of holy Church, the Sacred College of Cardinals and for our own Bishop and all Christian rulers.

MONDAY - The Intentions are for all sinners, heretics, schismatics, Jews and pagans that they may come to the light of the true Faith.

TUESDAY - The Intentions are for all religious Orders of men and women asking Our Lord to grant them the true spirit of their vocation.

WEDNESDAY - The Intentions are for all Prelates of the Church, evangelical labourers in the vinyard of the Lord, praying that He grant them the spirit and grace to acquit themselves well of their obligations.

THURSDAY - The Intentions for four states of souls: The dying, the souls in Purgatory, the innocent, and children as yet unborn, beseeching Our Lord to grant them the grace of Holy Baptism.

FRIDAY - The Intentions are for the perfection of the Community, and for the increase of the spirit of the Order in all its subjects.

SATURDAY - Intentions are for all our parents, relations, spiritual and temporal benefactors, and for all who are devout to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
 
 

The Obverse side of the Divine Office

The obverse side of the Divine Office for the Redemptoristine, the subjective side, is that each individual Redemptoristine must grow and the Divine Office is the staff, the guide and the way to heaven.

The Redemptoristine in her Community is accompanied by the Church throughout her life by saying the Divine Office. The Redemptoristine is led through the Church year with a special guide or hero (almost every day) being commemorated for her instruction.

The sequence of the Canonical Hours daily are as the building up of the 'Temple of Grace' within our souls and help give an ordered framework to our daily lives.

In our leisure we have the opportunity to marvel at the beauty of God's Creation
and commune with Him in the bountiful world He has provided.

 

Our Daily Mass

The Mass and the Divine Office belong together; they form a unity in the liturgical day and assists the Redemptoristine to

'Pray and not grow weary '

Spatially also the Redemptoristine revives herself every three hours throughout the day by the special Grace replenished in the Hours and her soul is nourished to deepen and perfect the
 

to develop an intimate, personal relationship with God as Christ the Redeemer through the intercession of His Blessed Mother Mary, and the saints - particularly following in the footsteps of Mother Mary Celeste our Foundress.

As the light of day fades we welcome the coming stillness of night,
give thanks for the Grace we have won during the day for those in need,
and experience the satisfaction of our daily life and toil spent in
union with and service to Christ the Redeemer