Divine Office - Audio Prayer app review: participate in the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours

Introduction

There is a unique kind of contentment that comes with praying in a community. If you feel this way but cannot join in to pray with others on a regular basis, Divine Office – Audio Prayer is a fantastic app to have on your iPhone or iPad.

This app gives you a chance to listen to the recitation of the Liturgy of the Hours. For those who are not in the know, the Liturgy of the Hours is a collection of ancient psalms, hymns, and scriptures which are fundamental to public prayer among Christians.

There are plenty of amazing features offered by this app, and there ought to be, considering it costs $19.99. It has won the Best Catholic App award on About.com for three years in a row and it is easy to see how it could greatly improve one's prayer life, and help them get closer to God.

Hours of the Liturgy

Divine Office - Audio Prayer - Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church brings you eight Hours of Prayer for each day, namely Invitatory, Office of Readings, Morning Prayer, Midmorning Prayer, Midday Prayer, Midafternoon Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer.

Users will receive the audio as well as text version of the set daily prayer, automatically downloading several days' worth of prayer when you are connected to the internet. Depending on your needs, you can select which prayers are to be downloaded for each day of the year, including Solemnities, Feasts, and Memorials.

Connect With The Christian Community

I think the best feature of Divine Office - Audio Prayer - Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church is the way it connects users together to form a Christian community around daily prayer. It allows you to not only use integrated social media to connect with other Christians, but you can also view the Community In Prayer section to view locations from across the planet where others might be praying at the same time.

Although this version is the official prayer book of the Catholic Church, you can also use it if you are a follower of Eastern Orthodox or Anglican traditions. Just keep in mind that this app uses the four-volume Liturgy of the Hours and is biased towards the US calendar as the developers are US-based.

Pros & Cons

Pros

• Participate in eight different Hours recitations daily
• Automatically receive prayers for several days when you are connected to the internet
• Connect with the Christian community on Facebook and Twitter
• View other Christians praying along with you at the same time from around the world

Cons

• Requires an internet connection to function
• Biased towards the US calendar

Final Words

Whether you are a clergy who must pray the Liturgy of the Hours daily, or just wishing to partake in daily prayer to be more honest and close to God, Divine Office - Audio Prayer - Liturgy of the Hours of the Roman Catholic Church will serve to ensure that you get your daily prayers in a convenient, enjoyable, and easy-to-use format on both the iPhone or iPad.