CHAPTER THE SEVENTEENTH

 

The Divine Office

 

Prayer is the heart of religious life. One of the things I love most about being a religious is that my life is ordered by prayer. Unlike the lay life, I don’t need to be trying to fit prayer into my busy schedule. Just the opposite, my prayer is my schedule. As religious we don’t stop to pray, we stop praying (in one sense) to eat, work, minister, study and so on.

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As religious and priests, we become public people in the Church. We have a mission and a role to, not only lead others in prayer, but to pray on behalf of the world. Although all the faithful are invited to participate, it is the obligation and the role of priests and religious to offer to God a continual sacrifice of praise. We do this, not as private persons, but as public persons consecrated, set aside, for the sacred. In our public prayer, our sacred duty is the consecration of time and seasons to God on behalf of the Church, as the Church.

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From the day of the Apostles, Christians regularly gathered at specific times to pray. Eventually these traditional times became known as “Hours”, not that they prayed a full hour, but it refers to the hours, six, nine, noon, three, six, nine and midnight, that they stopped to pray. As religious life came to be, the Order of Virgins, widows, hermits and monks all adopted these hours as their own.

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The Desert Fathers in the fourth century continued the tradition of the early Church and assumed the praying of the Psalms during these hours for prayer. St. Benedict in the sixth century carefully arranged all 150 Psalms to be prayed in a full week. As the monks would gather 7 times (hours) a day for prayer, they would chant the Psalms given for those hours. Also, it became part of the hours to have readings from the scriptures set up to be read at each of the hours, some longer some shorter. At midnight, certain readings from the Fathers of the Church were added after the scripture reading.

In time this universal prayer of the Church became known as the “Divine Office”. The traditional times received names that specifically referred to that hour:

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1) Matins or Vigils, prayed anywhere between midnight and 3am

2) Lauds, also called Morning Prayer, prayed around 6am

3) Terce, which simply means “third” prayed around 9am

4) Sext, prayed at noon referring to the “sixth” hour since Lauds

5) None, prayed at 3pm referring to the “Ninth” hour since Lauds

6) Vespers, prayed at 6pm

7) Compline, prayed around 9pm

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As you can see, every three hours the monks, nuns, priests, hermits and lay faithful were stopping to praise, thank, bless and petition God, not as mere individuals, but as one voice, one body, one prayer and as one Church of Jesus Christ. It is the whole body praying as one, each member lending their voice to the Choir of the Church. In order to lessen the number of Psalms being prayed at a particular hour, monks tapped on another hour called “Prime” which was prayed some time either before or after Lauds.

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These seven hours of the Divine Office were not chosen haphazardly. The times that were chosen for their praying had been handed down to us by the Apostles themselves. Each hour commemorates the moments of our Lord’s death and

Resurrection as well as the customs of the Apostles. From Scripture we know the hours of His Passion.

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6pm – The Last Supper

9pm – The Agony in the Garden

12:00pm – Jesus’ Arrest and Trial before the Sanhedrin

6:00am – Jesus’ Trial Before Pilot

9:00am – Jesus is Lead Out to be Crucified

12:00pm – Jesus is Crucified

3:00pm – Jesus Dies on the Cross

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Some of these hours are also commemorative of the Resurrection and the life of the early Church:

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6pm – Jesus appears in the upper room after the Resurrection

12:00 pm – Paul’s custom was to pray at that time

6:00am – The Resurrection

9:00am – The coming of the Holy Spirit

12:00pm – Peter and John make the habit of going to the Temple to pray

3pm – Peter makes the habit of praying on the roof

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The Church in her infinite wisdom and love of God kept these hours and through the diocesan priesthood and religious life have kept these hours sacred. And, she continues to require that religious and priests sanctify the day and seasons by the lifting of their hearts and minds to God at these same hours.

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God has given us, through Kings David, Solomon and others, 150 Psalms, or divinely inspired prayers. By Divine Inspiration we mean that, although the Holy Spirit employed human instrumentality, He the Third Person of The Most Blessed Trinity is the principle Author. Like all of Scripture, the Psalms are the Word of God. The Psalms teach us how to pray and can express for us many things that we just don’t know how to say. There are royal Psalms, Psalms of lament, Psalms of thanksgiving, Psalms of praise, penitential Psalms and even cursing Psalms. There is not one human emotion that the Psalms do not express in a most perfect way. These prayers are such a gift from God because in them we find out how to pray.

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Psalms are also prophetic. In them we can find many prophecies of Christ, Our Lady, the Church and even our Lord’s Sacred Passion. So much is contained in them that it takes great attention and astuteness to pick out the various prophetic utterances of the Holy Spirit. Jesus Himself refers to the prophetic nature of the Psalms when, in responding to a question by the Pharisees, referred them to Psalm 110 “The Lord said to My Lord sit on My right”. Also, Jesus will quote Psalm 22 from the Cross “My God! My God! Why have you forsaken Me” So much of the Passion is contained within Psalm 22.

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At times praying the Psalms can be difficult. On Friday at night prayer I may not feel like I’m in the “depth of the tomb”. This is where it takes an intelligent mind to transcend my feelings in order to recall that on Good Friday, Jesus was. Also, while I may not feel so abandoned or alone, someone in the Church is feeling that way. As a public person, praying a public prayer, I am voicing the pain of a member of the Body, the Church, who is feeling in the depths of the tomb. They may not be able to voice their pain, but I can voice it for them. It’s crucial for us to keep in mind that it’s not always just about us. The Divine Office pulls us out of our self-centered worlds and makes us consider those for whom and in whose name we must pray.

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In the 13th century, due to this new phenomenon in the Church known as the Mendicant Orders, Franciscans, Dominicans and others, there came a need to condense the tremendous books of the Divine Office, which were well suited for Monasteries and Cathedrals, into books that these traveling

friars could take with them. These smaller books, which have become the standard for almost all religious, became known as simply “The Breviary”. Small, portable, and published in volumes according to seasons, allowed the Mendicant Friars to spread the devotion of praying the Divine Office around the Christian world. St. Francis loved praying the Office so much that he wrote in his Testament that should any friar change it without proper permission, St. Francis wouldn’t even consider them Catholic.

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This is how it has been since the early days of the Church. That is until priests and religious, without reading the actual decrees of the Second Vatican Council, or misreading the decrees, decided that the Divine Office should not be prayed in the traditional ways or at the traditional times, or even in Community. Some orders began to pray only three, and at most times, only two hours of the Office in common.

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Even many priests who, having made a promise to pray the full Office, abandoned it altogether or simply prayed it occasionally. Many religious Communities began to alter the structure of the Divine Office. Others, after having received an approved translation in the vernacular, put it aside because they decided that it wasn’t sensitive to women. These religious made their own “inclusive language” edition, which goes to the utmost extreme of calling the Holy Trinity “The Creator, The Redeemer and the Sanctifier” which has its roots in an early Church heresy. They call their translation, which is not approved by the Church, the “Mother Thunder” editions!

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Other communities have chosen to sing a song or two that bear resemblance to the actual words of the Psalm. Most of these songs sound like bad Christian Broadway Musicals. Usually, the “Psalms” are performed rather than prayed. Some other communities have just thrown out the Divine Office altogether. These communities and others like them have dropped out of the choir of the Church. Their voices can be heard no more. This is a grave injustice toward God who deserves such praise and it is a grave injustice to the Church who have need of our prayers. Although there are those communities that have kept faithful, we can only imagine how gravely affected the is Church by the disobedience of religious and diocesan clergy.

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The Second Vatican Council did make some good and valid changes to the Divine Office. First, it allowed the Psalms to be prayed in the vernacular. This allowed many more religious to participate in the praying of the Office. Secondly, it changed and re-set the praying of the 150 Psalms from one-week cycle to a four-week cycle. This lessened the length of time it took to pray each hour, giving, especially diocesan clergy, more time to be available to the growing and pressing needs of the people. Third, it suppressed the least traditional hour of prime. Being that the Psalms were now on a 4-week cycle, there was no need of prime to take the pressure off of the other 7 hours. Fourth, it allowed diocesan clergy, and those communities that did not have the practice of praying all 7 hours of the Divine Office in common, to only pray five hours instead. They could choose to pray either Terce, Sext or None. However, the Council taught that those communities that had the practice of praying all 7 hours in common should retain this practice.

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As a side note, certain religious communities and societies that came into existence in the 18th, 19th and 20th centuries, mostly woman’s congregations, never prayed the Divine Office. Because some were illiterate or couldn’t follow the Latin, they were permitted to have some other prayers in its place. These prayers could have been a certain amount of Our Father’s and Hail Mary’s in place of each of the Hours. The Second Vatican Council has asked these communities to start praying the Divine Office instead.

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The Divine Office is the life breath of a religious order. Any congregation, order or society that does not pray the Office according to their traditions is not worth discerning. Any community that has altered it without the approval of Rome or has dropped it altogether is greatly hindering the Church’s mission and, despite their many great works of charity, are failing the most important apostolate, the apostolate of prayer. You must find a community that has grasped onto the fullness of the tradition of the Church and embraced what the Second Vatican Council has asked of them.

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For example, our little community has embraced the praying of the full 7 hours of the Divine Office in the manner in which our tradition has always prayed them. Since the time of St. Francis, we Franciscans have always prayed the full Divine Office in common. Since the Second Vatican Council wanted us to keep doing it in common, we do. Also, St. Francis always prayed the Divine Office standing and in simple chant. So, we too stand and with simple chant, pray the Divine Office. We keep to our traditions and those of the Church by obedience to the Council in how and when we pray the Divine Office.

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When I was seventeen years old my mother introduced me to the Divine Office. She, a Third Order Carmelite, passed on her love for the Divine Office to me and my siblings. For twenty three years I have prayed the Divine Office faithfully and I simply love it. I practically have all 150 Psalms memorized and the Psalms truly help me to even pray spontaneously. I highly recommend it to all. Especially to you who are discerning your vocation. The Divine Office will help you form a habit of prayer and will instill within you a great reverence for God’s Word.

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As you discern your vocation and visit religious communities, you must seek out those orders that do not compromise on praying the full Divine Office. Once again, you’ll encounter lots of reasoning around the Council or rationalizing their behavior against praying of the Divine Office or the dictates of the Second Vatican Council in regards to the Divine Office. Don’t be fooled! A religious’ first duty and obligation is prayer, not ministry. Nowhere, in any document, post and pre-Vatican II will you find the Church raising ministry above prayer. Hold firm to the fact that when it comes to the first essential element of religious life, prayer, you will accept no compromises, no excuses and no rationalizing this most serious obligation. Don’t be afraid to ask the vocations director these tough questions we have come to know so well:

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1. Does your Community pray the full Divine Office in common?

a) If not, what hours of the Office do you pray in common?

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2. Do you pray the Divine Office in the manner in which your founder did? For example, Franciscans prayed it standing and with a simple chant.

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3. Do you use any other text other than the Divine Office?

a) If so, do you sing out of the Abbey Psalter or other approved texts?

b) Do you use inclusive language?

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4. Does your community tolerate those who dismiss themselves from praying the Divine Office?

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5. Does your community see the praying of the Divine Office as the priority over ministry?

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These and other similar questions should help figure out where the community stands in regards to this essential form of prayer. If they stand anywhere away from the Church, her tradition and her teachings on the Divine Office, then that Community cannot be an option for you. Remember, St. Francis doesn’t even consider them Catholic.

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The Divine Office is a gift beyond measure. Although, at times, it can seem a bit routine, it is the regular discipline of the life that keeps us praying. As Psalm 119 itself says, “Seven times a day I praise you”. May we fulfill this Psalm by being faithful to the Church’s public prayer. Let us also lend our voice to the choir of the Church. In Him through Him and with Him, in the Unity of the Holy Spirit, may we give God all praise, honor, blessing and thanksgiving.

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Lectio for Chapter the Eighteenth

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Psalm 133 - A Song of Ascents.

Behold, how good and pleasant it is

when brothers dwell in unity!

It is like the precious oil upon the head,

running down upon the beard,

upon the beard of Aaron,

running down on the collar of his robes!

It is like the dew of Hermon,

which falls on the mountains of Zion!

For there the Lord has commanded the blessing,

life for evermore.