Liturgy of the Hours This article refers to the Liturgy of the Hours as a specific once contained within what was called the Roman Bre- manifestation of the public prayer of the Roman Rite of viary, is in its present form found in what in English edi- the Catholic Church. For its application in other liturgi- tions is called either The Liturgy of the Hours (arranged in cal rites of the Catholic Church and in other communions, four volumes) or The Divine Office (in three volumes).[7] see canonical hours. In Greek the corresponding services are found in the The Liturgy of the Hours (Latin: Liturgia Horarum) Ὡρολόγιον (Horologion), meaning Book of Hours. Within Anglicanism, the Liturgy of the Hours is con- tained within the book of Daily Prayer of Common Wor- ship and the Book of Common Prayer, as well as in the Anglican Breviary. Within Lutheranism, it is contained within the liturgical books used by the various Lutheran church bodies, such as the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Amer- ica. The primary worship resources in these churches in- clude Lutheran Worship, the Lutheran Book of Worship, and Evangelical Lutheran Worship. Other names for the Liturgy of the Hours within the Latin liturgical rites in- clude Diurnal and Nocturnal Office, Ecclesiastical Office, Cursus ecclesiasticus, or simply cursus.[2] Benedictine monks singing vespers, which is part of the Liturgy of the Hours. 1 Origins or Divine Office (Latin: Officium Divinum) or Work of The early Christians continued the Jewish practice of God (Latin: Opus Dei) or canonical hours, often re- reciting prayers at certain hours of the day or night. In the ferred to as the Breviary, is the official set of prayers Psalms are found expressions like “in the morning I offer “marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day you my prayer"; “At midnight I will rise and thank you” with prayer”.[1] It consists primarily of psalms supple- ; “Evening, morning and at noon I will cry and lament"; mented by hymns, readings and other prayers. Together “Seven times a day I praise you”. The Apostles observed with the Mass, it constitutes the official public prayer life the Jewish custom of praying at the third, sixth and ninth of the Church. The Liturgy of the Hours also forms the hour and at midnight (Acts 10:3, 9; 16:25; etc.). basis of prayer within Christian monasticism.[2] The Christian prayer of that time consisted of almost Celebration of the Liturgy of the Hours is an obligation the same elements as the Jewish: recital or chanting of undertaken by priests and deacons intending to become psalms, reading of the Old Testament, to which were soon priests, while deacons intending to remain deacons are added readings of the Gospels, Acts, and epistles, and obliged to recite only a part.[3][4] The constitutions of canticles.[8] Other elements were added later in the course religious institutes generally oblige their members to cel- of the centuries. ebrate at least parts and in some cases to do so jointly (“in choir”).[5] The laity are under no public obligation to do so, but may oblige themselves to do so by personal vow, and “are encouraged to recite the divine office, either with 2 Canonical hours the priests, or among themselves, or even individually”.[6] The Liturgy of the Hours, along with the Eucharist, has 2.1 Traditional Roman Breviary formed part of the Church’s public worship from the ear- liest times. Christians of both Eastern and Western tradi- By the end of the 5th century, the Liturgy of the tions (including the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Hours was composed of seven offices. Of these seven, Oriental Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran churches) Compline seems to have been the last to appear, because celebrate the Liturgy of the Hours under various names. the 4th century Apostolic Constitutions VIII iv 34 do Within Roman Catholicism, the Liturgy of the Hours, not mention it in the exhortation “Offer up your prayers 1 2 2 CANONICAL HOURS in the morning, at the third hour, the sixth, the ninth, • Vespers or Evening Prayer — major hour the evening, and at cock-crowing”.[9] An eighth office, Prime, was added by Benedict of Nursia in the 6th cen- • Compline or Night Prayer tury. These eight are known by the following names, which do not reflect the times of the day at which in All hours, including the minor hours, start with the the second millennium they were traditionally recited, as versicle from Ps 70 (69) v. 2[13] (as do all offices in the shown by the use of the word “noon”, derived from Latin traditional Breviary except Matins and Compline): “V. (hora) nona,[10][11] to mean midday, not 3 in the after- Deus, in adiutorium meum intende. R. Domine, ad adi- noon: uvandum me festina” (God, come to my assistance; Lord, make haste to help me), followed by the doxology. The • Matins (during the night, at midnight with some); verse is omitted if the hour begins with the Invitatory also called Vigils or Nocturns or, in monastic usage, (Lauds or Office of Reading). The Invitatory is the intro- the Night Office duction to the first hour said on the current day, whether it be the Office of Readings or Morning Prayer. • Lauds or Dawn Prayer (at Dawn, or 3 a.m.) The opening is followed by a hymn. The hymn is followed • Prime or Early Morning Prayer (First Hour = ap- by psalmody. The psalmody is followed by a scripture proximately 6 a.m.) reading. The reading is called a chapter (capitulum) if it is short, or a lesson (lectio) if it is long. • Terce or Mid-Morning Prayer (Third Hour = ap- The reading is followed by a versicle. The hour is closed proximately 9 a.m.) by an oration followed by a concluding versicle. Other • Sext or Midday Prayer (Sixth Hour = approximately components are included depending on the exact type of 12 noon) hour being celebrated. In each office, the psalms and can- ticle are framed by antiphons, and each concludes with • None or Mid-Afternoon Prayer (Ninth Hour = ap- the traditional Catholic doxology. proximately 3 p.m.) • Vespers or Evening Prayer (“at the lighting of the 2.2.1 Major hours lamps”, generally at 6 p.m.) The major hours consist of the Office of Readings, Morn- • Compline or Night Prayer (before retiring, generally ing (or Lauds) and Evening Prayer (or Vespers). at 9 p.m.) The Office of Readings consists of: This arrangement of the Liturgy of the Hours is attributed to Saint Benedict. However, it is found in Saint John Cas- • opening versicle or invitatory sian's Institutes and Conferences,[12] which describe the • monastic practices of the Desert Fathers of Egypt. a hymn • one or two long psalms divided into three parts 2.2 Liturgy of the Hours of Paul VI • a long passage from scripture, usually arranged so that in any one week, all the readings come from the After the Second Vatican Council, Pope Paul VI promul- same text gated a new Roman Breviary, commonly referred to as “Liturgy of the Hours”. The structure of the offices, the • a long hagiographical passage, such as an account of distribution of psalms, and the prayers themselves were a saint's martyrdom, or a theological treatise com- modified. Prime was suppressed entirely. In short, the menting on some aspect of the scriptural reading, or burden was lessened. “Major” and “minor” hours were a passage from the documents of the Second Vatican defined: Council • on nights preceding Sundays and feast days, the of- • The Officium lectionis, or Office of Readings, (for- fice may be expanded to a vigil by inserting three Old merly Matins) — major hour Testament canticles and a reading from the gospels • Lauds or Morning Prayer — major hour • the hymn Te Deum (on Sundays, solemnities, and • Daytime Prayer, which can be one or all of: feasts, except in Lent) • Terce or Mid-Morning Prayer • the concluding prayer • Sext or Midday Prayer • a short concluding verse (especially when prayed in • None or Mid-Afternoon Prayer groups) 3 The character of Morning Prayer is that of praise; of Night prayer has the character of preparing the soul for Evening Prayer, that of thanksgiving. Both follow a sim- its passage to eternal life: ilar format: • opening versicle • opening versicle or (for morning prayer) the invita- tory • an examination of conscience • a hymn, composed by the Church • a hymn • two psalms, or parts of psalms with a scriptural can- • a psalm, or two short psalms; The psalms of Sun- ticle. At Morning Prayer, this consists of a psalm of day – Psalm 90/91 or 4 & 133/134 – may always be praise, a canticle from the Old Testament, followed used as an alternative to the psalm(s) appointed on by another psalm. At Evening Prayer this consists of weekdays two psalms, or one psalm divided into two parts, and a scriptural canticle taken from the New Testament. • a short reading from scripture • a short passage from scripture • the responsory In manus tuas, Domine (Into Your Hands, Lord) • a responsory, typically a verse of scripture, but sometimes liturgical poetry • the Canticle of Simeon, Nunc dimittis, from the Gospel of Luke, framed by the antiphon Salva nos • a canticle taken from the Gospel of Luke: the (Save us Lord) Canticle of Zechariah (Benedictus) for morning prayer, and the Canticle of Mary (Magnificat) for • a concluding prayer evening prayer • a short blessing (noctem quietam et finem perfectum • intercessions, composed by the Church concedat nobis dominus omnipotens.