Fountain of Christian Life

The Liturgy of the Hours is a wellspring or fountain of Christian life (see the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours #18), where Sacred Scripture and the patristic lessons we hear and chant nurture our life in Christ, along of course with the daily Eucharist and the other sacraments of the Church. We must never doubt this fact, even when we may feel dry or bored by the Office, annoyed by certain elements of it or by individual idiosyncrasies of those in the choir, who may distract or annoy us by their noise or behavior. The larger the group the better the chances of that happening!

We should always strive to meet the Lord even when we are distracted. It is the Lord, of course, “without whom we can do nothing” (Jn 15:5; GILOH #18) who gives us grace and strength to persevere in our resolve to encounter the risen Lord in the Liturgy of the Church, be it at the Opus Dei or Holy Mass. At both we receive God’s word into our lives (and at Mass Christ’s own Body and Blood), so that we may grow in holiness as disciples of the Lord and “experience more deeply the unfathomable riches of Christ” (GILOH #28) being offered to us throughout each day.