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Introduction
Preliminary Remarks (Sections of the LOH,
Glory to the Father,
 Postures, Sign
of the Cross, Languages)
General
Invitatory
Office
of Readings
Morning
Prayer
Daytime
Prayer
Evening
Prayer
Night
Prayer
Memorials
Invitatory
Office
of Readings
Morning
Prayer
Daytime
Prayer
Evening
Prayer
Night
Prayer
Feasts
Invitatory
Office
of Readings
Morning
Prayer
Daytime
Prayer
Evening
Prayer
Night
Prayer
Solemnities
Invitatory
Office
of Readings
Morning
Prayer
Daytime
Prayer
Evening
Prayer
Night
Prayer
Introduction
Our Lord Jesus Christ told us
to pray constantly (Luke 18:1). The Liturgy of the Hours (or The Divine
Office) provides one way to fulfill this obligation in a structured format.
But, for the laity especially, without special instruction, praying the Liturgy
of the Hours can be confusing and difficult.
Actually, everything you need
to learn the format of the Liturgy of the Hours can be found in the volumes
themselves.
• |
The General Instruction of the
Liturgy of the Hours (GILH) can be found in Volume I of the four-volume set.
It can also be found online:
General
Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours. |
• |
The section called the
Ordinary in each volume provides complete instructions for the entire
office. |
Nevertheless, “digesting”
all this information can be difficult for someone without a liturgical
background, and this fact alone can prevent many persons from learning a
beautiful form of Catholic prayer.
Therefore, on this page I have
organized all the information you will need to learn to pray the Liturgy
of the Hours in individual recitation, step-by-step, as simply as possible,
with the four-volume set. (The single volume Christian Prayer will
follow the same basic format, with simplifications.)
Everything is really much more
simple than it seems. Most of the material on this page is commentary, not
instructions, and it is meant to help you understand why and how you must
do the “page flipping.” But once you have “walked through
it” a couple times and catch on to the basic concepts you will find
yourself moving through the Hours with ease and confidence.
 |
 It will be essential, however,
that you use the St. Joseph Guide for the Liturgy of the Hours (hereafter
referred to as SJG), a small booklet that serves the entire calendar year.
You should be able to buy the guide in any good Catholic bookstore, or direct
from the
publisher’s website. It’s available for both
the four-volume set and the one-volume Christian Prayer. |
 |
The Liturgy of
the Hours has been designed to be sung; however, the words recited,
said, and sung can be interchanged, and it is allowable, especially
in individual recitation, to simply “recite” the hours. |
Preliminary
Remarks
Each volume
of the Liturgy of the Hours has several basic
sections:
• |
The
Proper of Seasons is found at the beginning
of each volume. It follows a one-year cycle beginning with Advent and progressing
through Christmas, Ordinary Time, Lent, Easter, and another period of Ordinary
Time. It contains material specific to each day of the current season.
|
• |
The
Ordinary contains the basic instructions
for each celebration: the invitatory, the Office of Readings, Morning Prayer,
Daytime Prayer, Evening Prayer, and Night Prayer. |
• |
The
Psalter contains all the basic psalms,
readings, and intercessions.
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• |
Night
Prayer follows a simple daily cycle through the week. |
• |
The
Proper of Saints contains material specific
to celebrations of various holy days (memorials, feasts, and solemnities)
throughout the year. |
• |
The
Common of Saints contains material common
to celebrations of various kinds of saints: martyrs, pastors, virgins, and
so on. |
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Locate each section
of your volume and place a ribbon there to mark the place for daily reference.
I keep the ribbons for the Ordinary and Night Prayer fixed,
since, when we need to go to those sections we always start at the beginning
of them, but I move the other ribbons as I progress through each day of
prayer. |
Throughout
the Liturgy of the Hours, every psalm and canticle is concluded with the
Glory to the Father unless otherwise indicated.
• |
Glory to the Father, and to the
Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
As it was in the beginning, is now, and will be for ever. Amen. |
• |
The recitation of each psalm
(or canticle) therefore takes this order: antiphon, psalm, Glory to the
Father, and antiphon. The psalm-prayer, which is optional, traditionally
follows an interval of silence after the repetition of the antiphon at the
end of the psalm (GILH 202). |
Postures during
the Office:
• |
All taking part stand
(a) during the introduction to the Office and the introductory verses of
each hour; (b) during the hymn; (c) during the Gospel Canticle; (d) during
the intercessions, the Lord’s Prayer, and the concluding prayer
(GILH 263). |
• |
All should sit to listen
to the readings (GILH 264). |
• |
When the psalms and canticles
are said, the assembly either sits or stands according to local
custom (GILH 265). |
• |
In individual, private recitation
you may use whatever posture(s) you prefer, including sitting through the
entire Office. |
Making the
Sign of the Cross during the Office:
• |
All make the sign of the cross,
from forehead to breast and from left shoulder to right (a) at the beginning
of the Hours, when God, come to my
assistance is being said; (b) at the beginning of the Gospel Canticles
of Zechariah, of Mary, and of Simeon (GILH
266). |
• |
The sign of the cross is made
on the mouth at the beginning of the invitatory, at the words
Lord, open my lips (GILH
266). |
• |
The sign of the cross can be
made at the dismissal/final blessing. (The GILH does not say anything
specific about this.) |
Sign of reverence
during the Office:
• |
A bow of the head is made when
the three Divine Persons are named (e.g., Glory to the Father . .
. ), at the name of Jesus, of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and of the Saint in
whose honor the Liturgy of the Hours is celebrated. (See
Ceremonial of Bishops, 68; General Instruction of the Roman Missal,
275). |
Languages
during the Office:
• |
Different languages (e.g., English
and Latin) may be used for various parts (e.g., saying the Gospel Canticle
of Mary
[Magnificat] and the
Lord’s Prayer [Pater
Noster] in Latin) at one and the same celebration. (See
GILH 276). |
Many persons,
especially in individual recitation, prefer to celebrate the Office of Readings
immediately before Morning Prayer. That preference will be followed in this
guide. Actually, the Office of Readings can be celebrated at any time of
the day, even the evening before, as circumstances require.
In
General
We will begin with those days
on which no solemnities, feasts, or obligatory memorials are celebrated.
These days all follow the same basic format.
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Sundays are always
celebrated as solemnities. |
Remember: At the beginning
of each day, check the day in the SJG, and orient yourself to the day’s
location in both the Psalter and the Proper of Seasons. Then check the
day’s calendar date with the Proper of Saints; if the day is not a special
celebration, as this example assumes, then leave the ribbon between the last
celebration and the next, for future use.
The
Invitatory
 Graphic
Summary
The invitatory belongs at the
beginning of each day of prayer. (It’s always found at the very beginning
of the Ordinary, so keep a ribbon permanently at that place. You will begin
here every morning.) The invitatory begins as follows:
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Lord, open my lips.
—And my mouth will proclaim your
praise.
(Make the sign of the cross on your lips with the side of your thumb as
you say these words, per GILH 266.) |
Then Psalm 95 (or, if preferred,
Psalm 100, 67, or 24) and its antiphon follows.
• |
The antiphon is taken from the
current weekday of the Psalter.
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Notice how SJG
says “ALL” plus a number referring to the appropriate page in the
Psalter. |
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Outside of Ordinary
Time (i.e., during Advent, Christmas, Lent, and Easter), the antiphon will
be given in the Ordinary according to the calendar dates within that season.
To remind you of this, in the Psalter you will see the rubric, “Antiphon,
as in the Ordinary” with the page number. |
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• |
The antiphon is recited and
immediately repeated, then the psalm is said, followed by the Glory to
the Father, and then the antiphon is recited again at the end of the
psalm. |
• |
In individual recitation, the
antiphon need not be said after each strophe of the psalm (as indicated in
the Ordinary). |
The Office
of Readings
Graphic Summary
The hymn, antiphons, psalmody,
and verse are found in the Psalter.
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Notice how SJG
says, “ALL” plus a number referring to the appropriate page of
the Psalter, to remind us that everything comes from the Psalter. |
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When the Office
of Readings comes immediately before Morning Prayer, the hymn designated
for the latter may be used in place of the hymn at the beginning of the Office
of Readings. (See GILH 99.) |
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Preferably, the
hymn should be sung, but, as circumstances require, it may be
recited. |
The readings and prayer are found
in the “Office of the day” (i.e., in the Proper of
Seasons).
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Notice how SJG
says “Rd & Pr” plus a number referring to the appropriate page
of the Proper of Seasons. |
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When Morning
Prayer follows immediately, the prayer and acclamation at the end of the
Office of Readings are not used. (See GILH 99.) |
Morning
Prayer
Graphic Summary
Morning Prayer begins as follows,
while making the sign of the cross (from forehead to breast and from
left shoulder to right) at the words, “God, come to my assistance,”
and while bowing the head at the words, “Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit”:
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When Morning
Prayer follows immediately after the Office of Readings, the introductory
God, come to my assistance and the Glory to the Father are
omitted, as per the Ordinary.
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God, come to my
assistance.
—Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Alleluia.
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For musical purposes,
the invocation "God" may be expanded, for example, “O God,” etc.
as per the Ordinary. |
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Alleluia
is omitted during Lent. |
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The hymn is omitted here, of
course, if the hymn for Morning Prayer was sung at the beginning of the Office
of Readings immediately prior to Morning Prayer.
The antiphons, psalmody, reading,
responsory, antiphon for the canticle of Zechariah, intercessions, and prayer
are found in the Psalter.
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Notice how SJG
says, “ALL” plus a number referring to the appropriate page of
the Psalter, to remind us that everything comes from the Psalter. |
|
Outside of Ordinary
Time, the reading, responsory, antiphon for the canticle of Zechariah,
intercessions, and prayer are found in the “Office of the day”
(i.e., in the Proper of Seasons). A note in the Psalter will remind you of
this. SJG will say, “Ant, Rd, etc.” plus a number, to direct you
to the appropriate page in the Proper of Seasons. |
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The sign of the
cross is made at the beginning of the canticle of Zechariah, and the canticle
concludes with Glory to the Father. |
In the absence of a priest or
deacon, the conclusion (as found in the Ordinary) is as follows:
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May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
—Amen. |
Daytime
Prayer
Graphic Summary
Daytime Prayer begins as follows,
while making the sign of the cross (from forehead to breast and from
left shoulder to right) at the words, “God, come to my assistance,”
and while bowing the head at the words, “Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit”:
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God, come to my
assistance.
—Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Alleluia.
|
For musical purposes,
the invocation "God" may be expanded, for example, “O God,” etc.
as per the Ordinary. |
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Alleluia
is omitted during Lent. |
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The hymn is found in the Ordinary.
Everything else is found in the Psalter.
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Notice how SJG
says, “ALL” plus a number referring to the appropriate page of
the Psalter, to remind us that everything comes from the Psalter. |
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Outside of Ordinary
Time, the antiphon for the psalmody, and the reading, verse, and prayer are
found in the “Office of the day” (i.e., in the Proper of Seasons).
A note in the Psalter will remind you of this. SJG will say, “Ant, Rd,
etc.” plus a number, to direct you to the appropriate page in the Proper
of Seasons. |
The conclusion (as found in the
Ordinary) is as follows:
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Let us praise the Lord.
—And give him thanks. |
Evening
Prayer
Graphic Summary
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If a solemnity
follows the current day, then Evening Prayer I of the solemnity is celebrated,
not the Evening Prayer of the current day. Remember, Sundays are always
celebrated as solemnities, so Evening Prayer on Saturdays is always Evening
Prayer I of the following Sunday. |
Evening Prayer begins as follows,
while making the sign of the cross (from forehead to breast and from
left shoulder to right) at the words, “God, come to my assistance,”
and while bowing the head at the words, “Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit”:
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God, come to my
assistance.
—Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Alleluia.
|
For musical purposes,
the invocation "God" may be expanded, for example, “O God,” etc.
as per the Ordinary. |
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Alleluia
is omitted during Lent. |
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The hymn, antiphons, psalmody,
reading, responsory, antiphon for the canticle of Mary, intercessions, and
prayer are found in the Psalter.
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Notice how SJG
says, “ALL” plus a number referring to the appropriate page of
the Psalter, to remind us that everything comes from the Psalter. |
|
Outside of Ordinary
Time, the reading, responsory, antiphon for the canticle of Mary, intercessions,
and prayer are found in the “Office of the day” (i.e., in the Proper
of Seasons). A note in the Psalter will remind you of this. SJG will say,
“Ant, Rd, etc.” plus a number, to direct you to the appropriate
page in the Proper of Seasons. |
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The sign of the
cross is made at the beginning of the canticle of Mary, and the canticle
concludes with Glory to the Father. |
In the absence of a priest or
deacon, the conclusion (as found in the Ordinary) is as follows:
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May the Lord bless us,
protect us from all evil
and bring us to everlasting life.
—Amen. |
Night
Prayer
You should have a permanent ribbon
marking this section.
Night Prayer begins as follows,
while making the sign of the cross (from forehead to breast and from
left shoulder to right) at the words, “God, come to my assistance,”
and while bowing the head at the words, “Glory to the Father,
and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit”:
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God, come to my
assistance.
—Lord, make haste to help me.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit:
as it was in the beginning, is now, and will be forever. Amen.
Alleluia.
|
For musical purposes,
the invocation "God" may be expanded, for example, “O God,” etc.
as per the Ordinary. |
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Alleluia
is omitted during Lent. |
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A brief examination of conscience
may be made as one reviews the events of the day.
Everything is found in the Night
Prayer section, according to the day of the week.
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If the following
day is a solemnity, use the section of Night Prayer called “After Evening
Prayer I on Sundays and Solemnities.” |
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Notice how SJG
says, “NP” plus a number referring to the appropriate page of the
Night Prayer. |
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The sign of the
cross is made at the beginning of the Gospel canticle, and the canticle concludes
with Glory to the Father. |
The conclusion for Night Prayer
is as follows:
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May the all-powerful Lord grant
us a restful night and a peaceful death.
—Amen. |
Then one of the
antiphons in honor of the Blessed
Virgin Mary is said; these antiphons are found at the very end of the Night
Prayer section.
Graphic
Summary
INVITATORY
General
Proper of
Seasons |
Ordinary |
Psalter |
Proper of
Saints |
Commons |
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Antiphon |
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|
Psalm |
|
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OFFICE OF READINGS
General
Proper of
Seasons |
Ordinary |
Psalter |
Proper of
Saints |
Commons |
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Hymn, antiphons, psalmody, and verse
|
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Readings and prayer |
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MORNING PRAYER
General
Proper of
Seasons |
Ordinary |
Psalter |
Proper of
Saints |
Commons |
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Hymn, antiphons, psalmody, reading,
responsory, antiphon for the canticle of Zechariah, intercessions, and
prayer |
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DAYTIME PRAYER
General
Proper of
Seasons |
Ordinary |
Psalter |
Proper of
Saints |
Commons |
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Hymn |
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Antiphons, psalmody, reading, responsory,
and prayer |
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EVENING PRAYER
General
Proper of
Seasons |
Ordinary |
Psalter |
Proper of
Saints |
Commons |
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Hymn, antiphons, psalmody, reading,
responsory, antiphon for the canticle of Mary, intercessions, and prayer |
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