Grace at This Time: Praying the Daily Office

by C.W. McPherson

"As far as the Daily Office is concerned, the current edition of the American Book of Common Prayer is underemployed. Most faithful church people seem to know and use only certain limited portions of it or assume it is the special domain of clergy and monastics. This is not the original intent of the Office. Using it in this way is like using a new automobile exclusively as a water heater. It can be used this way, but it would be a bizarre restriction. Very few Christians seem to think of the Daily Office as something intended for all baptized persons, but this is actually its nature and purpose." - from the Introduction The discipline of praying the Daily Office has fallen out of practice in recent years, even while many Americans seek to deepen their spiritual lives. The Discipline of the Daily Office is for all Christians, Episcopalian or otherwise, who seek a deeper relationship with God and scripture through a regular daily practice. In accessible language, C.W. McPherson explores the history, theology, and spirituality inherent in Morning and Evening Prayer, as well as the Minor Offices. He also provides practical instructions about the Office to help those who wish to use these prayers thoughtfully. This book is an excellent resource for anyone who wishes to understand this ancient tradition more completely. The Rev. C.W. McPherson has spent twenty years in parish ministry and is also a spiritual director, retreat leader, and a mentor for deacons and priests in formation. He teaches theology and church history. He is a published poet and the author of Understanding An Exploration of Christian Theology. He lives in New Rochelle, New York.

147 pages, Paperback

First published November 1, 1999

Reviews

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I could have spent my time actually praying the Office, I enjoyed this book and found that it had interesting history of the Daily Office, many suggestions for structuring the Office for individuals or groups, lots of further resources for those interested, and what seemed to be a comprehensive section, Appendix A, of questions and answers the author had gotten and answered over years of presenting this material to groups of people.

This book turned into a project for me; the author talked about how, if you pray the Office daily, you'll read through the Old Testament every two years, the New Testament every year, and the Psalms something like 14 times in two years. And why did that turn into a project? Because I knew this wasn't strictly true, and started investigating the readings listed in the Daily Office Lectionary to see what was left out. I was surprised at how much of the Old Testament is never read at all. I haven't, however, gone through to see exactly what is eliminated. I'm sure much of it is just commonsense -- lists of kings, the infamous "begats," some of the detailed temple worship instructions or laws for living that aren't pertinent today.

At any rate, this is a terrific companion to the Daily Office; it's probably not particularly good as an introduction, because it's hard to imagine someone who has never prayed the Office wanting to read the whole thing. It would be nice to find a group -- even a very small group -- of people willing to read the Office together.