Another Little Black Book

Not a missal this time. I am now the proud owner of a traditional Benedictine breviary, the Monastic Diurnal published by St. Michael's Abbey Press. Those folks have a shop with other nifty books, cds, cards, statues, and things.

Aside from the obvious value of the work of God("Ergo nihil operi Dei praeponatur." - Rule of Benedict XLIII.3), I pray the Office in pursuit of a long-time goal: committing Scripture, prayers and hymns to memory. I once heard a story about men, imprisoned in a concentration camp, who entertained each other and preserved sanity by reciting passages from Scripture. In the event of a persecution, what fortifies martyrs and discomfits enemies of the Faith more than the Veni Creator or Te Deum? If I found myself in similar circumstances, at this point, I could contribute little. To that end, I hope to learn a few psalms in Latin.

Omnes sancti martyres, orate pro nobis!