The canonical hours of the present day Breviary originate in the Old Covenant of God with His Chosen People. God commanded the Aaronic priests (Aaron – first priest of that Covenant, brother of Moses) to offer morning and evening sacrifices. Other related prayer inspiration may have come from King David’s Psalm (Ps. 119:164): “Seven times a day I praise you”, and “the just man meditates on the law day and night”(Ps. 1:2)

Christian prayer and worship in the New Covenant Tradition continued the Jewish practice of regular morning and evening prayer. New Testament biblical texts, the writings from the Church Fathers, excerpts from the lives of the saints, and songs of praise based on the psalms were gradually added to the Old Testament psalms and readings. These formed the growing body of devotional practices in the Christian communities.

Breviary: In the first steps of this development the Psalms were separated into a choir-book. The president of the local church, the Bishop, or the Leader of the Choir chose a suitable psalm for use in the assembly.

Monks who practiced the daily recitation of the 150 Psalms around the fourth century began to group some of these psalms together and extended the prayer of the psalter over a week since the daily recitation of the whole psalter took a long time. Within the week each day was divided into hours and each devotional hour was assigned its portion of the Psalter.

In the sixth century St Benedict also advocated this arrangement.
Bishop Alcuin of York established an adaptation in the eighth century that included a prayer for each day and some other prayers but no lessons or homilies.

In the ninth century Bishop Prudentius of Troyes abridged the very large collection of material to a practical length. Books known as the Breviarium Psalterii, the shortened form for the laity, gave a few psalms for each day.

Communal payer developed further with additions to these psalter choir-books of antiphons to the psalms and the responses at the end of an entire psalm or a section of it. Various other short prayers were included over the years as well as passages from both the Old and New Testament. Reflections on the Gospel Reading of the day and homilies from the writings of the Church Fathers were added as well.

Note: Mendicant friars (wandering friars) travelled the country to spread the faith and help the poor. They needed an abbreviated daily office all in one portable book. Therefore single-volume breviaries flourished from the thirteenth century onwards.

Before the printing press Breviaries were written by hand, often richly colored and gilded. Initials and miniature illustrations from the life of Christ or the saints or from Bible stories surrounded the text.

Pope Gregory VII (1073-1085), simplified the liturgy. He gave this abridgment the name Breviary referring to the collection of several works into one. After variations of these payer books were used and spread by religious orders in different ways Pope Nicholas III (1277-1280) adopted the so-called “Roman” version for the curia and the basilicas of Rome. Further adaptations according to decree of the Council of Trent were published under order of Pope St. Pius V (1566-1572). Additional revisions of the Roman Breviary have occurred. Most recently by Pope Pius X in 1910. Pope John XXIII revised the Breviary in 1960 introducing changes drawn up by his predecessor Pope Pius XII.

The Liturgy of the Hours divides the payer life of Religious and lay faithful into regular periods throughout the day.

The Roman Breviary, the Breviarium Romanum, refers to a four volume set. Each volume corresponds to a ‘season’ in the cycle of the Church year. Certain religious congregations have Breviaries of their own. Generally speaking the Roman Breviary is the one in use in the world.

Some variations occur regarding celebrations of liturgies for saints venerated by a particular religious order, a nation, or local region. National Conferences of Bishops and local bishops determine the use of the Breviary in their jurisdiction.

No, not another kind of Bible – The compact book in its zippered case that priests carry with them is their Breviary; their constant companion which they pray throughout the day.

The Breviary is not exclusively Catholic. In fact any person who wishes to take up this ancient, always new practice of regular daily prayer which spiritually unites so many peoples in the world may do so.

The books are easily obtainable and any priest as well as many lay persons would be pleased to introduce a novice to this beautiful devotion. Phoning the Chancery Office of the Catholic Church in your area will provide help.

When we look around us, we see a lot of amazing things and that include other human beings. Would these things exist without man’s need for these things? Sometimes, we see them as unnecessary, not a basic requirement for existence, or as something that we can actually do without. The days that we are living for measure the importance of these things surrounding us. Maybe these items or people are really needed for us to survive or to support life. Or maybe, they are there to give us comfort and relaxation.

Basically, man has five basic needs which these amazing things we see around us provide for. These five basic needs are the ones that make man live, the ones that enable him to relate confidently with others. These needs enumerated below would be a modern interpretation of Maslow’s hierarchy. Each one, however, may include in its purpose some aspects found in other needs labeled by Maslow. The following are the five basic needs of man:

1. Food – This is what makes humans live and grow so he can function and fulfill his purpose here on earth. Food enables humans to move and think for his own benefit and for the benefit of others.

2. Shelter – Man needs something where he can abode not only for rest but more on for his protection and security. He needs to protect himself from the wild, the elements, and even from his co-human beings.

3. Clothing – Society has evolved from the prehistoric humans until the present, yet even prehistoric man needed something to cover his body for protection against the environment. These would be the harmful factors like the cold, the burning heat, insect bites, thorns and splinters, etc. Nowadays, a prime reason for clothing is to conform to the social cause of dressing to avoid sexual immorality. The second reason would be to uplift his self-esteem in a world dictated by fashion.

4. Spiritual – With the catastrophes and an unpredictable economic status around the world, man needs a strength to hope on. He needs someone bigger than what he sees who can help him, hopefully, in the midst of problems arising in these times.

5. Friends – Friends provide the boost a man needs in order to face reality. Friends give man the strength, love, and “cushion” he needs in good times and bad times. Friends stabilize the emotional turmoil man may encounter in his life.

All these needs answer to the necessities of man in order for him to live on a leveled status, contentment and a healthy body. But, aside from these five factors one aspect a person should have in his lifetime in order to stay fit and healthy is a good chiropractor as an alternative medicine. Taking medications often may not be good for your kidney and liver; and using chiropractic to heal your ailments is a good idea.

Finding a good St Louis chiropractor is not easy if you live in St Louis, but I found a Maryland heights chiropractor who does wonders with her hands.