ANSWER by John-Paul Ignatius, OLSM on February 4, 2004

Dear Kristen: Canon Law 904 states: Remembering always that in the mystery of the Eucharistic Sacrifice the work of redemption is continually being carried out, Priests are to celebrate frequently. Indeed, daily celebrations are earnestly recommended, because, even if it should not be possible to have the faithful present, it is an action of Christ and of the Church in which Priests fulfil their principal role. Thus the answer to the question about whether Priests are to say Mass daily is no, but they are encouraged to celebrate daily. As to the obligation of priests to pray the Divine Office, the General Instructions for the Liturgy of the Hours states: 28. Sacred ministers have the liturgy of the hours entrusted to them in such a particular way that even when the faithful are not present they are to pray it themselves with the adaptations necessary under these circumstances. The Church commissions them to celebrate the liturgy of the hours so as to ensure at least in their persons the regular carrying out of the duty of the whole community and the unceasing continuance of Christ's prayer in the Church. 29. Hence bishops, priests, and other sacred ministers, who have received from the Church the mandate to celebrate the liturgy of the hours, should recite the full sequence of hours each day, observing as far as possible the true time of day. They should, first and foremost, attach due importance to those hours that are, so to speak, the two hinges of the liturgy of the hours, that is, morning prayer and evening prayer, which should not be omitted except for a serious reason even if a priest celebrates more than one Mass a day. They should faithfully pray the office of readings, which is above all a liturgical celebration of the word of God. In this way they fulfill daily a duty that is peculiarly their own, that is, of receiving the word of God into their lives, so that they may become more perfect as disciples of the Lord and experience more deeply the unfathomable riches of Christ. In order to sanctify the whole day more completely, they will also treasure the recitation of daytime prayer and night prayer, to round off the whole Opus Dei and to commend themselves to God before retiring. The Morning and Evening Prayers (Hinge Prayers) are a serious obligation for Priests. The other Offices are highly encouraged but not absolutely required. The Bishop, who is the chief Liturgist for his diocese may dispense an individual priest or all his priests from disciplinary rules such as these. The Jesuits have no obligation to say the Divine Office at all. Their Constitutions do not require it because their focus on missionary work, education, and ministry that makes the recitation of the Divine Office burdensome. Other religious orders and communities have their own rules as to what Hours are said and when and who is required. All seven Hours are rarely said outside a contemplative monastery. 12. To the different hours of the day the liturgy of the hours extends [59] the praise and thanksgiving, the memorial of the mysteries of salvation, the petitions and the foretaste of heavenly glory that are present in the eucharistic mystery, "the center and high point in the whole life of the Christian community." [60] The liturgy of the hours is in turn an excellent preparation for the celebration of the eucharist itself, for it inspires and deepens in a fitting way the dispositions necessary for the fruitful celebration of the eucharist: faith, hope, love, devotion, and the spirit of self-denial. As for the importance of the Divine Office vs. the Celebration of the Mass, the Mass is the highest ranking prayer of the Church. The Divine Office, as a Liturgy, is the second most important prayer in the Church. Each has their proper place. The mandate for the Divine Office comes from Jesus Himself, as stated in the GILH: 10. Christ taught us: "You must pray at all times and not lose heart" (Lk 18:1). The Church has been faithful in obeying this instruction; it never ceases to offer prayer and makes this exhortation its own: "Through him (Jesus) let us offer to God an unceasing sacrifice of praise" (Heb 15:15). The Church fulfills this precept not only by celebrating the eucharist but in other ways also, especially through the liturgy of the hours. By ancient Christian tradition what distinguishes the liturgy of the hours from other liturgical services is that it consecrates to God the whole cycle of the day and the night. This call to "pray at all times" gives the Church the solemn obligation to sanctify the hours of the day with this sacred prayer. This is why the name of the Divine Officer was changed to the Liturgy of the Hours as that title more perfectly gives notice to the purpose of the Divine Office. The GILH states: 11. The purpose of the liturgy of the hours is to sanctify the day and the whole range of human activity. Therefore its structure has been revised in such a way as to make each hour once more correspond as nearly as possible to natural time and to take account of the circumstances of life today. Hence, "that the day may be truly sanctified and the hours themselves recited with spiritual advantage, it is best that each of them be prayed at a time most closely corresponding to the true time of each canonical hour." Some other excerpt from the GILH may be useful: 14. Our sanctification is accomplished and worship is offered to God in the liturgy of the hours in such a way that an exchange or dialogue is set up between God and us, in which "God is speaking to his people ... and his people are responding to him by both song and prayer." Those taking part in the liturgy of the hours have access to holiness of the richest kind through the life-giving word of God, which in this liturgy receives great emphasis. Thus its readings are drawn from sacred Scripture, God's words in the psalms are sung in his presence, and the intercessions, prayers, and hymns are inspired by Scripture and steeped in its spirit. Hence, not only when those things are read "that are written for our instruction" (Rom 15:4), but also when the Church prays or sings, faith is deepened for those who take part and their minds are lifted up to God, in order to offer him their worship as intelligent beings and to receive his grace more plentifully. 15. In the liturgy of the hours the Church exercises the priestly office of its Head and offers to God "without ceasing" a sacrifice of praise, that is, a tribute of lips acknowledging his name. This prayer is "the voice of a bride addressing her bridegroom; it is the very prayer that Christ himself, together with his Body, addresses to the Father." "All who render this service are not only fulfilling a duty of the Church, but also are sharing in the greatest honor of Christ's Bride for by offering these praises to God they are standing before God's throne in the name of the Church, their Mother." 16. When the Church offers praise to God in the liturgy of the hours, it unites itself with that hymn of praise sung throughout all ages in the halls of heaven; it also receives a foretaste of the song of praise in heaven, described by John in the Book of Revelation, the song sung continually before the throne of God and of the Lamb. Our close union with the Church in heaven is given effective voice "when we all, from every tribe and tongue and people and nation redeemed by Christ's blood (see Rv 5:9) and gathered together into the one Church, glorify the triune God with one hymn of praise." 17. But besides the praise of God, the Church in the liturgy of the hours expresses the prayers and desires of all the faithful; indeed, it prays to Christ, and through him to the Father, for the salvation of the whole world. The Church's voice is not just its own; it is also Christ's voice, since its prayers are offered in Christ's name, that is, "through our Lord Jesus Christ," and so the Church continues to offer the prayer and petition that Christ poured out in the days of his earthly life and that have therefore a unique effectiveness. The ecclesial community thus exercises a truly maternal function in bringing souls to Christ, not only by charity, good example, and works of penance but also by prayer. God bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary