The Liturgy of
the Hours
is the daily prayer of
the Church which is prayed at certain significant times of the day. It
includes the Invitatory
and a number of “hours”.
Invitatory ~ This is
the opening prayer of the Office and is prayed at the beginning of the
day before the first hour of the Office.
Morning Prayer
(Lauds)
~ This hour is prayed at sunrise or in the early morning. It is one of
the two most important (hinge) hours of the Office and, if possible,
should be prayed in common.
Daytime Prayer
(Terce, Sext,
None) ~ In the
post-Vatican II reform of the office, it is suggested that one of
these hours, that which is most convenient for the individual, be
prayed. The daytime hours are
~Midmorning
~Midday
~Midafternoon
Evening Prayer
(Vespers) ~ This
hour is prayed at sunset, i.e. late afternoon or early evening. It is
the second of the hinge hours and, like Morning Prayer, should be
prayed in common if possible.
Night Prayer
(Compline)
~ This is the "bedtime" hour of the Church's daily prayer and is
ordinarily prayed just before retiring.
Office of Readings
(Matins, Vigils)
~ This is the only hour which does not have a designated time. In
the reforms of the Second Vatican Council it was determined that,
because of the varied schedules of people today it would be better
to leave to the the group or individual praying, the ability to
establish the time for the praying of this meditative hour of
reflection on Scripture and the writings of the great spiritual
authors.
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© Sister Janet
Baxendale, S.C.
Composed for the Archdiocese of New York Liturgical Commission.
