 The
Liturgy of Hours
Two aspects of the Liturgy
of the Hours were established very early on: the praying
of the Psalms, and the consecration of every hour to God.
Taking this literally meant that prayer of some kind was
offered every three hours, day and night, and confined the
full implementation of such a liturgy to hermits, enthusiasts,
and dedicated religious orders.
At times, their achievements seem to us to be more heroic
than spiritual, and this is certainly what we would feel
if we went through all 150 psalms every week, and so, in
various reforms and adjustments through the ages, the schedule
has been made rather more human.
The last batch of reforms, completed in 1970 and revised
in 1985, has made the Liturgy of the Hours usable not only
by priests and religious but also by lay people who have
a living to earn and a life to lead.
Here is the basic structure:
Lauds
Also known as Morning Prayer. It is meant to be said first thing in the morning.
There is a hymn, two psalms (or bits of psalms if they are long), an Old Testament
canticle (basically a psalm that happens not to be in the Book of Psalms),
a short reading, and prayers of intercession. In public celebration, it is
possible for Mass to follow straight on from this Hour.
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The
Little Hours : Terce, Sexte and None
These are also known as Prayer through the Day: Terce (the
third hour in Roman reckoning, or mid-morning), Sext (the
sixth hour: noon), and None (pronounced to rhyme with "moan",
this is the ninth hour, or mid-afternoon). These hours are
short, so as not to be too much of an interruption, but because
they still are an interruption, most lay people won't want
to bother with them. We will, however, add them to this site
eventually.
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Vespers
Also known as Evening Prayer or Evensong. This Hour takes us from the bustle
of the day to the calm of evening. There is a hymn, two psalms, a New Testament
canticle (usually a hymn from St Paul or a song of triumph from the Apocalypse),
a short reading, and prayers of intercession.
Sundays and important feasts are considered to start the night before (like
the Jewish Sabbath) and have so-called "First Vespers" on that night.
Compline
Also known as Night Prayer, and sometimes combined into
the public celebration of Vespers. It is the last prayer
of the day, and sums up all that went before, as we examine
our consciences and offer the actions of the day to God.
The
office of readings
This is a splendid innovation of the latest reforms. Unlike
the other Hours, it can be said at any time of day at all,
whenever time and energy and circumstances allow you to
pray and meditate. Moreover, it contains more substantial
material for meditation, in the form of a solid Bible reading
of a chapter or so. Then comes the glory of the whole Liturgy
- a second reading, which is not biblical but is taken
from the earliest centuries of the Church, or from old
homilies whose very authors have been forgotten, or from
the writings or biographies of the saints.
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