HEM Challenge 2018-19
Liturgy of the Hours
The theme for the HEM Challenge for the 2018-19 school year is the Liturgy of the Hours. This is an ancient prayer tradition of the Church based on the Jewish tradition of daily praying the psalms. Christ prayed the psalms and we hear parts of them quoted many times in the Gospels. When we pray the psalms, we are praying the prayers of countless people before us. The psalms are filled with joy, praise, worship, trust in adversity, along with complaints, grief, and even cursing enemies – the vast range of emotions that we, as humans, experience. Psalm 51 states that God loves truth in the heart; He wants to love us even in our difficult emotions. Experience with the diverse Psalms helps us to ask God to enter into every experience of our lives. When we memorize the psalms, we have the words of Sacred Scripture in our minds to help us express and pray as we realize the different movements of our hearts.
In the Liturgy of the Hours, there are certain songs, psalms and readings prayed together at different points in the day. In religious orders, this can be very structured and happen at exact hours. Otherwise, it may be done more flexibly at certain times of the day (i.e. morning prayer to be done upon waking up). The traditional Hours are listed below, followed by their modern name.
5am Matins – Office of Readings
6am Lauds – Morning Prayer
7am Prime – Prayer During the Day
9am Terce – Complementary Psalms
12pm Sext – Complementary Psalms
3pm None – Complementary Psalms
6pm Vespers – Evening Prayer
8 or 9pm Compline – Night Prayer
When the Liturgy of the Hours is celebrated, parts of it are often chanted. Chanting is simply a kind of speaking that involves pitch and is used to adorn liturgical readings with a beauty and dignity befitting the Word of God. There is an included information sheet on the basics of chant.
The challenge for K-3 is:
The challenge for grade 4+ is:
The Challenge will end on Friday, March 15th at 10 am, with a communal celebration of Sunday Night Prayer, followed by a celebration with food in the Family Activity Center.
We have chosen Sunday Night Prayer to pray as a community. This may seem like an odd hour to do, but due to scheduling constraints, the difficulty of Lenten Hours being somewhat dark for young children, and because we are not restricted by vows to do a particular hour at a particular time, we have chosen this hour due to its beauty and simplicity.
Notes:
Liturgy of the Hours
The theme for the HEM Challenge for the 2018-19 school year is the Liturgy of the Hours. This is an ancient prayer tradition of the Church based on the Jewish tradition of daily praying the psalms. Christ prayed the psalms and we hear parts of them quoted many times in the Gospels. When we pray the psalms, we are praying the prayers of countless people before us. The psalms are filled with joy, praise, worship, trust in adversity, along with complaints, grief, and even cursing enemies – the vast range of emotions that we, as humans, experience. Psalm 51 states that God loves truth in the heart; He wants to love us even in our difficult emotions. Experience with the diverse Psalms helps us to ask God to enter into every experience of our lives. When we memorize the psalms, we have the words of Sacred Scripture in our minds to help us express and pray as we realize the different movements of our hearts.
In the Liturgy of the Hours, there are certain songs, psalms and readings prayed together at different points in the day. In religious orders, this can be very structured and happen at exact hours. Otherwise, it may be done more flexibly at certain times of the day (i.e. morning prayer to be done upon waking up). The traditional Hours are listed below, followed by their modern name.
5am Matins – Office of Readings
6am Lauds – Morning Prayer
7am Prime – Prayer During the Day
9am Terce – Complementary Psalms
12pm Sext – Complementary Psalms
3pm None – Complementary Psalms
6pm Vespers – Evening Prayer
8 or 9pm Compline – Night Prayer
When the Liturgy of the Hours is celebrated, parts of it are often chanted. Chanting is simply a kind of speaking that involves pitch and is used to adorn liturgical readings with a beauty and dignity befitting the Word of God. There is an included information sheet on the basics of chant.
The challenge for K-3 is:
- Memorize Psalm 91, the Antiphon and Gospel Canticle for Sunday Night Prayer (parents should use their discretion with their K & 1st graders with regards to how much they should memorize to consider the challenge met)
- Review chant basics as appropriate and listen to the audio files to prepare for the communal Night Prayer on March 15th.
The challenge for grade 4+ is:
- Memorize Psalm 91, the Antiphon, and Gospel Canticle for Sunday Night Prayer
- Memorize another psalm from the following: Psalm 1, 4, 8, 16, 23, 31:1-6, 63:2-9, 130, 134.
- Review chant basics and listen to the audio files to prepare for the communal Night Prayer on March 15th.
The Challenge will end on Friday, March 15th at 10 am, with a communal celebration of Sunday Night Prayer, followed by a celebration with food in the Family Activity Center.
We have chosen Sunday Night Prayer to pray as a community. This may seem like an odd hour to do, but due to scheduling constraints, the difficulty of Lenten Hours being somewhat dark for young children, and because we are not restricted by vows to do a particular hour at a particular time, we have chosen this hour due to its beauty and simplicity.
Notes:
- Please use the included translations, as it is specific for the Liturgy of the Hours commonly used in America.
- Recordings of all the parts to be memorized and chanting for Night Prayer are below.
- Please refer to the included program (Homeschool Challenge file below) for the music and order of Night Prayer.
- It could also be helpful/fun to create prayer cards for memorization.
- Parents can let Jenny Gifford know when their child has completed the memorization.
- Some Psalms to consider further:
- Psalm 22 (older students): read through and discuss the crucifixion
- Psalm 51 (older students): read through and discuss David’s repentance, God’s forgiveness and what is pleasing to the Lord.
- Psalm 117: memorize the shortest Psalm
- Psalm 118: read through and discuss
- Psalm 119: the longest Psalm, it is written in a specific form. Look up the formula and tell me if anyone memorizes it J
- Psalm 139: read through and meditate on how much God loves you.
- Discuss translation differences and compare any psalms included here to their translation in the NAB or RSV or other approved translation (the psalm translation for the Liturgy of the Hours comes from the Grail Translation).
- Attend Evening Prayer at the St Paul Seminary Monday-Thursday at 5 pm, September-December, and February-May. Please contact the Seminary to confirm 651-962-5050
- Download the iBreviary App
- The Little Oratory by David Clayton and Leila Marie Lawler discusses incorporating the Liturgy of the Hours into your family life.
- Explore the psalms and Liturgy of the Hours on you own!
Challenge Files to Listen and Download
HEM Challenge 2018-19.pdf | |
File Size: | 240 kb |
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Chant (Background Info) | |
File Size: | 235 kb |
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