Category: Liturgy of the Hours

2025 Guide to the Christmas Octave @FranciscanMom

Praying the Liturgy of the Hours in the 2025 Christmas Octave

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“What page are we on?”

With so many different breviary editions out there, I can’t answer that question in this space. But I can tell you what headings to find, so you can put your ribbons and bookmarks in the right places before you start praying. It looks a little complicated—and this week really IS—but when you set everything up ahead of time, it will make your prayer time easier.

Start by downloading my free Christmas Antiphons bookmark. Keep that on Sunday, Week I in the Ordinary, and keep another ribbon or bookmark on Morning Prayer for Christmas. You’ll need that several times in the coming week.

Want some basic information on the Liturgy of the Hours? Get my booklet, The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours (available in print or for Kindle).

December 26: Feast of Saint Stephen, the First Martyr

Morning Prayer:

Look for “December 26: Stephen, First Martyr” in the Proper of Saints (toward the back of your breviary). Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from Sunday, Week I in the Ordinary. After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Saints.

Evening Prayer:

Everything comes from Evening Prayer II for Christmas Day.

 

December 27: Feast of Saint John, Apostle and Evangelist

Morning Prayer:

Look for “December 27: John, Apostle and Evangelist” in the Proper of Saints (toward the back of your breviary). Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from Sunday, Week I in the Ordinary. After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Saints.

Evening Prayer:

Everything comes from Evening Prayer I for the Feast of the Holy Family. See the next section for info.

 

Feast of the Holy Family

This is a movable feast that is usually celebrated the Sunday between Christmas and New Year’s Day—unless Christmas is on a Sunday. In 2025, we celebrate this feast beginning the evening of December 27 with Evening Prayer I.

Saturday evening, December 27:

Look for “Holy Family” in the Proper of Seasons (the section in the front of the breviary) and find Evening Prayer I. Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary (toward the back of your breviary). After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Seasons.

Sunday, December 28, Morning Prayer:

Look for “Holy Family” in the Proper of Seasons and find Morning Prayer. Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from Sunday, Week I in the Ordinary. After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Seasons.

Sunday, December 28, Evening Prayer:

Look for “Holy Family” in the Proper of Seasons and find Evening Prayer II. Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary (toward the back of your breviary). After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Seasons.

 

Monday, December 29: 5th Day in the Octave of Christmas and Commemoration of Thomas Beckett, Bishop and Martyr

Morning Prayer:

Return to Morning Prayer for Christmas Day for the psalms, canticle, and their antiphons. After those, look in the Proper of Seasons under “December 29.” For the Commemoration of Thomas Beckett, the antiphon for the Gospel Canticle and the final prayer come from the Proper of Saints.

Evening Prayer:

Psalms and canticles and their antiphons come from Evening Prayer II for Christmas Day. After the psalms and canticle, everything is found in the Proper of Seasons under “December 29” with the exception of the antiphon for the Gospel Canticle and the final prayer: those come from the Proper of Saints.

 

Tuesday, December 30: 6th Day in the Octave of Christmas

Morning Prayer:

Return to Morning Prayer for Christmas Day for the psalms, canticle, and their antiphons. After those, look in the Proper of Seasons under “December 30.”

Evening Prayer:

Psalms and canticles and their antiphons come from Evening Prayer II for Christmas Day. After the psalms and canticle, everything is found in the Proper of Seasons under “December 30.”

 

Wednesday, December 31: 7th Day in the Octave of Christmas

Morning Prayer:

Return to Morning Prayer for Christmas Day for the psalms, canticle, and their antiphons. After those, look in the Proper of Seasons under “December 31.”

Evening Prayer:

Everything comes from Evening Prayer I for the Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God. See that section below.

 

Solemnity of Mary, Mother of God

Wednesday, December 31, Evening Prayer:

Look for Look for “January 1” in the Proper of Seasons and pray Evening Prayer I. Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary (toward the back of your breviary). After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Seasons.

Thursday, January 1, Morning Prayer:

Look for “January 1” in the Proper of Seasons and find Morning Prayer. Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from Sunday, Week I in the Ordinary. After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Seasons.

Thursday, January 1, Evening Prayer:

Look for Look for “January 1” in the Proper of Seasons and pray Evening Prayer II. Use the antiphons provided there; the psalms come from the Common of the Blessed Virgin Mary (toward the back of your breviary). After the psalms and canticle, everything is in the Proper of Seasons.

 

 

Copyright 2025 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Photo copyright 2025 Barb Szyszkiewicz, all rights reserved.

Amazon affiliate links included.

woman reading bible

Review: Simply Scripture for Lent and Easter

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Simply Scripture for Lent and Easter: A Daily Guide to Reading the Bible

By Colleen Reiss Vermeulen
Publisher: Ave Maria Press

When I looked inside Simply Scripture for Lent and Easter, I was excited to see a prayer format that seems to fit me just right. Each day’s entries contain prayer inspiration from the Liturgy of the Hours and the daily Scripture readings, both of which are already part of my prayer routine. Colleen Reiss Vermeulen has taken prayer elements I’m already familiar with and invited me to go deeper.

 

 

 

 

 

If you don’t pray the Liturgy of the Hours, you can still use this book — and perhaps it will spark your interest in learning more about this beautiful way to pray. The psalm verses from the Liturgy of the Hours open the door to prayerful reflection on the Scripture readings (passages from Mark’s Gospel during Lent and the Acts of the Apostles for the Easter season).

This book is designed to be used one, two, or three times per day. In the section called “How to Use This Book,” the author shares strategies for adapting the prayers into separate sessions or praying all at once, whichever best fits your schedule and your inclination. It’s not so important when you pray … as long as you pray! There are even ways to incorporate these elements into your family prayer time.

 

What you’ll find in each day’s prayers

Each day’s prayer entries include:

  • A Psalm verse from Morning Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours)
  • A sentence or two based on this verse, to aid in your contemplation, followed by a brief prayer
  • Introduction to the day’s Scripture reading
  • Scripture reference for that day’s reading (bring your own Bible)
  • A Scripture verse each week to memorize, from Evening Prayer (Liturgy of the Hours)
  • Invitation to respond to God’s word, with questions to ponder
  • Closing prayer

This looks like a lot, but it doesn’t need to be overwhelming. You can use as much or as little of this material as you like, and what works for you on some days of the week might not be the same as what works on other days!

 

An invitation to fruitful prayer

Ahead of Lent (which begins March 5), treat yourself to a copy of Simply Scripture for Lent and Easter — and a new journal to go along with it. Then, resolve to spend some time each day in prayer with this excellent resource as your guide.

 

Ask for Simply Scripture for Lent and Easter at your local Catholic bookseller, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Ave Maria Press.

Copyright 2025 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Image: Canva

Links to books in this post are Amazon affiliate links. Your purchases made through these links support Franciscanmom.com. Thank you!

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Liturgy of the Hours: Where to Put the Ribbons During Easter Week

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It’s Easter Week—the Octave of Easter—and of all the weeks in the Church calendar, this one probably calls for the most page-flipping during Morning and Evening Prayer. If you’re already feeling hopelessly confused, grab a few holy cards and follow along!

These instructions work with both the 1-volume Christian Prayer and 4-volume Liturgy of the Hours editions.

First things first: download my Easter antiphons bookmark (it’s free!) and print that out. You have just saved yourself 6 page flips.

Then, take your breviary ribbons, that bookmark, and a handful of holy cards, and set things up as follows:

  • One marker at Evening Prayer II for Easter Sunday (for the Evening Prayer psalms)
  • One marker for the current day in the Easter Octave, at Morning or Evening Prayer. This one, and only this one, moves as you go through the week.
  • Easter antiphons bookmark at Morning Prayer for Sunday, Week 1 (for the Morning Prayer psalms)

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I can’t figure out why the publisher and book designer for these breviaries bothered to include the Lenten and every other Easter seasonal antiphon on Sunday Week 1, with those being used for one day each, but not the ones for Easter Sunday that are used for eight full days. If someone at the USCCB or the ICEL or the publisher would like to hire me as a test user/consultant, I’ll be happy to share my opinion on how to make using these books a little less confusing.

Are you interested in praying the Liturgy of the Hours but don’t know where to begin? Check out my booklet, The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours, for encouragement and tips for getting the most out of this beautiful way to pray with the Church.

Copyright 2024 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Images copyright 2024 Barb Szyszkiewicz, all rights reserved.

This article includes Amazon links; your purchase through these links supports the work of this website. Thank you!

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Holy Week in the Liturgy of the Hours

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Don’t miss the beauty of Holy Week liturgy—including the Liturgy of the Hours!

While Holy Thursday and Good Friday rightly get lots of attention, the earlier days of Holy Week shouldn’t be overlooked.

A few observations and tips to get you through this week of praying:

Morning Prayer includes readings from the prophets who foretold Christ’s suffering.

Evening Prayer’s readings focus on Christ’s sacrifice and its implications for us.

If you attend the Mass of the Lord’s Supper on Holy Thursday, you do not also pray Evening Prayer.

If you attend the liturgical celebration of the Passion on Good Friday, you do not also pray Evening Prayer.

Highly recommended: the Second Reading in the Office of Readings for Holy Saturday.

Holy Saturday pro tip: pray Evening Prayer before you head to the Easter Vigil.

 

Get ready for the Easter Octave with a FREE downloadable bookmark!

Download and print my Easter Antiphons bookmark and save yourself a whole lot of page-flipping during Morning Prayer for the Octave of Easter.

 

This week on Instagram, I’m highlighting one beautiful element from each day’s Liturgy of the Hours.

Ask for The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours at your local Catholic bookstore, or order online from Amazon.com or the publisher, Our Sunday Visitor.

 

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Copyright 2023 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Images copyright 2023 Barb Szyszkiewicz (created in Canva), all rights reserved.
This post contains Amazon affiliate links. Your purchase through these links supports the work of this website at no additional cost to you. Thank you!

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Night Prayer: On Solemnities, Pray Like It’s Sunday

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Your Liturgy of the Hours Tip of the Day: on Solemnities, pray Night Prayer for Sundays.

Today the Roman Catholic Church in the USA celebrates the Solemnity of St. Joseph. That means you’ll pray the Hours for the Solemnity all day today, right up until Night Prayer.

Night Prayer is very straightforward, with prayers for every day of the week. But Sunday Night Prayer is also labeled “for Solemnities.” This makes sense, because Solemnities are celebrated just like a Sunday would be, with two readings before the Gospel and a Gloria at Mass (yes, even during Lent!), and usually with Evening Prayer I the day before.

So when you pray Night Prayer tonight, pray like it’s Sunday.

Are you interested in praying the Liturgy of the Hours, or learning to use the breviary for these prayers instead of relying on an app? Get my new booklet, The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours.

 

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Copyright 2023 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Photo copyright 2023 Barb Szyszkiewicz, all rights reserved.

Amazon links are included; your purchase through these links supports the work of this website at no additional cost to you.

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You Won’t Need This Page This Year

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Your Liturgy of the Hours Tip of the Day: what to do when St. Joseph’s Day falls on a Monday

March 19 is the Solemnity of St. Joseph, unless March 19 is a Sunday or falls on certain days within Holy Week or Easter Week. This year, since March 19 is a Sunday, the Catholic Church in the USA will celebrate St. Joseph on Monday, March 20.

That means there’s a page you’re not going to need this year.

 

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Sundays in Lent are of a (slightly) higher liturgical rank than Solemnities. So tonight, pray Evening Prayer II for the Fourth Sunday of Lent. Tomorrow, celebrate St. Joseph all day!

If you have a St. Joseph Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours, which is an excellent resource for putting you on the right page for each day’s prayers, you’ll be all set. Find this at your local Catholic bookseller or online at CatholicCompany.com.

If you’re praying through the Divine Office app, you may have noticed that they have the prayers for St. Joseph’s feast today (Sunday, March 19), which is not applicable to Catholics in the USA. So you’ll need a book today, not an app, to be praying the prayers for this liturgical day.

Are you interested in praying the Liturgy of the Hours, or learning to use the breviary for these prayers instead of relying on an app? Get my new booklet, The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours.

 

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Copyright 2023 Barb Szyszkiewicz

Photos copyright 2023 Barb Szyszkiewicz

Amazon links are included; your purchase through these links supports the work of this website at no additional cost to you.

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Ease In to the Liturgy of the Hours this Lent

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Have you ever tried praying the Liturgy of the Hours?

Have you ever given up praying the Liturgy of the Hours because it seems too complicated? Too many pages, too many ribbons, too many ways to go wrong?

What if I told you that you can pray one part of the Liturgy of the Hours without needing to flip around in the book—all you need to know is what day of the week it is?

For real.

This Lent, try praying Night Prayer.

It doesn’t matter whether it’s a saint’s feast day or the season of Lent or anything like that: there’s only one week a year that Night Prayer is different, and the instructions for that are right there in the book.

In my new book The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours (available now on Kindle; the print version releases March 27), I emphasize that for Liturgy of the Hours beginners, Night Prayer is a simple introduction to the cadence of the prayers.

Is it worth the effort? Yes. Is it doable? Yes! Start small, both in building the habit of prayer and your skills in navigating the breviary. Night Prayer is a wonderful way to begin, because it’s shorter and less complex than Morning and Evening Prayer. Take all the time you need to build up your prayer muscles. (21-22)

 

If you’re using Christian Prayer, you’ll find Night Prayer beginning on p. 1034.

 

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Copyright 2023 Barb Szyszkiewicz
Photos created in Stencil, all rights reserved.

This article contains Amazon links; your purchase through these links supports the work of this website at no cost to you. Thank you!

Living in the (Prayer) Moment

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This Lent I decided to give up a prayer app. I’d been using the Divine Office app to pray the Liturgy of the Hours for several years, and I saw someone post on Twitter about using only the breviary books during the season.

I made an exception for a few days while I was traveling for work, but otherwise I went the whole season with the books I’d barely opened since I found the app all those years ago.

The person who originally posted the idea (I can’t remember whose idea it was just now) said he wanted to combat laziness. I’m plenty lazy, which originally attracted me to try this practice during Lent, but I discovered something else this season that I need to combat even more.

I don’t live in the moment.

During my twice-daily Lenten ribbon-flipping with the big breviary, I found myself looking ahead to the next time I’d be using the book – and setting the ribbon in the right place before I moved on. I’m not meditating on the psalms during Lauds if I’m flipping two pages ahead to mark the ones for Vespers.

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Copyright 2019 Barb Szyszkiewicz, OFS. All rights reserved.

But that’s what I’m doing. It’s not even like I’m saving any time or doing something I can’t do at the start of prayers the next time.

It’s a way I can indulge my tendency to always worry about what comes next. Whether it’s meals or clothing or having gas in the car, I want to be prepared for whatever’s coming – and that comes at the cost of savoring the here and now.

While this tendency is definitely an asset in my editorial work (it’s April, and I’m currently collecting magazine articles for the fall issue and assigning articles for winter), it’s not necessarily a good thing in other areas of my life.

During the second half of Lent, I actively concentrated on not moving those ribbons to the next section during (or even immediately after) prayer. It just about drove me nuts, but I managed it.

Switching from app to book didn’t turn out to be too penitential, but leaving those ribbons alone definitely was.

Will I go back to the app, starting tonight? I don’t think so. I like using the book, actually. And it’s good for me to have the twice-daily reminder that I don’t always need to be looking ahead.

Except the part where I’m looking ahead for the sake of my eternal soul.

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Copyright 2019 Barb Szyszkiewicz. All rights reserved.

Copyright 2019 Barb Szyszkiewicz

Breviary Notes 3/18

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Breviary NotesThe Reading for today’s Morning Prayer was Deuteronomy 7: 6, 8-9.

It includes the phrase, “…faithful God who keeps his merciful covenant…”

Merciful.

God’s covenant is merciful.

Of course it is–what else would it be? But I hadn’t thought about it in those terms before! God wants what’s good for us, because He loves us. And that’s what mercy is all about: wanting the good for others.

Today, may we be a sign of mercy in the world in which God has placed us.

 

Tired of the Easter Flip-Flop!

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Every Easter and Christmas it’s always the same. I don’t have enough ribbons in my Liturgy of the Hours to take care of marking antiphons, psalms, daily stuff, AND the saint. And I sit there flipping around in the book and getting all irritated that they couldn’t print the Easter Sunday and Christmas Day antiphons for Morning Prayer in with Sunday Week 1, since each of those days gets used for 8 straight days, but all the other “special” Sundays (Easter 5, Lent 1, Lent 5, etc.) got printed.

So I’ve taken matters into my own hands and printed out a bookmark with the antiphons for each of those days. Feel free to download and print it for yourself.

Hope this helps you!