May Week 2

May 8, 2022 Virginia Estes

Virtue: Remembrance
Resolution: I choose to learn from the rich history of the Church and the mystery of the faith to hold me close to Christ.

Human Story: Phyllis Tickle (1934 - 2015) and The Divine Hours

Author and speaker Phyllis Tickle’s greatest contribution to our generation, and to the church, was to give back to us the concept of fixed hour prayer. In the non-stop pace of our 21st century lifestyles, her re-imagining of the medieval brevary in The Divine Hours has given a new generation a book containing prayers, hymns, psalms and religious thought for everyday use at the canonical hours. Many practicing daily prayer with the divine hours have rediscovered the richness of a deeply rooted faith and life of prayer reminiscent of monks, friars, and sisters from centuries ago.

Like a double helix rendered elegant by complexity and splendid by authority, the amalgam of gospel and shared meal and the discipline of fixed-hour prayer were and have remained the chain of golden connection tying Christian to Christ and Christian to Christian across history, across geography, and across idiosyncrasies of faith. (The Divine Hours)

Indeed, the Psalms were prayers which were used in Old Testament and New Testament time, and they continue to be used, prayed and chanted in monasteries to this day. Some say fixed hour prayer is otherworldly, but perhaps praying and singing the psalms is just one of those places where heaven meets earth.

Of Daniel it was said “Three times a day he got down on his knees and prayed, giving thanks to his God.” (Daniel 6:10) Here is one of the earliest references recorded in scripture of praying at specific times of the day. Where might Daniel have gotten his idea for prayer? In the Psalms we see references to praying at specific times, here are just a few:

Morning Prayer: In the morning, LORD, you hear my voice; in the morning I lay my requests before you and wait expectantly. Psalm 5:3 (See also Psalm 55:17; 59:16; 88:13; 92:2)
Evening Prayer: On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night. Psalm 63:6
Night Prayer: At midnight I rise to give you thanks for your righteous laws. Psalm 119:55
Even 3 times a day: Morning, noon, and night I cry out in my distress, and the LORD hears my voice. Psalm 55:17

Set hours to pray intrigued me, so I became a student, and in the depths of inability to really want to pray at times, I found renewal in practicing rhythmic pauses during my day to refocus on God by praying the psalms, and also some prayers written by others who have gone before. Sometimes Saint Augustine, Francis, or Merton had thought and written already exactly what I felt in my heart. Phyllis Tickle’s work on The Divine Hours has enriched my life.

Lesson: Psalm 103 Of David. (NIV)

Praise the Lord, my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
Praise the Lord, my soul, and forget not all his benefits—
who forgives all your sins and heals all your diseases,
who redeems your life from the pit and crowns you with love and compassion,
who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle’s.
The Lord works righteousness and justice for all the oppressed.
He made known his ways to Moses, his deeds to the people of Israel:
The Lord is compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in love.
He will not always accuse, nor will he harbor his anger forever;
he does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.
For as high as the heavens are above the earth, so great is his love for those who fear him;
as far as the east is from the west, so far has he removed our transgressions from us.
As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him;
for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.
The life of mortals is like grass, they flourish like a flower of the field;
the wind blows over it and it is gone, and its place remembers it no more.
But from everlasting to everlasting the Lord’s love is with those who fear him,
and his righteousness with their children’s children—
with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts.
The Lord has established his throne in heaven, and his kingdom rules over all.
Praise the Lord, you his angels, you mighty ones who do his bidding, who obey his word.
Praise the Lord, all his heavenly hosts, you his servants who do his will.
Praise the Lord, all his works everywhere in his dominion.
Praise the Lord, my soul.

Remembrance

One of the primary reasons for the psalms is for remembrance. In the psalms the Hebrews remembered their deliverance from slavery in Egypt, they remembered the parting of the Red Sea and walking to their freedom on dry ground, and they remembered God’s provision in the wilderness. Remembrance is central to the life of faith.

What would happen if we sang a song of remembrance every day? Liturgy is a pattern of worship that becomes familiar enough to be employed over and over again. Liturgy is an act of remembrance in song, word, and prayer.

Psalm 103 is a remembrance of who God the Father is, and who we are. How do you think Psalm 103 shaped the hearts of those who regularly sang and prayed its words? How might it shape you? Try reading through Psalm 103 aloud every day this week.

Challenge

Seek to live a rhythm of daily prayer in an attainable way. Strive to keep two 10-minute times of prayer a day. Set your clock if you need to but try taking two prayer breaks during the day using a book or app, then go from there.

The Monastic times of Prayer were as follows:

Matins –Midnight       Sext -Noon
Lauds -3am                 None -3pm
Prime – 6am               Vespers -6pm
Terce -9am                 Compline -9pm

Reflection

Law is death, but freedom is life: The idea with fixed hour prayer is to develop your prayer life, not to meet a requirement. If you become a slave to the alarm signaling prayer time and feel condemned if you fail to pray, then you’ve missed the point. The purpose of fixed hour prayer is to practice, to be intentional, and to focus on your conversation, thanksgiving, and listening to God. If it’s feeding your soul, then you look forward to taking two or three short breaks during the day to refocus on God, and to be in His presence. That’s what it’s all about!

Further Growth

Daily office readings and audio recording of fixed hour prayer at www.missionstclare.com
The Divine Hours by Phyllis Tickle
Book of Common Prayer Daily Office at www.bcponline.org

Virtue: Remembrance Resolution: I choose to learn from the rich history of the Church and the mystery of the faith to hold me close to Christ.