In Constant Prayer
In Constant Prayer
(The Ancient Practices Series)
By Robert Benson
Foreword by Phyllis Tickle
Nashville: Thomas Nelson, 2008
Review by Carl McColman
Thomas Nelson’s “Ancient Practices Series” brings together some of the most vibrant and interesting of contemporary Christian authors (like Brian McLaren and Scot McKnight) to explore some of the venerable ways in which early Christians expressed their faith — not as some sort of museum piece, but to commend these ancient practices to the lovers of Jesus in our day. Some of current and forthcoming titles in the series unpack themes that will be familiar to pretty much any Christian, like fasting and the sabbath. But this book, by the Episcopalian contemplative Robert Benson, looks at a topic that I suspect is virtually unknown in many corners of today’s church: the Divine Office (also known as the daily office, or the Liturgy of the Hours).
For my readers who don’t know about the daily office, it is a compendium of psalms, canticles, readings and prayers, arranged for daily use, following ancient customs that have been particularly associated with monasticism (although in some churches, clergy and even laypersons are encouraged to pray the office as well as monks and nuns). What puts the “office” in the daily office is its status as the official liturgy of the church (or community) that prays it. Thus, there is a Roman Catholic Liturgy of the Hours, an Episcopal Daily Office, as well as Orthodox and various monastic versions of the liturgy.
To pray the entire liturgy is a bit of a commitment, as it consists of four to seven “offices” or specific liturgies for different times of the day. To do the whole enchilada would probably take an hour each day, or longer, given time for silent meditation and personal prayer woven into the set prayers of the day. Of course, this hour to ninety minutes isn’t all prayed at once, so a person could arrange his or her life to pray the office over the course of the day, with any one office only requiring 10 – 20 minutes of time.
Sound overwhelming? In our frantic, frenetic, non-stop culture, this kind of a time commitment seems not only daunting, but positively absurd. Maybe it’s okay for monks (or retirees), but hardly practical for the rest of us. Right?
Well, not so fast, says Robert Benson. (more…)
