At midnight I will rise to give thanks unto thee because of thy righteous judgments. (Psalm 119:62 KJV) In the Western Church, Matins is the traditional nocturnal (nighttime), midnight or vigil hour of the divine office. It is traditionally said sometime between midnight and 3 a.m., but this has varied considerably throughout history as adapted … Continue reading
What is the Divine Office? The Divine Office, also known as the Liturgy of the Hours (or “breviary” from the book containing the contents of the offices) forms, together with the Holy Eucharist, the full spectrum of the official liturgical prayer of the Church as Church—as the Body of Christ. The Office as the collective, public prayer … Continue reading
Since posting the status update on the major upcoming revision of the Liturgy of the Hours for the United States, it appears that the U.S. bishops have made additional progress on this complex, important project. Here is what we know by way of updates: The new hymnody, translated by the International Commission on English in … Continue reading
In my previous post, I discussed the ongoing revision of the Liturgy of the Hours, whose Second Edition is going to be significantly more faithful to the Latin, and which will restore — really, make available for the first time in English in an official breviary — the original hymnody of the Latin edition. When … Continue reading
Many of those who pray the liturgy of the hours in the ordinary form of the Roman rite have heard of, and are excited about, the U.S. Bishops’ ongoing revision that will result in the Liturgy of the Hours, Second Edition for use in the U.S. and some other countries, at some currently-unknown future date (according … Continue reading
