Monastic Experiences of the Liturgy of the Hours. Empirical Liturgical Theological Explorations

© 2016, all rights reserved. The aim of this article is to perceive, understand, describe and analyse monastic experiences of the Liturgy of the Hours in a Dutch and a German Benedictine abbey. Although much research has been done on the history of this particular liturgical repertoire, there is hardly any knowledge about contemporary lived liturgy in this realm. A perspective of liturgical theology is taken (1) to broaden the scope of liturgical spirituality in this direction. The distinction between primary theologians (theologia prima) and secondary theologians (theologia secunda) serves as a basis for a new research paradigm in anthropological liturgical studies: collegial research interviews (2). The setting of the research (3) makes monks and researcher both practitioners of liturgical theology, willing to share their insights. Nineteen interviews form the basis for an analysis of the structure of the Liturgy of the Hours (4) and its meaning (5). One of the most important insights is that the interplay between structure and anti-structure opens a horizon for mystical liturgical meaning. Some conclusions for monastic liturgical practice and further research (6) express the hope that the research presented here will be an invitation to further exchange for practitioners, both in the choir stalls and in the academic field.