Praising God at regular intervals during the day makes the entire day holy to God. Spiritual tradition has always considered the celebration of praise at the Office to be a truly angelic function, and this is why the monastic life is often called an 'angelic life.' Reciting the Office is a way of anticipating the life of heaven by the sanctification of time. For busy clergy or those with family responsibilities saying even one or two of the Hours is a beneficial discipline and sacrifice made to the glory of God. Even the private recitation of the Office is offered in union with the faithful and is considered a communal activity. The Divine Office, also known as the Liturgy of the Hours, is a prayer-filled communal celebration, an extension of our oblation of our selves with Christ in the Eucharist. “He alone is good,” Jesus says, and he moves us to love him in the fullness of his beauty. Praise is the unlimited appreciation of the grandeur of God. Praise is the primary duty of a Christian towards God, of any creature towards the Creator.
