This series, which will span several weeks, is a recounting of “Wisdom from Walburga” from the mind and heart of Mother Maria-Michael, O.S.B., abbess of the Abbey of St. Walburga, in answer to some of the foundational questions and concerns of countless Catholics on the road to Heaven.
Liturgy of the Hours and Intercessory Prayer
The official prayer of the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours, is prayed throughout the day and night by priests, deacons and religious worldwide. At any given moment on any given day, someone, somewhere, is praying for the Church in the words of Scripture, in the words of Jesus.
“The Divine Office is such a treat,” Mother Maria-Michael said, reflecting on the dynamic of the powerful form of prayer. “I often think if you’re in the Office, you’re praying the Psalms, and you pray one phrase out, and they pray another back to you, and then you pray another to them. And then when you’ve come to the end, we can’t say more, so we’re going to pray, ‘Glory be to the Father!’ You know, we’ve hit the highest point. We’re just going to stand and praise him.”
The words of Scripture, especially the Psalms, are woven into and through this ancient prayer. Usually prayed in groups called choirs, each stanza of each psalm alternates from group to group. After each psalm, a Glory Be is prayed, returning all laud and honor to the Trinity. In this way, the consecrated who pray the Divine Office use the words of Scripture to pray to and praise God.
“The Psalms are ancient, yet they’re still alive,” Mother continued. “It’s beautiful when you pray the Scriptures. Oh my goodness, there’s such a power in it because the Scriptures are the heart of the Church.”
In addition to praying to God, the nuns at Walburga and others worldwide pray for the Church. In this ancient form of intercessory prayer, the Divine Office allows them to lift up whatever sufferings, challenges, illnesses and other needs to God in and through his own words, trusting in his loving provision.
As his brides, the nuns at Walburga have a special “in” when it comes to this intercessory prayer. Mother said: “If your husband’s the King, you bring the people to the King. You implore God, your King, ‘Please take care of your people. Show them the way.’”
The prayer of the nuns of Walburga and their contemplative counterparts worldwide, brides of Christ, is a tremendous blessing for the Church and the world. For those without any promise to pray the Divine Office, the Liturgy of the Hours and intercessory prayer can still be a source of great grace.
“When you bring people to God, it’s his love to take care of them. It’s not going to be how we want, but you have to have faith and trust,” Mother said. “I do believe that intercessory prayer is powerful. I believe that when we love people and bring them to God, and we’re doing that out of sheer love for Church, God will answer.
“I just want to honor God. It’s his choice how to do it. I can only pray, and I’m happy to do that,” she concluded.
The Wisdom from Walburga is twofold: it lies in an ancient source of wisdom given to the Church, the Liturgy of the Hours, and in an ever-new invitation to pray and intercede for our brothers and sisters. By praying the Divine Office faithfully and interceding for the Church and our community’s needs, we draw closer to the King of Kings. Whether in the Liturgy of the Hours or in some other way, we are privileged to bring our neighbors’ needs to God in trusting faith, asking him to take care of his people – and to give us the grace to do the same.
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