Joshua Bennett
The Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office or the Work of God, is a form of prayer that marks the hours of the day. In the Byzantine Rite, the daily cycle of liturgical services includes Vespers, Matins, and the Divine Liturgy, which can be celebrated without a priest and are sometimes part of community worship. The Byzantine Horologion, or book of hours, includes seven canonical hours that correspond to the Byzantine order, with an additional Prayer of the Veil for bishops, priests, and monks. These hours are short and can be memorized and prayed at home or work, with the First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours taking their names from the Roman division of the day and night into twelve equal periods. The Byzantine daily services include a wealth of praise, poetry, piety, and theological teaching, with the Divine Praises celebrated communally or individually.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| Name | Liturgy of the Hours, Divine Office, Opus Dei, or Officium Divinum |
| Number of Canonical Hours | 7 daytime hours and 1 at night |
| Daily Cycle | Vespers (sunset), Matins (sunrise), and the Divine Liturgy |
| Prayer Cycle | Said for the repose of the soul of a deceased individual or individuals |
| Prayer Services | Morning Prayer, the Sixth Hour, and Evening Prayer |
| Prayer Texts | Morning and Evening Prayers for Persons in the World, and the First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours |
| Prayer Versions | BDO Complete, BDO Lite, and BDO Propers |
| Prayer Duration | 6 x 10 minutes per day, 3 x 6 minutes per day, or 1-2 minutes per day |
| Prayer Aids | Audio recordings, email, smartphone app, and printed books |
| Prayer Languages | Available in 4 languages |
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What You'll Learn
- The Liturgy of the Hours is also known as the Divine Office or the Work of God (Opus Dei)
- The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches refer to the Liturgy of the Hours as the divine services
- The Liturgy of the Hours is a meditative dialogue on the mystery of Christ, using scripture and prayer
- The Byzantine daily services include Vespers and Matins, as well as the Divine Liturgy
- The Liturgy of the Hours is composed of seven daytime hours and one at night
The Liturgy of the Hours is also known as the Divine Office or the Work of God (Opus Dei)
The Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office or the Work of God (Opus Dei), is the daily prayer of the Church, marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer. The term "Liturgy of the Hours" has been retroactively applied to the practices of saying the canonical hours in both the Christian East and West, particularly within the Latin liturgical rites, prior to the Second Vatican Council. It is the official term for the canonical hours promulgated for usage by the Latin Church in 1971.
The Liturgy of the Hours forms the official set of prayers, marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer. It is a meditative dialogue on the mystery of Christ, using scripture and prayer. At times, the dialogue is between the Church or individual soul and God; at times, it is a dialogue among the members of the Church; and, at times, it is even between the Church and the world. The dialogue is always held in the presence of God and using the words and wisdom of God. Each of the five canonical hours includes selections from the Psalms that culminate in a scriptural proclamation.
The Liturgy of the Hours includes Morning and Evening Prayer, which also incorporate intercessions that flow from the scriptural proclamation, just as the Psalms prepare for it. In the Hours, the royal priesthood of the baptised is exercised, and this sacrifice of praise is thus connected to the sacrifice of the Eucharist, both preparing for and flowing from the Mass. The hymns and litanies of the Liturgy of the Hours integrate the prayer of the psalms into the age of the Church, expressing the symbolism of the time of day, the liturgical season, or the feast being celebrated.
The Divine Office, or Opus Dei, owes its remote origin to the inspiration of the Old Covenant. God commanded the Aaronic priests to offer a morning and evening sacrifice. During the Babylonian Exile, when the Temple did not exist, the synagogue services of Torah readings, psalms, and hymns developed as a substitute for the bloody sacrifices of the Temple, a sacrifice of praise. The Rule of Saint Benedict modelled his guidelines for the prayers on the customs of the basilicas of Rome. It was he who expounded the concept in Christian prayer of the inseparability of the spiritual life from the physical life.
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The Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches refer to the Liturgy of the Hours as the divine services
The Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office or the Work of God (Opus Dei), is the daily prayer of the Church, marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer. In the Eastern Orthodox and Byzantine Catholic Churches, the Liturgy of the Hours is referred to as the divine services, and the book of hours is called the Horologion (Greek: Ὡρολόγιον). The Horologion, or Book of Hours, provides the fixed portions of the Daily Cycle of services used by the Eastern Orthodox and Eastern Catholic churches.
The Liturgy of the Hours consists primarily of psalms supplemented by hymns, readings, and other prayers and antiphons prayed at fixed prayer times. The daily cycle of the Byzantine Rite includes Vespers and Matins, as well as the Divine Liturgy. The Divine Praises, which are part of the Divine Liturgy, can be celebrated without a priest and are sometimes included in the regular worship of communities without a resident pastor. Individuals or small groups can also celebrate parts of the Divine Praises, taking advantage of the "school of prayer" in the Eastern tradition.
The Byzantine Rite also includes the All-Night Vigil, which consists of Vespers with Litija, followed immediately by festal Matins. This service can last all night in monasteries and parish churches of the Great Russian (Muscovite) liturgical tradition. The Byzantine Rite also includes the Liturgy of Preparation or Offering (Proskomedia), Liturgy of the Word, and Liturgy of Sacrifice or Eucharist.
The practice of praying at various times throughout the day has its roots in Judaism and was further developed in Christian monastic communities in the East and West. By the fourth century, the elements of the canonical hours were largely established, and the development of the Divine Services shifted from Jerusalem to Constantinople in the Byzantine Empire. Over time, the Offices grew more elaborate and complex, with liturgical customs in both East and West retaining midmorning, midday, and midafternoon prayer.
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The Liturgy of the Hours is a meditative dialogue on the mystery of Christ, using scripture and prayer
The Liturgy of the Hours is an ancient tradition of prayer in the Church, marking the hours of each day and sanctifying the day with prayer. It is also known as the Divine Office or the Work of God (Opus Dei). The practice of praying several times a day was inherited from the Jews, and under monastic influence, these prayers developed into the various Hours of the day (First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours). These prayer services are short and can be memorized and prayed at home or at work.
The Liturgy of the Hours includes five major "hours" or times of prayer: Morning Prayer, also known as Lauds, prayed first thing in the morning; Daytime Prayer, prayed sometime between mid-morning and mid-afternoon; Evening Prayer, also known as Vespers, prayed in the early evening; Night Prayer, also known as Compline, offered just before bedtime; and the Office of Readings, the longest hour, featuring lengthy readings from the Bible, Church Fathers, or other saints, prayed at any point during the day.
The Liturgy of the Hours is a way to pray Scripture throughout the day, focusing especially on the Psalms. It is a public prayer of the Church, Christ's Mystical Body, as distinct from private devotions such as the Rosary, novenas, or personal prayer. Its purpose is to sanctify the day and the whole range of human activity by bathing the morning, afternoon, and evening in prayer, so that “the whole course of the day and night is made holy by the praises of God.
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The Byzantine daily services include Vespers and Matins, as well as the Divine Liturgy
The Byzantine Rite is a liturgical tradition of the Eastern Catholic Church. The Byzantine daily services include Vespers and Matins, as well as the Divine Liturgy. Vespers and Matins are celebrated more solemnly on Sundays and feasts, with more singing and the use of light and incense.
Vespers is a daily service that takes place in the evening. It is derived from the Jewish tradition of praying several times a day, which, under monastic influence, developed into the various 'Hours' of the day. These prayer services are short and can be memorised and prayed at home or work. Vespers is also celebrated as part of an All-Night Vigil in some Greek and Russian monasteries, which includes the Litija and is followed by festal Matins.
Matins is a morning service that includes the recitation of psalms, the reading of the Holy Gospel, and the chanting of hymns. There are three distinct types of Byzantine Matins: Sunday or Resurrectional Matins, celebrated on Sundays; Festive Matins, adapted to the solemn celebration of various feast days; and Daily Matins, a simplified version celebrated on weekdays. The most characteristic part of Byzantine Matins is the Kanon, a complex liturgical poem composed of nine canticles, referred to as Odes, which symbolise the nine Angelic Choirs.
The Divine Liturgy is a separate service that includes readings from the Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles, along with the Prokeimenon and Alleluia verses that are chanted with the readings. The Divine Liturgy may be preceded by a service called Typika, which is celebrated on days when the Divine Liturgy is not held at its usual time.
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The Liturgy of the Hours is composed of seven daytime hours and one at night
The Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office, is a form of prayer that marks the hours of each day and sanctifies the day with prayer. It is a meditative dialogue on the mystery of Christ, using scripture and prayer. The word "hours" refers to the hours of the day, not the time it takes to complete each prayer. The main hours, Morning and Evening Prayer, take around 15 minutes each, while Night Prayer takes 5 to 10 minutes.
The practice of seven fixed prayer times has been taught since the early Church, attached to Psalm 119:164, "Seven times a day I praise you." The seven daytime canonical hours are Lauds (dawn), Prime (sunrise), Terce (mid-morning), Sext (midday), None (mid-afternoon), Vespers (sunset), and Compline (retiring). The one nighttime canonical hour is Vigil. These hours are based on the Roman practice of dividing the day and night into twelve equal periods or "hours."
The Liturgy of the Hours offers a solution for Christians who want to pray continually but find it challenging due to their busy schedules. By locking in times of prayer throughout the day, individuals can combine their voices with others worldwide who are also praying the Hours. This practice ensures that every moment, someone somewhere is offering these prayers to God.
The Byzantine Rite, including the Eastern Catholic Churches, emphasizes the communal and solemn celebration of the Divine Praises. This ancient tradition involves celebrating the Divine Praises with the people, ensuring the faithful have access to a rich source of prayer and authentic doctrine. The daily cycle of the Byzantine Rite includes Vespers, Matins, and the Divine Liturgy, with the Divine Praises often forming part of the regular worship of communities without a resident pastor.
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Frequently asked questions
The canonical hours are fixed-hour prayers that developed in Christian monastic communities in the East and West. The prayers are short and can be memorised and prayed at home or at work.
The canonical hours include First, Third, Sixth, and Ninth Hours. They also include Midmorning Prayer or Terce, Midday Prayer or Sext, and Midafternoon Prayer or None.
The Liturgy of the Hours, also known as the Divine Office or the Work of God (Opus Dei), is the daily prayer of the Church. It marks the hours of each day and sanctifies the day with prayer.
