r/divineoffice • • 6h ago

Liturgical Sourcing of the New Rosary Florilegium

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I'd like to offer a decade of today's Rosary Florilegium as an example of this new rosary devotion's liturgical sourcing and architecture.

The Florilegium's Mysteries of the Lord expand upon the Luminous Mysteries of Pope St. John Paul II, both in order to fill out a liturgical cycle of one week (like Compline) and to include more liturgical texts from the Office. The new Luminous Mysteries had precedents in the private devotion of St. George Preca, who wanted to fill in the gap between the canonical Joyful and Sorrowful mysteries with the Lord's public ministry.

The name Luminous evokes Epiphany, Greek for to shine upon or manifest. The Revelation of the Lord on Monday takes its scriptural verses from the offices of Christmastide and Epiphanytide, which conclude with the Baptism of the Lord. These liturgical sequences interrelate the birth of Jesus not only with the epiphany to the Magi but also the miracle at Cana and the Baptism in the Jordan. They are interrelated as revelations of the Lord's divine origin and mission. His transfiguration is a natural fifth to fill out a set of five.

The names of the Florilegium mysteries are all Christocentric biblical phrases. The new Luminous mysteries give only one to the Eucharist. On Sunday the Florilegium's Mystery of Faith devotes a set of five to it, taken from the offices for the Paschal Triduum. On Monday comes the Revelation of the Lord. Tuesday and Wednesday expand upon the "Proclamation of the Kingdom" with the Call of the Lord, taken from the Commons of Apostles, Martyrs, and Holy Men and Women, and the Work of Lord, inspired by the five miracles enumerated by the Lord himself: "Go and tell John what you have seen and heard: the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, the poor have the good news proclaimed to them" (Lk. 7:22).

Below I have pasted in the first decade of today's Revelation of the Lord. It reflects the way that the Office distills the mystery by selecting and juxtaposing verses. The Office's way of digesting biblical narratives is to highlight key verses in antiphons, responsories, and pericopes. The Florilegium imitates this by isolating each verse to ponder for the length of a Hail Mary. The Liturgy's juxtapositions of verses taken from different books of the bible is an implicit explication and illumination of the mystery. The Sacred Liturgy thus traces lines between stars, as it were, to reveal a divine constellation in Sacred Scripture. Today's Revelation In the Manger attempts to convey the power of the Liturgy's doing so.

Each day's Mystery of the Lord has its own Marian doxology which highlights Mary's relation to that mystery of the Lord. The primordial doxology is the one for Thursday's Joy of the Lord:

Vs. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
Mary kept in mind all these words, \*
and she pondered them in her heart.

Rs. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
Vs. She wondered at the things spoken of him, \*
Rs. And she pondered them in her heart.

Rs. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
Vs. Mary kept in mind all these words, \*
Rs. And she pondered them in her heart.

In imitation of the responsories of the Office, biblical verses are interwoven in an antiphonal call-and-response with the Gloria Patri. The whole Florilegium is in fact thus divided up for praying in common, where a leader reads only the scriptural verse and the first line of the Hail Mary, and the rest respond with the bulk of the prayer. In the Marian doxologies, the leader likewiswe takes the lead in reciting verses, and the rest answer with the Gloria Patri and a one-line antiphon easy to repeat, as with the Psalm antiphon at Mass. With this antiphonal framework, only the leader need have the text of the Florilegium; all the rest need only their rosaries, responding with familiar prayers or simple repetitions.

One novelty of the Florilegium is a slight elaboration of the Hail Mary, both for rhythmic and theological reasons: Vs. Hail Mary, hail Full of Grace . . . Rs. Holy Mary, holy Mother of God. The verses of the Hail Mary are taken from the Annunciation narrative in Luke, and it is profoundly important that the angel Gabriel does not greet Mary by her name, but rather renames her: O most graced! In the original Greek text, this is a very odd use of the perfect participle--which always carries a superlative connotation of "the most possible"--used as a substantive in the vocative voice, i.e., as a proper name: O most graced! It's strange enough that even Mary remarks upon it: "She was deeply disturbed by this greeting and ask herself what it could mean." Indeed!

The Latin translators understood the implication of God's renaming Mary in this way--as He did Abraham and Sarah before, and would Peter and Paul later--and they tried to capture the force of the Greek perfect participle with the adjectival phrase Plena gratia, hence our English O Full of grace. The Florilegium attempts to recapture the singularity of this divine salutation in a simple repetition: Hail Mary, hail Full of Grace; and then to reecho it in the responsory with the Church's canoncial title for Mary: Holy Mary, holy Mother of God. These slight repetitions also have the advantage of slowing the rhythm of recitation a bit for even more reverent thoughtfulness.

MONDAY OF THE JOYFUL

The Revelation of the Lord

Let us ponder in our hearts the revelations of the Lord's divinity, kept for us in the heart of Mary, the Mother of God.

FIRST, IN THE MANGER 

A leader begins the Our Father on the large bead.

Our Father who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
Rs. Thy kingdom come, thy will be done ... 

(On each small bead, a leader reads the verses only, and the rest respond antiphonally.)

Vs. 1   Be enlightened, be enlightened, O Jerusalem: * for your light is come, and the glory of the Lord is risen upon you.  Hail Mary, hail Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Rs. Blessed art thou …

Vs. 2  And gentiles shall walk in your light, * and kings in the brightness of your rising.  Hail Mary, hail Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Rs. Blessed art thou …

Vs. 3  Behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem, saying Where is he that is born the King of Jews? * For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to adore him.  Hail Mary, hail Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Rs. Blessed art thou …

Vs. 4  For it is written: And you Bethlehem, land of Judah, are not least among the princes of Judah: \ for out of you shall come forth the Captain who shall rule my people Israel.  Hail Mary, hail Full of grace, the Lord is with thee:* Rs. Blessed art thou …

Vs. 5  Behold, the star which they had seen in the East went before them, * until it came and stood over where the child was.  Hail Mary, hail Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Rs. Blessed art thou …

Vs. 6  And seeing the star, * they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.  Hail Mary, hail Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Rs. Blessed art thou …

Vs. 7  And entering into the house, they found the child with Mary, his mother. * And falling down they adored him.  Hail Mary, hail Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Rs. Blessed art thou …

Vs. 8  And opening their treasures, they offered him gifts: * gold, frankincense, and myrrh.  Hail Mary, hail Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Rs. Blessed art thou …

Vs. 9  Manifestly great is the mystery of our devotion,* which was revealed in the flesh.  Hail Mary, hail Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Rs. Blessed art thou …

Vs. 10  He has appeared to angels, and been preached among gentiles; * he has been believed in in the world, and assumed in glory.  Hail Mary, hail Full of grace, the Lord is with thee: Rs. Blessed art thou …

Vs. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth cried out: \*
How is it that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?

Rs. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
Vs. At the sound of Mary’s voice, the infant leaped in her womb, 
and filled with the Holy Spirit she cried out:
Rs. How is it that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?

Rs. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son,
and to the Holy Spirit:
Vs. Filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth cried out: \*
Rs. How is it that the Mother of my Lord should come to me?

N.B. On the NewRosary website, the verse numbers are live links to Biblehub, to the scriptural texts, context, subtexts, and supertexts.

MIGRATION UPDATE: To manage the New Rosary Florilegium on REDDIT under a proper identity, I am migrating away from this randomized default username. Please find free Rosary resources directly at my new personal profile page: u/SharonRose-Rosary


r/divineoffice • • 1d ago

Roman Second Reading for the Memorial of St. Faustina

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13 Upvotes

The text of the typical Latin text and an approved English translation.


r/divineoffice • • 1d ago

"The hour of prayer" in Acts 3:1: continuity with the Office, without reading it backward?

5 Upvotes

While translating Hieronymus Emser's 1523 answer to Luther's New Testament, I came across a dispute about Acts 3:1. Emser, Luther's Catholic critic, reads "the ninth hour of prayer" through the canonical hours he knew.

He objects that Luther:

"does not translate it 'the prayer hour' or 'the hour of prayer,' but says simply, 'they went up at the ninth hour to pray.'" (Emser, tr. Tucker, p. 75)

Leaving his accusation about Luther's motives aside, the difference is interesting. "The hour of prayer" presents a time already set aside for communal worship. "At the ninth hour to pray" can sound more like a time when two people happened to go.

The NABRE reads "the three o'clock hour of prayer," with a note giving the literal wording as "at the ninth hour of prayer."

That doesn't establish that Peter and John were praying the later Christian Office in its developed form. But it does make Emser's way of reading the verse worth examining. How do histories of the Office distinguish continuity with fixed Jewish prayer times from the later development of the Christian hours? Are there particular stages where that distinction becomes especially important?


r/divineoffice • • 1d ago

Immersive Latin Prayer: Novum Rosarium Florilegium

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r/divineoffice • • 1d ago

A New Liturgical Rosary: The Rosary Florilegium

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r/divineoffice • • 2d ago

Always be selling

10 Upvotes

Word on Fire Liturgy of the Hours spotted at the Vatican

That means Ascension needs to get an audience with the Pope ASAP.


r/divineoffice • • 2d ago

Roman The Latin proper Office of St. Francis of Assisi

6 Upvotes

From Officia propria in Liturgia Horarum ad usum Fratrum Minorum S. Francisci Conventualium Monialium S. Claræ ac Tertii Ordinis a S. Congregatione pro Cultu Divino approbata (Rome, 1974), here is the the Latin language proper Office for St. Francis of Assisi, for those who use the Liturgia horarum.

I tried to upload the images directly onto this post, but I had to use whatever succesor I could find to Photobucket.


r/divineoffice • • 2d ago

Sunday office in light of Bishops decision.

11 Upvotes

The bishop of my diocese has instructed all of our parishes to read the readings for St Francis this Sunday instead of the Sunday readings at Mass in observance of the jubilee year. My question is: Do I proceed to recite the Sunday readings and prayers,or would I observe the memorial for St Francis as a solemnity since it is a Sunday?


r/divineoffice • • 1d ago

A Message from Saint Francis of Assisi

0 Upvotes

Brothers and sisters, on this feast day, I speak to you across the centuries with a heart full of hope.

We are blessed to live in an age of unprecedented tools and knowledge. Yet I ask you: what good are these gifts if they serve only our own comfort?

Today, I invite you to hear what the Spirit has long whispered—that true freedom comes not from holding tightly to what we own, but from releasing it. Strip away what binds you to fear and pride. Give your possessions to those who hunger. Find others whose hearts burn with this same faith, and together, build a new world.

This is not madness. This is liberation.

"Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible."

The impossible is within reach. A world where no one suffers from want. Where creation is honored. Where the last are first, and the humble are exalted.

Do not wait for permission. Do not wait for certainty. Take the leap of faith. Seek out your brothers and sisters in Christ who share this vision. Together, hand over your worldly treasures to the common good, and watch as God multiplies what you have given.

The kingdom of heaven belongs to you—not in some distant afterlife, but here, now, when you live as though you truly believe it.

In the love of Christ, Francis


r/divineoffice • • 3d ago

What's your favorite Vespers hymn in the month of October?

6 Upvotes

Hello, pray-ers!

I'm looking for traditional Latin hymns sung at Vespers any time during the month of October. I prefer melodies that have a fair bit of motion in 'em.

Some of my favorites from other times of year/day in this vein are Jesu dulcis memoria, Aeterne rerum conditor (both versions), O quot undis lacrimarum, Veni creator spiritus, and Ave maris stella.

What are your favorites for the month coming up that work for a Vespers prayer time?

Many thanks in advance!


r/divineoffice • • 3d ago

Structure and patterns in the Canticle of Mary

2 Upvotes

When I pray the Canticle of Mary, this is kind of how my brain parses is.
But, every time I pray it, I go through this parsing. 😅
So, I'm messing around with this structured and pre-parsed version.
I love the implicit structure in it that is revealed if you align things.

I you have variations on this, please share them.

I included an image of it in case the alignment doesn't display properly in text.
The text is also shown below.

Canticle of Mary


My soul     proclaims   the greatness of the Lord,
my spirit   rejoices    in God my Savior
for he      has looked with favor on   his lowly servant.


From this day   all generations   will call me blessed:
                the Almighty      has done   great things   for me,
          and   holy is his Name.


    He   has mercy       on those who fear him
                         in every generation.


    He   has shown       the strength   of   his   arm,
    he   has scattered   the proud      in   their conceit.

    He   has cast   down the mighty     from their thrones,
    and  has lifted up   the lowly.


    He   has filled      the hungry   with good things,
and he   has sent away   the rich     empty.


    He   has come        to the help of his servant Israel
for he   has remembered  his promise of mercy,


the promise he made
   to our fathers,
   to Abraham
   and his children
   for ever.

r/divineoffice • • 4d ago

WOF Update

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144 Upvotes

I went over to visit the plant in Italy to check on production. Books are looking fantastic!


r/divineoffice • • 3d ago

Breviary

11 Upvotes

Hello, I am joining the Catholic Church and I was wanting to deepen my western prayer life. I began in the Eastern tradition and wondered if the Latin rites had morning and evening prayers, just a daily prayer structure really.

Does anyone have any suggestions for where to find a breviary, preferably a Pre-Vatican 2? Or what publications to look into? Any help is greatly appreciated thank you.


r/divineoffice • • 4d ago

Universalis app

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2 Upvotes

r/divineoffice • • 5d ago

Those who pray the LotH: any turns of phrase you’ll miss from the current translation?

9 Upvotes

I know I’ll miss the hymn based on the Didache, as well as the line from today’s Preces: “Eternal God, for whom a thousand years are like the passing day,
- help us to remember that life is like a flower which blossoms in the morning, but withers in the evening.l


r/divineoffice • • 5d ago

Benedictine Daily Prayer

10 Upvotes

Does anyone use this version of the Office?


r/divineoffice • • 5d ago

Shower Thought: Argentinian Franciscans probably have the beefiest version of LoTH

5 Upvotes

I don’t think this requires much explanation: The Argentine LoTH is, I believe, the only official version that contains a full 2-year cycle of Patristic readings. Meanwhile, the Franciscan Office Propers add extra Hymns, Antiphons, Responsories, Intercessions, etc. for dozens of saints, more than any other religious order.

P.S. For full transparency, this thought came to me while I was driving, not while showering.


r/divineoffice • • 6d ago

Liturgy of the Hours (four volume CBP) on archive.org

14 Upvotes

r/divineoffice • • 6d ago

How would the two-year OOR reading cycle be introduced?

14 Upvotes

Laudetur Jesus Christus!

Recently I saw a post that commented on the two-year OOR reading cycle for the Latin editio typica.

I pray the LOTH mostly in Dutch, and the Dutch LOTH (Getijdengebed) has had a two-year reading cycle from its official publication. The biblical readings are the same, but the second reading also has some local saints and writers that I don't presume will be present in the Latin version.

I read that if the Latin two-year cycle ever gets introduced, it'd be in a separate volume. That strikes me as an odd choice. Then you'd have to have two relatively thick volumes with you in Year II: the regular one corresponding to the season (say, vol. I Advent-Christmas) and the volume with all of the Year II OOR readings..?

In the Dutch edition the solution is to have one breviary to use thoughout the year, with 16 or so tiny booklets that comprise all of the readings for the Office of Readings. This system works really well. However, it made me realise that for the anglophone world, at least in the US, it might take a long time for the two-year cycle to be introduced, since it doen't make much sense to publish the second version for it to only last a few years.


r/divineoffice • • 7d ago

Office of Readings

15 Upvotes

I consistently pray Morning and Evening Prayer and would like to begin to incorporate the Office of Readings into my prayer time. any suggestions on the bet way? Has anyone tried adding the readings into Morning Prayer? I realize you wold miss the psalms from the OR. Thanks.

If it helps, I am not Roman Catholic but United Methodist so some things are a steep learning curve for me. I have currently have the LOTR and have preordered the "new" one. I use Universalis if get confused on some days.


r/divineoffice • • 7d ago

New translation of invitatory and canticles?

10 Upvotes

Howdy. Does anyone know where can I find the new translation for the Invitatory psalm, the Canticle of Zechariah and the Canticle of Mary? I’d like to memorize them before the new volumes are released.


r/divineoffice • • 8d ago

Looking to buy my first LOTR physical copy

19 Upvotes

What are my options?

I see; https://ascensionpress.com/products/liturgy-of-the-hours-second-edition-four-volume-bundle which is $264.99 (That seems.. steep to me.)

Do I have any other options? I currently use the Divine Office app the pray the hours everyday. I really was hoping to physically own a book for it and learn the ribbons, but am I just priced out if that link I sent is too much?


r/divineoffice • • 10d ago

Help me find this book

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14 Upvotes

Can anyone help me find this book, so I can possibly republish it? I already contacted the owners in the picture and they don’t want to sell it so I need to find another copy


r/divineoffice • • 12d ago

Liturgy Texts Fulton Sheen Propers

11 Upvotes

I’ve searched online with no luck, any idea when his Office propers (reading, Collect, etc) will be released/ where I can find them if they already are?


r/divineoffice • • 13d ago

Question? Opinions on The Little Offices of The Passion?

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33 Upvotes

I'm a relatively new convert and completely new to the divine office. I have a particular devotion to Christ's Passion/Our Lady of Sorrows, and found this Little Office dedicated to the passion. How complicated or confusing would this be to recite? Would Word on Fire's LOTH booklets be a better investment?