Divine Office Volume 1: The Liturgy of the Hours According to the Roman Rite as Renewed by Decree of the Second Vatican Council and Promulgated by the ... Advent, Christmastide & Weeks 1-9 of the Year

(I've added some photographs (under "Customer images") of the book you actually receive.)This is the first (of three) volume of the "full" modern Catholic breviary, the Liturgy of the Hours; this one covers Advent and Christmas, as well as containing the overall introduction and instructions for the series. Volume 2 covers Lent and Easter, and volume 3 the rest of the year - I've posted very similar reviews on each of those pages too.These volumes are the pinnacle of a whole range of Collins books featuring content from the Liturgy of the Hours in the same style. In ascending order of size, it goes:- "Shorter Morning and Evening Prayer"- "Morning and Evening Prayer"- "Daily Prayer"- "The Divine Office" (3 vols)Each of these is effectively a step up, an expanded version of the last. There's no need for anyone to own all seven of these books, as the Divine Office contains everything in Daily Prayer, which in turn contains everything in Morning and Evening Prayer, etc etc; each time you step up, it renders the previous step redundant.This, the three-part Divine Office set, is the full-length version, the biggest of the lot. Between them, they contain everything that's in the smaller volumes, plus a lot of extra material. All three contain many hours of prayer for each day of the year, as well as a healthy sampling of hymns, poems and prayers for specific purposes; this one has an added bonus in the form of the fifty-page introduction and user guide, the General Instruction, which takes you step by step through how to use the books if you're unfamiliar with how the Liturgy of the Hours works.It's not particularly easy to grasp at first but with a little patience, it'll become second nature. As a result, this is the most important of the three volumes if you're new to the Office.The main draw here over the cheaper single-volume "Daily Prayer" is the fantastic Office of Readings, which gives a scriptural reading (different from the readings at Mass, drawn from a variety of different English translations and sometimes featuring selections from books which don't feature at Mass at all) and a non-scriptural reading, often a homily or commentary on the preceding scripture reading, for every single day of the year. You also get alternate (extra) readings for the Proper of Saints for England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland and Australia, many of these readings providing very useful biographical or autobiographical material on a given saint as a complement to that day's Mass.For me, these readings are among the best parts of the whole breviary, and so these books are absolutely worth getting. This one is beautifully produced, crisply printed with six ribbons and a deep blue hardback cover - I don't agree with other reviewers' comments that the cream paper is too thin, it's not particularly opaque but actually feels quite a bit sturdier than most Bibles and Missals I've owned. (See the photos I uploaded for a better idea).I can't imagine living without these books now, and I recommend them without hesitation.

I've been getting into the prayers of the RC Church - and my old copy of 'Daily Prayer' which I got in 1980 needed replacing. As I have more time I choose this (and the other volumes in the set). It's not cheap but it's been well worth it. Although not brand new, you would never guess - it arrived (on time!) in pristine condition. It is a thing if beauty and I now invariably say all 7 daily offices! Which is great. The book mark ribbons are beginning to look worn, but I'd read about this and they are inexpensive to replace when the time comes! If you want to join in the great prayer of the Church, then this resource is invaluable. Enjoy and be blessed! Pete UK

Everything is perfect

For the last four years I have been using the single volume edition by the same publisher of Morning and Evening prayer from the Divine Office. This has been a magnificent introduction to praying the liturgy of the hours. As I wished to progress to include the office of readings which is not contained in the single volume edition, I decided to suggest the three volume set as a series "gifts" over my birthday and Christmas to my children. The volumes are excellent quality and have a good "feel" to them. For those who have never prayed the office before the thought of a three volume set can be daunting but the books follow the natural rhythm of the Churches liturgical year and the general instructions are clear, the coloured ribbons and prayer cards can be used to mark the different elements of your prayers and if you pray to God you can't pray wrong, even if you do accidentally skip an hour or miss a feast or a proper antiphon!!

If you are familiar with the 1985 editions of the Divine Office this 2006 edition is a reprint. The print and the book are smaller and lack the generous page layout and clear print of the earlier editions (which now costs a king's ransom 2nd hand). The real disappointment is the board cover which is not leather but strengthened paper. I bought a new Collins copy in 2006 and it is now looking the worse for wear. Please note - this is NOT leather binding. The only hope is that there will be a new edition of the Divine Office, promised for a long time, before this copy ends its days.

A wonderful way to participate in the life of the Church, in the prayer of Christ. By no means perfect - a lot of revision is needed with the Divine Office in order to keep up-to-date with liturgical changes in the Church, but it still works well to serve as a steady framework from which to keep the rhythm of prayer central in ones life. It truly is the work of God.

This is great. It arrived in very good condition. For those who want to read it daily, it is a must.

Great read and a must buy to advance your faith.