The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours Quotes

“There was certainly a time when I wondered why we were supposed to praise God so much. Was the Lord eternally fishing for compliments, like a once-beautiful woman now past her prime? So egotistical that he needed us telling him how wonderful he was every single day? Would he be offended if we didn’t remember to commend him for his goodness on a regular basis? I knew that God couldn’t really be like that, but figured this was one of those mysteries, like the Trinity, that we would only understand completely in heaven. Fortunately, it’s not so great a mystery that we can’t understand it pretty well right now. Simply put, God does not demand our praise because he needs it, but because we need it. It is for our benefit, not his. If the whole world neglected to ever utter a single word of praise to God, he would not be hurt or diminished in any way. But we, the non-praisers, would be sadly crippled. Praise — call it admiration or appreciation — is the most natural response in the world to beauty, truth, and goodness. You are not in the least worried about offending a beautiful sunset by not praising it. On the contrary, you just can’t help it. Your heart leaps, and words such as, “Wow! That’s incredible!” come to your lips.”
― Daria Sockey, The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours

“The Psalms give us a foolproof formula for speaking to the Lord of our sorrows: Complain. Trust. Repeat.”
― Daria Sockey, The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours

“Come, let us ring out our joy to the Lord; hail the rock who saves us (Psalm 95).”
― Daria Sockey, The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours

“The position and role of monastic and diocesan clergy evolved as the Church grew, and so did the liturgies they used. As cathedrals or monasteries were the anchors of society in the early Middle Ages, the bells that called priests and monks to prayer also drew in the laity from village and field. They would gather to listen as Lauds or Vespers were chanted. According to historians, the Divine Office was the daily liturgy most available during the week, for daily Mass, offered in public by parish priests, was not a universal custom at that time.”
― Daria Sockey, The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours

“The Liturgy of the Hours is “part two” of the official, public worship of the Catholic Church (“part one” being the Mass).”
― Daria Sockey, The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours

“Consistency is important in keeping a habit going. Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Don’t even let the good be the enemy of the just barely okay.”
― Daria Sockey, The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours

“Don’t let the perfect be the enemy of the good. Don’t even let the good be the enemy of the just barely okay.”
― Daria Sockey, The Everyday Catholic's Guide to the Liturgy of the Hours