Questions "Nobody" Is Asking.

Paul and Fr. Nathaniel are joined by a special guest and behind-the-scenes miracle worker to discuss some serious questions (with sprinkles of levity) about the state of the Liturgy of the Hours in the Church. If you hate laughing and only want serious discussion skip to 04:19.
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00:00 Intro with Paul and Fr. Nathaniel
00:18 Paul is a repackager of good things.
00:25 Fr. Nate wonders out loud about the nature of packaging and repackaging.
00:35 Paul apologizes and walks back what he said about chemistry.
00:57 Click here to see Fr. Nate's best rendition of "Confused and Outraged."
01:02 Here's where you realize that Paul should never be let near a lab. Ever. Which is great for us because we need him to keep singing the Hours.
01:12 Cheers, and it's Charlie!
01:34 How did Charlie become a chanter, and what are the obstacles for normal human beings?
02:03 Charlie's "normal human beinghood" is confirmed.
02:15 Charlie initiates a hostile takeover of the podcast agenda.
03:07 How does Paul know Charlie? A lesson in Advanced Family Trees.
03:23 Happy Birthday Bob!
03:36 Paul throws Charlie under the "angry comments from angry listeners" bus.
04:19 "How can it be that a devout, daily-Mass-going, cradle Catholic NEVER heard of the Liturgy of the Hours?"
04:54 Fr. Nathaniel gives a generalized, diplomatic, two-pronged answer:
1. 05:08 For a variety of reasons, few parishes present the Liturgy of the Hours
2. 05:37 Families have their own types of devotions.
06:20 Charlie's mic goes out but don't worry it comes back.
06:27 If the Liturgy of the Hours is so important, why has it been ignored in American Catholicism?
06:39 Paul's Answer:
1. 06:58 There's a large barrier to entry, especially before the internet.
2. 08:09 There has been an increasing atomization of society starting from the Enlightenment that makes the acquisition of public liturgy extremely difficult.
09:32 Fr. Nate jumps back in with three prongs this time:
1. 09:40 The initial barrier to entry (the Psalms chanted in Latin) was historically even higher
2. 10:00 It was meant for cloistered religious, and popular versions made it to the broader
public (like the rosary).
3. 10:44 There has been a good and right emphasis and promotion of the Mass as the central act of worship of the Church. Vespers has been replaced by Mass.
11:31 Why is it so important for laypeople to pray the Liturgy of the Hours?
12:17 The Eucharist has two realities: The Gift, and the Response to the Gift
12:55 When we receive the Eucharist, we must respond with a sacrifice of praise.
13:25 The Liturgy of the Hours waters the seed of the Eucharist that is planted in our hearts.
14:32 The Second Vatican Council Encourages the Laity to pray the Liturgy of the Hours.
15:23 There is a sore lack of awareness that the laity are capable of offering authentic liturgy.
16:00 We have the divine right to participate in the public liturgy by virtue of our baptism.
16:16 Dom Gueranger: Many bishops and popes in the early Church were appointed from the laity because they had reached such heights of maturity by praying the Psalter.
16:49 John Chrysostom: children in his time had memorized the whole Psalter.
16:57 The laity ascends in understanding through chanting the Psalter regularly.
17:32 The Liturgy of the Hours is an antidote to so many ills of modern culture.
17:50 Antidote, not anecdote. Shout out to Mrs. Hansen.
18:24 How does Sing the Hours counter the ills of modern culture?
19:09 Even if you're praying alone, you're praying in a special way with the communion of the saints.
19:47 The Liturgy of the Hours is the actual prayer of Christ and his Body to the Father.
20:16 Sing the Hours is a voice crying in the wilderness: Bring the Liturgy of the Hours into your communities!
21:08 Our souls need to praise God. We owe Him, but we have nothing.
21:49 The Liturgy of the Hours frees us from the need to figure out what to give to God.
22:19 The Liturgy of the Hours has pride of place in our devotional life.
23:02 Praying the Liturgy of the Hours yields a great bounty.
25:10 Praying the Liturgy of the Hours puts you in a permanent expectation AND presence.
25:38 Longing for the next liturgical season points you to the ultimate longing for the coming of Our Lord.
26:18 Charlie takes credit for Sing the Hours.
27:20 What made Charlie buy in to the Liturgy of the Hours.
27:54 "Charlie, you're telling me all the things that you want to pray, you're not worried about what God wants to hear."
30:03 What can people be doing if they're inspired to pray the Liturgy of the Hours?
30:38 Join us for the Pentecost Vigil - May 18 at the Seaport Shrine.
30:57 Retreat at St. Thomas More House of Prayer
31:10 Save the date for a Boston retreat