The "Liturgy of the Hours" (a.k.a. "The Divine Office" or "Breviary") is the daily prayer of the universal Church, with different "hours" prayed at various times of the day and night. It is based primarily on the Psalms, but also incorporates other biblical texts, canticles, hymns, prayers, and even some non-biblical readings. The three "major hours" are Morning Prayer, Evening Prayer, and the Office of Readings (prayed at any time during the day). Other hours include "Daytime Prayer" and "Night Prayer."
Basic Terminology:
"Ordinary of the Liturgy of the Hours" - the overall structure of the various periods of prayer, from the Introductory Dialogue to the Concluding Prayer and Blessing, with various sequences of Hymns, Psalms, Canticles, Antiphons, Readings, Responses, and Prayers in between.
"Four-Week Psalter" - the arrangement of the biblical Psalms and Canticles this is used on most days and weeks throughout the Liturgical Year.
"Proper of Seasons" - texts that are used in the various "seasons" of the liturgical year, from Advent and Christmas, to Lent and Easter.
"Proper of Saints" - special texts used only on the more important feast days of the Lord Jesus, the Blessed Virgin Mary, or other Saints.
"Commons" - additional texts that could be used, mostly on an optional basis, on the feasts and memorials of lesser-known saints.
Charts and Overviews:
The materials gathered in this section of the "Catholic Resources" website are intended primarily to provide overviews of the biblical and non-biblical texts used throughout the Liturgy of the Hours.
Liturgy of the Hours. 4 vols. Catholic Book Publishing, 1990. (8160 pages; the official full set)
Christian Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours. Catholic Book Publishing, 1976. (2080 pages; single volume edition)
Shorter Christian Prayer: The Four-Week Psalter of the Liturgy of the Hours Containing Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer. Catholic Book Publishing, 2013. (670 pages; abridged edition)
Daytime Prayer: The Liturgy of the Hours. Catholic Book Publishing, 2007. (456 pages; mid-morning, mid-day, mid-afternoon prayers only)
Mayer, Laurence. Morning and Evening Prayer in the Parish. Liturgy Training Publications, 1985. (48 pages)
Richards, James. Preparing Morning and Evening Prayer. Preparing for Liturgy. Liturgical Press, 1997. (48 pages)
Sockey, Daria. The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours. Servant, 2013. (128 pages)
Szyszkiewicz, Barb. The Handy Little Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours. OSV, 2023. (72 pages)
Zimmerman, Joyce Ann, CPPS. Morning and Evening: A Parish Celebration. Liturgy Training Publications, 1996. (82 pages)
Prayer Resources:
Craven, Toni. The Book of Psalms. Message of Biblical Spirituality. Liturgical Press, 1992. (172 pages)
Gallagher, Timothy, OMV. A Layman's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours: How the Prayers of the Church Can Change Your Life. EWTN, 2019. (144 pages)
Gallagher, Timothy, OMV. Praying the Liturgy of the Hours: A Personal Journey. PublishDrive, 2014. (112 pages)
Guiver, George. Company of Voices: Daily Prayer and the People of God. Pueblo, 1988; Wipf & Stock, 2008. (296 pages)
Melloh, John and William Storey, eds. Praise God in Song: Ecumenical Daily Prayer. GIA, 1979. (328 pages)
Nugent, Madeline Pecora. The Divine Office for Dodos: A Step-By-Step Guide to Praying the Liturgy of the Hours. Catholic Book Publishing, 2008. (272 pages)
Pope John Paul II. Psalms and Canticles: Meditations and Catechesis on the Psalms and Canticles of Morning Prayer. Liturgy Training Publications, 2007. (288 pages)
Storey, William G. A Catholic Book of Hours and Other Devotions. Loyola Press, 2007. (392 pages)
Storey, William G. An Everyday Book of Hours. Liturgy Training Publications, 2007. (294 pages)
Storey, William G. A Seasonal Book of Hours. Liturgy Training Publications, 2001. (294 pages)
Zimmerman, Joyce Ann, CPPS, et al., eds. Pray without Ceasing: Prayer for Morning and Evening. Liturgical Press, 1993. (672 pages)
More Academic and Historical Studies:
Bradshaw, Paul F. Daily Prayer in the Early Church: A Study of the Origin and Early Development of the Divine Office. SPCK, 1981; Wipf and Stock, 2008. (208 pages)
Jungman, Joseph A. Christian Prayer through the Centuries. Paulist, 1979; reprint 2008. (160 pages)
Martimort, A.G., et al., eds. The Liturgy and Time. The Church at Prayer, vol. IV. Liturgical Press, 1985. (320 pages)
Matera, Frank J. Praying the Psalms in the Voice of Christ: A Christological Reading of the Psalms in the Liturgy of the Hours. Liturgical Press, 2023.
Taft, Robert, SJ. The Liturgy of the Hours in East and West: The Origins of the Divine Office and Its Meaning for Today. 2nd edition. Liturgical Press, 1993. (421 pages)