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 Hours are 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 Divine Office "is truly the voice of the Bride herself addressed to her Bridegroom. It is the very prayer which Christ himself together with his Body addresses to the Father." (SC 84) The dialogue is always held, however, in the presence of God and using the words and wisdom of God. Each of the seven canonical Hours includes selections from the Psalms that culminate in a scriptural proclamation. The two most important or hinge Hours are Morning and Evening Prayer. These each include a Gospel canticle: the Canticle of Zechariah from Luke 1:68-79 for Morning Prayer (known as the Benedictus), and the Canticle of Mary from Luke 1:46-55 for Evening Prayer (known as the Magnificat). The Gospel canticle acts as a kind of meditative extension of the scriptural proclamation in light of the Christ event. Morning and Evening Prayer also include intercessions that flow from the scriptural proclamation just as the Psalms prepare for it.
In the Hours, the royal priesthood of the baptized 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 Catechism states:
"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. Moreover, the reading from the Word of God at each Hour (with the subsequent responses or troparia) and readings from the Fathers and spiritual masters at certain Hours, reveal more deeply the meaning of the mystery being celebrated, assist in understanding the psalms, and prepare for silent prayer." (CCC 1177)
St. Benedict, Father of Monasticism, gave detailed direction as to how the principal community prayer – the Opus Dei or Work of God – is to be carried out. The monks are expected to leave whatever task occupies them and gather in the church of the monastery to pray the psalms together and listen to readings. Seven times each day the community gathers, at given signals, for this spiritual work, and once during the night:
{1}Vigils, or the Night Office
{2}Lauds, or morning prayer, said as dawn breaks
{3}Terce, {4}Sext and {5}None, shorter offices recited at the third, sixth and ninth hours
{6}Vespers, or evening prayer, said as the light of the day fades
{7}Compline, or night prayer, said before retiring to bed.
St. Benedict advised that during the praying of the Work of God, we should be more than ever aware that we are in the divine presence. He exhorts his monks to ‘Sing wisely’ and in such a way that ‘our minds are in harmony with our voices’. In other words, he asks that we bring our total self to this work of prayer and praise.
The prayer of the Divine Office has been the Church’s prayer throughout her history. With it, she invites her members to join in one heart and one soul to offer a sacrifice of praise to God and also to take up the necessary work of the consecration of each day and each place in which we pray.
At the heart of the Work of God is the praying of the psalms. These ancient poems and songs which are knit into Israel’s self expression have passed seamlessly into Christian mouths since the moment Christ himself prayed them. They are a timeless expression of the human person’s need to live into and out of his relationship with God, a God of all history and time, who enters into every experience and listens as we cry out to him, a God who waits for his children to give voice to their joys and sorrows, fears and triumphs, consolations and desolations.
The seven Hours of the Divine Office, listed in their full Latin Grammatical form, are:
"About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them."
- Acts 16:25
"The office of readings seeks to provide God's people, and in particular those consecrated to God in a special way, with a wider selection of passages from sacred Scripture for meditation, together with the finest excerpts from spiritual writers. Even though the cycle of scriptural readings at daily Mass is now richer, the treasures of revelation and tradition to be found in the office of readings will also contribute greatly to the spiritual life" (General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours [GILH], no. 55).
The hymns selected for the Office of Readings (Matins) in the Liturgy of the Hours prepare our hearts and minds for the contemplation of the Word of God. While today's Matins has retained some of it's former character as a nocturnal prayer (and can still be used as such), the modern Office of Readings can be prayed at any time during the day because it takes it's theme not from the time of day (as the other hours) but rather, from the seasons and feast days that make up the liturgical year.
"As is clear from many of the elements that make it up, morning prayer is intended and arranged to sanctify the morning. St. Basil the Great gives an excellent description of this character in these words: "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, as it is written: 'I was mindful of God and was glad' (Ps 77:4 [Jerome's translation from Hebrew]), or set our bodies to any task before we do what has been said: 'I will pray to you, Lord, you will hear my voice in the morning; I will stand before you in the morning and gaze on you' (Ps 5:4-5)."
"Celebrated as it is as the light of a new day is dawning, this hour also recalls the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, the true light enlightening all people (see Jn 1:9) and "the sun of justice" (Mal 4:2), "rising from on high" (Lk 1:78). Hence, we can well understand the advice of St. Cyprian: "There should be prayer in the morning so that the resurrection of the Lord may thus be celebrated" (GILH, no. 38).
"Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o’clock in the morning." - Acts 2:15
The hymns selected for Midmorning Prayer (Terce) in the Divine Office draw upon the theme of the invocation of the Holy Spirit. It was at the third hour (9AM) when the Paraclete came down upon all those "gathered together in one place" at Pentecost. This brief pause of prayer during the morning's daily activity acts then as a kind of 'Confirmation', or spiritual strengthening for us to meet the challenges ahead.
"About noon the next day, as they were on their journey and approaching the city,
Peter went up on the roof to pray." - Acts 10:9
The hymns selected for Midday Prayer (Sext) in the Divine Office reflect the hour's theme of battle with sin. The sun is at it's zenith; the heat of the day at it's strongest. Likewise, we too - caught up with the day's cares and the allurements of the world; feel and see most clearly the powers and influence of evil. It was from this time, the sixth hour (Noon) till 3PM that Our Savior hung upon the Cross with Hell bringing all it's forces to bear against him.
"One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the hour of prayer, at three o’clock in the afternoon."
- Acts 3:1
The hymns selected for Mid-Afternoon Prayer (None) in the Divine Office reflect the hour's theme of perseverance: to complete the work we have begun this day, and also perseverance in our spiritual lives - to continue to fight "the good fight" 2 Timothy 4:7 and run the race "in such a way that you may win it." 1 Corinthians 9:24.
"And after he had dismissed the crowds, he went up the mountain by himself to pray. When evening came, he was there alone," - Matthew 14:23
"When evening approaches and the day is already far spent, evening prayer is celebrated in order that 'we may give thanks for what has been given us, or what we have done well, during the day.' We also recall the redemption through the prayer we send up 'like incense in the Lord's sight,' and in which 'the raising up of our hands' becomes 'an evening sacrifice' (see Ps 141:2). This sacrifice 'may also be interpreted more spiritually as the true evening sacrifice that our Savior the Lord entrusted to the apostles at supper on the evening when he instituted the sacred mysteries of the Church or of the evening sacrifice of the next day, the sacrifice, that is, which, raising his hands, he offered to the Father at the end of the ages for the salvation of the whole world.' Again, in order to fix our hope on the light that knows no setting, 'we pray and make petition for the light to come down on us anew; we implore the coming of Christ who will bring the grace of eternal light.' Finally, at this hour we join with the Churches of the East in calling upon the 'joy-giving light of that holy glory, born of the immortal, heavenly Father, the holy and blessed Jesus Christ; now that we have come to the setting of the sun and have seen the evening star, we sing in praise of God, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit…'" (GILH, no. 39).
The hymns selected for Evening Prayer (Vespers) in Divine Office reflect the principal theme of thanksgiving. Chapter 2:39 of the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours says of this of Evening Prayer: "When evening approaches and the day is already far spent, evening prayer is celebrated in order that 'we may give thanks for what has been given us, or what we have done well, during the day.' We also recall the redemption through the prayer we send up 'like incense in the Lord's sight,' and in which 'the raising up of our hands' becomes 'an evening sacrifice.' "
Night Prayer - COMPLETORIUM
"Now during those days he went out to the mountain to pray; and he spent the night in prayer to God." - Luke 6:12
"Night prayer is the last prayer of the day, said before retiring, even if that is after midnight" (GILH, no. 84).The Psalms that are chosen for Night Prayer are full of confidence in the Lord.
The hymns selected for Night Prayer (Compline) in the Divine Office draw upon the images of nightfall, darkness, sleep, and death to express Compline's themes: contrition of a sinful soul who desires to make peace with God, and petition for protection for "a peaceful night, and a perfect end".