A Day in the Life of a Carmelite Nun; Part 1-- The Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office)
"What do those cloistered nuns do all day?" Have you ever found yourself asking this question? Well, these next few posts will be just for you. Over the course of the next few months, we would like to lead you on a journey, using the Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) as our guide, to discover what it is the Carmelites do, and why they are an invaluable asset to the church, as well as to each individual diocese. Before we begin, let's get a little acquainted with the roadmap. For anyone who is unfamiliar with the Liturgy of the Hours, here is a brief overview; but we will take a deeper look at each individual 'hour' as we traverse the Carmelite day, since the Liturgy of the Hours is the basic structure of the Carmelite life: THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS (DIVINE OFFICE) This book is called the Breviary, and contains the prayers of the Church, called the Liturgy of the Hours. What is the Liturgy of the Hours (or what the church also calls, The Divine Office)? Jesus...