The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime

Christian Century, March 21, 2001 by Arthur Paul Boers

The Divine Hours: Prayers for Autumn and Wintertime. By Phyllis Tickle. Doubleday, 651 pp., $27.50.

THE CURRENT INTEREST in spirituality is breaking down traditional dividing lines between Christians. People from various Protestant traditions have been turning to the wisdom found in the pre-Reformation church (East and West), in Franciscan spirituality, in Celtic Christianity and in the writings of various mystics.

Monasticism is also getting increased attention. I've even heard that some Baptists have started a Benedictine-style monastery. Consider the best-selling status of Kathleen Norris's The Cloister Walk and the avalanche of popular literature on Benedictines by Elizabeth Canham, Joan Chittister, Esther de Waal, John McQuiston, Basil Pennington, David Steindl-Rast, Benet Tvedten and Norvene Vest. While monastic vocations decline, the number of monastic lay affiliates, or oblates, grows.

In After Heaven: Spirituality in America Since the 1950s Robert Wuthnow describes the emergence of a "practice-oriented spirituality," rooted in disciplines, institutions and ethical commitments. In a recent interview, Phyllis Tickle spoke of the highly unusual "surge of prayerbooks." She says one publisher described this trend as "rapidly hastening toward the third century." Tickle added: "That's exactly where the market's going, taking us back to original Christianity, before the Reformation, back before East and West even began to act as if they were separate."

Given this interest in spiritual practices and things monastic, it is not surprising that more and more people are practicing the daily office (also called "divine office," "office," "liturgy of the hours" or "common prayer"). The office is a pattern of nonsacramental prayer services that are celebrated at regular times of the day or night, primarily lauds in the morning and vespers at night. Its history goes back to the earliest centuries of the church. Various offices are found in Roman Catholic, Orthodox and Anglican traditions, with some Protestant variations.

Recent fiction reflects this interest. Gail Godwin's Evensong presents an Anglican priest's life and her daily office practice. A popular writer of hard-boiled mysteries, Loren D. Estleman, centers The Hours of the Virgin around a medieval breviary. Mark Salzman's acclaimed novel about a cloistered Carmelite monastery, Lying Awake, reflects on the office.

Other recent books reinforce the importance and opportunity of the office. John Reeves's poems about Christ's life take the form of A Book of Hours. C. W. McPherson's Grace at This Time: Praying the Daily Office is a theological commentary and practical guide. Suzanne Guthrie's reflective Praying the Hours ponders the hallowing of time. Chant Made Simple, by Robert M. Fowells, is a beginner's guide to Gregorian chant. In Shaping of a Life, Phyllis Tickle reflects on how she has been formed and informed by the office.

The Book of Common Prayer has received new attention. In celebration of its 450th anniversary, C. Frederick Barbee and Paul F. M. Zahl edited an attractive volume, The Collects of Thomas Cranmer, which includes historical notes and devotional reflections. Eerdmans has published a daily devotional based on the BCP, Daily Book of Common Prayer: Readings and Prayers Through the Year.

Historical interest in missals and psalters is indicated in two recent books by Janet Backhouse, The Sherbourne Missal and Medieval Rural Life in the Luttrell Psalter. Both contain interesting and accessible essays, but are especially delightful for their illuminated manuscript excerpts. Many reproductions are beautifully done in color and all reflect charmingly on the spirituality and nature of their society and culture.

Most impressive, however, are several new offices. Lisa Belcher Hamilton, an Episcopal priest and young widow, offers a great pastoral service with For Those We Love But See No Longer: Daily Offices for Times of Grief. She organizes BCP prayers into a one-week cycle of four daily prayer services. Each service includes short scripture readings, petitions regarding mourning, suggestions for reflection, and room for journaling. Its portable size makes it easy to carry and use anywhere. Hamilton notes that regular prayer can give people a needed structure in the chaos of mourning. It also connects us to the communion of the saints, living and dead.

Furthermore, praying the office with others is important at a time when we are prone to feeling isolated. She notes that Cranmer began work on the BCP after the loss of his wife and child in childbirth. Hamilton stays close to the text of the BCP While I appreciate her respect for tradition, I wonder whether she--and indeed all the office compilers here reviewed--could have been more attentive to inclusive language.

Venite: A Book of Daily Prayer is a lovely contribution by Robert Benson. Though raised as an evangelical, Robert Benson was gradually drawn into the power of the office. He discovered that most prayerbooks were difficult to use, and so wrote a one-volume daily prayerbook for his own use and was gradually persuaded to share it with others. His book is designed for up to four daily offices (morning, noon, evening and night). The helpful introduction explains how to use the book and how to develop an office discipline. (Benson recommends beginning with only a part of one or two services and building up gradually.) Everything necessary for daily observance is here: church season prayers, saints' days, canticles, selected psalms, and a 30-day cycle of New Testament readings. The book also includes mealtime prayers, a communion service, a solitary commemoration service and occasional prayers.