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ROME, 23 JAN. 2007 (ZENIT) Answered by Father Edward McNamara,
professor of liturgy at the Regina Apostolorum university.
Q: Two questions about the Office of Readings: 1) I like to pray it the
evening before. How early can I do so? After 5 p.m., or "sundown," or
when? 2) When I pray the Office of the Readings the evening before,
should I do so before or after I pray Compline?
—
J.J., San Francisco, California
A: The Office of Readings is the longest of the five offices of the
Liturgy of the Hours which all priests and transitional deacons are
required to pray daily as an intrinsic part of their ministry of
sanctification and intercession. Many permanent deacons and religious
also pray it either voluntarily or as part of their rule.
In recent years, following the reforms promoted by the Second Vatican
Council, praying the Divine Office, in whole or in part, has become
increasingly popular among lay people who desire to unite themselves to
the Church's official prayer either as individual or in groups.
By doing so they participate not only in prayer within Christ's body but
also in a truly liturgical manner, that is, prayer of Christ's body, and
thus, in a certain manner, in the prayer of Christ himself.
In its present form the office consists of the same elements of the
other offices: an opening hymn, three relatively short psalms or
segments of longer psalms, versicle, responsories and closing prayer.
Primarily however, this office is characterized by two substantial
readings, one taken from the Old or New Testament (except the Gospel)
and the other taken from the writings of the Fathers of the Church, the
saints, or from the Church's magisterium.
The second reading is usually related to the Scripture reading either as
a commentary or as a reflection on one of the themes contained in the
Scripture lesson. On saints days the second reading often highlights one
of the saint's characteristic virtues or is taken from his or her own
writings.
The purpose of these readings is similar to a "lectio divina," or
spiritual reading. They are meant to spur meditation and reflection on
God's Word and how to live it guided by the best of spiritual writers
and therefore to shape our way of thinking according to a truly
Christian standard.
This office, originally called Matins, derived from the monastic custom
of rising during the night to pray before dawn. This practice, in turn,
probably stemmed from the earlier tradition of Christians holding
all-night prayer vigils.
While the Office of Readings retains this character of nocturnal praise,
it is permitted to pray it at other times during the day. And, as our
reader points out, it is also possible to anticipate it on the evening
before. It is also possible to join it with other offices, especially
Morning Prayer.
If prayed the evening before, it should follow Evening Prayer (Vespers)
of the day. Thus, if I wish to anticipate Tuesday's reading on Monday, I
should first pray Monday's Evening Prayer.
If, on some occasion the Office of Readings is united to Vespers, both
offices must be of the same day. That is, I may not join Tuesday's
reading with Monday's Vespers. It is possible, however, to pray both
Offices of Readings on the same day.
This should also answer the second question. The Office of Readings may
be prayed either before or after Night Prayer, or Compline. All the
same, unless one wishes to celebrate Readings as a nocturnal office,
liturgical sense would prefer to pray it before Compline so as not to
obscure this office's role as a conclusion of the day and a preparation
for the night. ZE07012326 * * *
Follow-up: Office of Readings the Evening Before [2-6-2007]
A surprising number of readers asked for clarifications regarding
praying the office of readings (see Jan. 23 column). I hope it is a good
sign that many are interesting in exploring this treasure of the Church.
A few people asked about the possibility of a two-year cycle which is
mentioned in some official documents but which has not yet seen the
light in an official Latin text.
An approved two-year cycle for the Scripture readings is found in the
Latin American Spanish-language version of the Liturgy of the Hours (or
Divine Office, as it used to be commonly called). In Italy, a Catholic
publisher produced an alternative cycle of both scriptural and patristic
readings based on the monastic office. Although this latter text is not
promulgated by the bishops' conference, it has received ecclesiastic
approval and may be used as an alternative text to the usual readings.
As far as I am aware there is no official English version of an
alternative cycle. I believe that there is a project in the pipeline to
update the version of the office used in many English-speaking countries
outside of the United States.
The new version would incorporate the many new saints introduced into
the calendar since 1975. Even if this project takes off, it will be have
to wait until the completion of the translation of the new Roman Missal,
since the office prayers often coincide with the collect for Mass.
Several readers also asked if the invitatory should be recited whenever
the office of readings is prayed the evening before. In principle, yes.
Norm No. 35 of the Principles and Norms indicates that the invitatory
should begin the whole sequence of daily prayer.
This sequence can begin with readings after vespers of the preceding
day, as indicated by norm No. 59, because the day in question is the
liturgical day and not the solar day.
If, however, lauds is the first office of the sequence, then the
invitatory may be omitted (No. 36), even though it is commendable to
maintain the invitatory, above all in community recitation.
Another optional element of the Liturgy of the Hours is the psalm
prayer. These prayers are found after each psalm in some editions of the
breviary, such as that in use in the United States.
Some other writers asked about combining the office of readings with
other offices. Regarding this I confirm what I wrote in an earlier
column (April 25, 2006), that only the office of readings may be
combined with another office to form a single office (No. 99). This may
be done with lauds, midday prayer or the vespers of the day. It may not
be done with first vespers of a Sunday or solemnity.
In other cases, when one office follows immediately after another (for
example, morning prayer and midday prayer), they are not joined. The
only difference is that after praying the first closing prayer, one
omits the usual conclusion of the first office and the introductory
verse and "Glory be" of the second office, and commences with the hymn
of the second office, which proceeds as normal.
A Tucson, Arizona, reader asks about the correct procedure for joining
Mass with morning or evening prayer. This is covered in the norms 93-98:
"93. In particular cases, if circumstances require, it is possible to
link an hour more closely with Mass when there is a celebration of the
liturgy of the hours in public or in common, according to the norms that
follow, provided the Mass and the hour belong to one and the same
office. Care must be taken, however, that this does not result in harm
to pastoral work, especially on Sundays.
"94. When morning prayer, celebrated in choir or in common, comes
immediately before Mass, the whole celebration may begin either with the
introductory verse and hymn of morning prayer, especially on weekdays,
or with the entrance song, procession, and celebrant's greeting,
especially on Sundays and holydays; one of the introductory rites is
thus omitted.
"The psalmody of morning prayer follows as usual, up to, but excluding,
the reading. After the psalmody the penitential rite is omitted and, as
circumstances suggest, the Kyrie; the Gloria then follows, if required
by the rubrics, and the celebrant says the opening prayer of the Mass.
The liturgy of the word follows as usual.
"The general intercessions are made in the place and form customary at
Mass. But on weekdays, at Mass in the morning, the intercessions of
morning prayer may replace the daily form of the general intercessions
at Mass.
"After the communion with its communion song the Canticle of Zechariah,
Blessed be the Lord, with its antiphon from morning prayer, is sung.
Then follow the prayer after communion and the rest as usual.
"95. If public celebration of a daytime hour, whichever corresponds to
the time of day, is immediately followed by Mass, the whole celebration
may begin in the same way, either with the introductory verse and hymn
for the hour, especially on weekdays, or with the entrance song,
procession, and celebrant's greeting, especially on Sundays and
holydays; one of the introductory rites is thus omitted.
"The psalmody of the hour follows as usual up to, but excluding, the
reading. After the psalmody the penitential rite is omitted and, as
circumstances suggest, the Kyrie; the Gloria then follows, if required
by the rubrics, and the celebrant says the opening prayer of the Mass.
"96. Evening prayer, celebrated immediately before Mass, is joined to it
in the same way as morning prayer. Evening prayer I of solemnities,
Sundays, or feasts of the Lord falling on Sundays may not be celebrated
until after Mass of the preceding day or Saturday.
"97. When a daytime hour or evening prayer follows Mass, the Mass is
celebrated in the usual way up to and including the prayer after
communion.
"When the prayer after communion has been said, the psalmody of the hour
begins without introduction. At the daytime hour, after the psalmody the
short reading is omitted and the prayer is said at once and the
dismissal takes place as at Mass. At evening prayer, after the psalmody
the short reading is omitted and the Canticle of Mary with its antiphon
follows at once; the intercessions and the Lord's Prayer are omitted;
the concluding prayer follows, then the blessing of the congregation.
"98. Apart from Christmas eve, the combining of Mass with the office of
readings is normally excluded, since the Mass already has its own cycle
of readings, to be kept distinct from any other. But if by way of
exception, it should be necessary to join the two, then immediately
after the second reading from the office, with its responsory, the rest
is omitted and the Mass begins with the Gloria, if it is called for;
otherwise the Mass begins with the opening prayer."
Our reader's question arose because two parishes joined the office to
daily Mass in different ways. As norm No. 93 makes clear, joining the
office to Mass is not contemplated as a daily practice. This would mean,
for example, that the faithful would almost never use the penitential
rite.
While praying the daily office in a parish is highly praiseworthy, I
suggest that it would be better to habitually pray the office
completely, omitting perhaps the office's concluding verse, and then
begin Mass as usual.
Finally a correspondent from the state of Uttaranchal, in India, asks:
"There are some who say that when there is holy Mass in the evening
there is no need to say vespers as the Eucharist is the highest form of
worship. Is there any rule that says there is no need to say vespers
after the Mass in the evening?"
I believe that the norms we have quoted above are enough to show that
this opinion does not correspond to the mind of the Church. Except on
rare occasions such as Holy Thursday and Good Friday, vespers are always
said.
The Eucharist is certainly the highest form of worship. But the higher
does not require the elimination of the lower which prolongs our thanks
and praise for the higher. ZE07020629
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