Why All Catholics Should Pray the Liturgy of the Hours

Friends, in the latest episode of the Word on Fire Show, I sat down with Matthew Petrusek to discuss the Liturgy of the Hours—the Divine Office—and why this ancient form of prayer is for all Catholics, not only priests and religious. We explore its origins, spiritual richness, practical benefits, and how it can help advance the cause of evangelizing the culture for Christ. We also discuss why Word on Fire published its own beautifully crafted edition of the new translation. Get "The Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition" 4-Volume Set: https://www.liturgyofthehours.com Experience a transformative new way to start praying the Liturgy of the Hours with Word on Fire's easy-to-follow monthly booklets: https://www.wordonfire.org/pray 00:00 | Introduction 01:11 | Bishop Barron’s diocesan travels 02:35 | Why the Liturgy of the Hours matters to Word on Fire 03:57 | Leading with beauty 04:57 | Prayer and the importance of embodiment 08:06 | The origins and practice of praying the Divine Office 12:13 | How the Liturgy of the Hours shapes priests 13:26 | Understanding the Liturgy of the Hours as the Divine Office 14:22 | Relating the Liturgy of the Hours to the liturgy of the Mass 15:11 | What makes a prayer liturgical? 15:52 | Why the Psalms feature so prominently in the Divine Office 20:06 | How the laity benefits from praying the Divine Office 21:46 | “Pray without ceasing” 23:17 | Getting started with the Liturgy of the Hours 27:32 | Persevering through fatigue in prayer 30:51 | The Divine Office and evangelization 31:44 | Listener question: What effect does our prayer have on others? 34:18 | Join the Word on Fire Institute