THE LITURGY OF THE HOURS
Mark Biolo
I recently read an article that included a very brief comment on the
importance and beauty of the Liturgy of the Hours. I guess I’m really in the
dark as I don’t even know what that is!
The Liturgy of the Hours, or Divine Office as it was formerly known, is the
official cycle of the Church’s daily prayer. Prayed for centuries, the Liturgy
of the Hours was most recently reformed in 1971. With the promulgation of this
reform, the Congregation for Divine Worship stated in its decree, "Through
the Liturgy of the Hours, which from longstanding practice it celebrates
throughout each day, the Church fulfills the Lord’s command to pray without
ceasing and at the same time offers praise to God the Father and intercedes for
the salvation of the world."1 It is the way in which the Church
sanctifies the day.
The Liturgy of the Hours is required prayer of clergy and religious and
encouraged for all members of the Church. In its present form it
consists of seven different series of psalms, canticles, and readings prayed at
different times of the day: Morning Prayer (or Lauds from the Latin laudare, "to praise") and Evening Prayer
(or Vespers from the Latin vespera,
"evening") are the principle or "hinge Hours" upon which
the whole cycle of daily prayer depends. Other Hours include Mid-Morning,
Mid-Day, Mid-Afternoon, Night Prayer (or Compline
from the Latin completorium,
"completion") and the Office of Readings. The Office of Readings is
sometimes called Vigils because in early Christian practice this office
was properly sung around midnight. The practice of keeping vigil during the
night is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles and is attested to by the early
Church Fathers such as Tertullian and Hippolytus. These hours became part of monastic practice
and evolved into the hour known as Matins (from the Latin tempora
matutina meaning "morning hours").
Monastic communities still rise well before dawn to pray the Office of
Readings, though according to norms it may be said anytime during the day. In
our Camaldolese Benedictine house we still call this
hour "Vigils" and gather in the wee hours of the morning each day to
pray this office. For us Lauds comes later in the morning at 7:00. Though
contemplative communities pray all seven hours, most clergy and religious pray
five of the hours (each "hour" usually takes only several minutes to
pray), selecting only one of the three daytime prayers. Many lay folks pray
portions of the Liturgy of the Hours as well, usually at least Morning Prayer
and Evening Prayer.
Psalms make up the heart of the Liturgy of the Hours. Though several
religious communities have their own form of the Hours, the majority of Roman
Catholic clergy and many religious use the
multi-volume Roman Breviary (from the Latin breviarium,
"abridgement" or "summary"). The Roman Breviary, as revised
in 1971, contains a psalter in which nearly all of
the 150 psalms are prayed over a four-week cycle. (Psalms 58, 103, and 109 have
been omitted because of the harshness of their tone.) Some psalms do occur more
frequently than others and a few have been reserved for specific times of the
year. Other features of the Liturgy of the Hours include canticles, passages
from Sacred Scripture, writings of the Church Fathers,
intercessions, and responsories.
As you can see, the Liturgy of the Hours is a bit complex, especially when
you consider that the prayers for different solemnities, feasts, and memorials
follow a path distinct from the regular four-week cycle. In all of this,
however, Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer are the two "hinges" on
which the daily office turns; hence they are considered the chief hours and are
celebrated as such. Indeed, Lauds and Vespers have been stable institutions in
the Eastern and
Morning Prayer, or Lauds, is intended and arranged to sanctify the morning.
As St. Basil the Great wrote, "It is said in the morning in order that the
first stirrings of our mind and will may be consecrated to God and that we may
take nothing in hand until we have been gladdened by the thought of God . .
."2 Celebrated as a new day is dawning, this hour also recalls
the resurrection of Jesus, the true light enlightening all people. Lauds begins
with a hymn followed by a psalm referring in some way to the morning hour or
the sanctification of the day. An Old Testament canticle follows which is
succeeded by a "praise psalm". A brief Scripture reading comes next
and then the Gospel canticle of Zechariah (the Benedictus).
A series of intercessions for the sanctification of the day’s labors follows
the Benedictus and Lauds finishes with the Our
Father, a short concluding prayer, and a blessing.
Evening Prayer or Vespers is celebrated in order that ". . . we may
give thanks for what has been given us, or what we have done well, during the
day."3 We also recall our redemption through the prayer we send
up "like incense in the Lord’s sight". The psalmody of Vespers is
made up of two psalms apt for this hour and of a canticle taken from the New
Testament. The psalms chosen for Evening Prayer have various tones. There are
the luminous psalms, in which evening, light, and lamp are mentioned; psalms,
which manifest trust in God; psalms of thanksgiving and praise, and others of a
more penitential flavor. The brief reading has as its purpose
to propose forcefully and effectively a biblical sentence and imprint it
on hearts so that it will be translated into life. There is also the great Magnificat, the evangelical canticle of the Blessed Virgin,
followed by intercessions. Vespers culminates in the prayer of Jesus, the Our
Father, and concludes with a short prayer that expresses our entrustment of our
life in the hands of the Father.
According to the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours,
"Morning Prayer (Lauds) and Evening Prayer (Vespers) are to be accorded
the highest importance as the prayer of the Christian community. The public or
communal celebration of these hours is to be encouraged."
Hope that helps you out a bit. I highly encourage you to incorporate at
least Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer into your prayer life. You may find the
four-volume breviary that we use rather cumbersome but the one-volume
"Christian Prayer" is an excellent way to pray these most important
hours. You should be able to find it where Catholic books are sold, including
online.
Sacred Congregation for Divine Worship, Prot. N.
1000/71
Basil the Great, Regulae
fusius tractatae resp. 37, 3:PG 31, 1014
ibid, 1015