First, he stresses the need for communal prayer as well as private prayer. Both are truly prayer. Communal prayer nourishes private prayer. In the Liturgy of the Hours, our communal prayer uses words inspired by the Holy Spirit (Biblical psalms and canticles) to pray with/beside the high priest Jesus. This gives the prayer an outward, other focus.

Second, he provides basic information regarding the psalms: their classification, orientation (who is speaking to whom), structure, imagery and interpretation in light of the life of Jesus Christ.

Third, he provides a view of praying the psalms in the person of another. He points out "Because of our solidarity, there is no singular in authentic prayer." Thus he approaches Ps 88 in the person of babies threatened with abortion when he prays "You have laid me in the depths of the tomb / ... You have taken away my friends / and made me hateful in their sight. In the person of drug addicts, he prays: "My life is on the brink of the grave / ... I have reached the end of my strength."

Next, he presents the basic structure and flavor of each of the Hours in the Liturgy of the Hours, suggesting practical ways to enter into the practice of their prayer gradually. He provides very brief backgrounds for some of the psalms and most of the canticles. He also illustrates the flexibility of the Liturgy of the Hours in suggesting expansions of some canticles, use of the vigil extentions to the Office of Readings, etc.

Lastly, he presents a minimal description of how the Hours are to be celebrated, placing well chosen quotations from the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours and the Constitution on the Liturgy in a separate chapter. He concludes with a 17 point summary of the book.

My only "quarrel" with the book is in his distinction between monastic and cathedral prayer. Because his concern primarily is with travesties inflicted on the Liturgy of the Hours under the guise of "cathedral prayer," he oversimplifies history, giving an unbalanced, misleading distinction.

This book provides a solid and inviting introduction to the Liturgy of the Hours. It is especially successful in two aspects - the importance of communal prayer in solidarity with Christ and the applicability of the psalms and canticles to contemporary life.


Prayer in Unity   January 14, 2002
 10 out of 10 found this review helpful

This is the only book I have ever seen that touches upon what is for me the most important impetus to pray the Liturgy of the Hours: it is a prayer of unity for the whole church, and next only to Holy Mass, unifies believers, even those praying it in isolated circumstances, with the rest of the Body of Christ. This is an exciting book, and the chapter on apostolic prayer is easily worth the price of the whole. It may not make praying the Liturgy of the Hours itself exactly exciting, but it will clarify your reasons for doing so and make the discipline seem worthwhile.


Good Things Come in Small Packages   April 15, 2000
 32 out of 32 found this review helpful

Fr. Charles Miller's wonderful little book, "Together in Prayer: etc" was my textbook for a class entitled: The Psalms: the Prayer of the Church at St. Charles Seminary, outside Philadelphia, PA. I highly recommend this for the layman who would like to appreciate the psalms better, but have had trouble connecting to them in a meaningful way. Fr. Miller speaks, with great love, about the beauty and timelessness of the psalms by relating them to everyday situations. Fr. Miller shows how our everyday situations have a voice in these ancient poetic expressions. Although there are many Psalm scholars who will appeal to individuals involved in more serious study (such as Walter Bruggermann), Fr. Miller's "Together in Prayer" offers an accessable entrance point for the neophite. Anyone who reads this book will come away with a new appreciation for the Psalms.