To be read: February 18, June 19, October 21

From the holy feast of Easter until Pentecost “Alleluia” is to always be said both with the psalms and responsories.  ²From Pentecost until the beginning of Lent it is only said during Vigils with the last six psalms.  ³However, on all Sundays outside of Lent, all of the canticles and services of Lauds, Prime, Tierce, Sext, and None are said with Alleluia.  At Vespers, however, the antiphon is used.  ⁴Alleluia is never said with the responsories except from Easter to Pentecost. 

When is it appropriate to say “Alleluia”?  It seems an odd question.  How is ever NOT appropriate to say, “Praise the Lord”?  According to Benedict, and the common practice of the liturgical Church in general, Alleluia is not to be said during Lent.  My wife would argue that if Sunday is ALWAYS a feast day of our Lord’s resurrection, then why can we not say Alleluia on Sundays in Lent.  And, if the argument is that this exhortation to praise is not used in penitential circumstances, then why in chapter 12 of the Rule does Benedict prescribe Alleluia to be said in the context of reciting Psalm 51?

Alleluia is an appropriate response to God’s grace regardless of the time of year.  However, the liturgy should reflect the focus and purpose of the seasonal observance.  Is it wrong to be penitential during the Easter Season?  No, but that should not be the main focus of the seasonal observance.  So, neither is it wrong to sing Alleluia to God during Lent, however, it would not profit the faithful to make praise the focus during this season of cleansing and purifying by means of penitence.  It is important to have these liturgical reminders of our need for repentance.

At all other times, “on all Sundays outside of Lent” the offices are to be said with Alleluia, as is appropriate for those of us who have received His gift of redemption.

To be read: February 17, June 18, October 20

On the feasts of the saints and on all solemn festivals, Vigils is to be performed as it would be done on Sunday, ²except that the psalms, the antiphons, and the lessons proper for that day be said.  The number of psalms above mentioned must be maintained. 

As has been noted before, every Sunday is a feast day of the Resurrection of our Lord.  Every saint’s day is a celebration of Christ, for the saints are a manifestation of Christ’s Presence at work in His Body.  And so, “On the feasts of the saints and on all solemn festivals, Vigils is to be performed as it would be done on Sunday…”  Every saint’s day and solemn festival is a day to be celebrated in resurrection joy.

But which saints?  There are saints who are included in the Roman calendar that are not on an Anglican calendar.  And there are Eastern saints who are not recognized in the West, and Western saints not venerated in the East.  And there are the big “S” saints, and the little “s” saints (i.e. Biblical saints vs. latter ones); there are major feasts and lesser feasts.  Is it essential that we recognize all of the days designated as saints’ days?  St. Paul said, “One man esteems one day as better than another, while another man esteems all days alike. Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind.He who observes the day, observes it in honor of the Lord” (Romans 14:5-6).  For us, the primary focus must always be the celebration of the Lord.  We are to “prefer nothing whatever to Christ” (RB 4:21; 72:11).  

At the request of Bishop Jones, I compiled a simplified form for observing the Liturgy of the Hours.  In order to keep it simple, I did not include special services or liturgical readings for the saints’ days.  In my spiritual devotions, I maintain the observance of the Hours each day using this simplified form, but in the evening, in prayer time with my wife, we recognize and celebrate the major saints days and solemn festivals in our devotions.  I also recognize the lesser saints’ days in our Eucharistic celebrations in the parish’s weekday services.  As St. Paul said, “Let every one be fully convinced in his own mind.”  If the observance of the celebration of the lives of the saints is edifying for you, and you do it “in honor of the Lord”, then by all means rejoice and celebrate those days.  If in your spiritual discipline it is distracting or troubling to follow the calendar of saints’ days, there is no harm in “esteeming all days alike”.  Regardless of which you choose, “prefer nothing whatever to Christ.”

To be read: February 16, June 17, October 19

The offices of  Lauds and Vespers must never be recited without the Lord’s prayer being said at the end by the Superior for all to hear, because thorns of conflicts that are likely to arise.  ¹³Thus the petition all offer in the prayer in which is said, “Forgive us as we forgive” may cleanse themselves of this kind of evil.  ¹⁴At the other offices, let only the last part of that prayer be said aloud, that all may answer, “But deliver us from evil”(Mt. 6:13).

The superior, whether Abbot or Prior, or anyone whom the Abbot appoints, is to recite the Lord’s Prayer at the end of both Lauds and Vespers, the two major offices of the day.  The purpose for this prescription, according to Benedict, is to help quell the “thorns of conflicts that are likely to arise.”  When people are living in close proximity to one another, contention will inevitably arise.  But that is also true for those of us living in the outside world.  We all have our idea of how things ought to be run, including the Church.  And conflicts are “likely to arise.”  The recitation of the Lord’s Prayer at every office of the day reminds us to keep our focus on the Lord, and to remain humble, forgiving others as we have been forgiven ourselves.  In the practice of that discipline we position ourselves to experience God’s deliverance from evil.

This all seems so simple, but it is important for us recognize our tendency to recite the common prayers without our hearts and minds engaged.  The Lord warns us in the introduction to this prayer that we must not “heap up empty phrases…[nor] think that [we] will be heard for [our] many words” (Matt. 6:7).  And how much more of a temptation is it to silently ignore the words when someone else is praying those words for us.  We need to keep the “discipline” of prayer.  As liturgical Christians, the practice of our common prayer (“common” as in prayer in community, not “ordinary”) is that someone—usually the clergy—leads us in our prayers.  We need discipline to help us remain focused.

Let us, also, look at the place the Lord’s Prayer has for us in our personal daily round of devotion.  The fact that Benedict calls for the Lord’s Prayer to be said in full both morning and evening, and silently at every other office, offers us a perspective on our own devotion in obedience to Christ.  Jesus said, “When you pray, say, ‘Our Father…’.”  We begin and end each day in obedient submission to His Word, and practice that discipline through the hours of the day.  And in the larger picture, as the faithful throughout the world offer this prayer morning and night, we realize that it is being said in every time zone around the world, so that at any moment in time, somewhere on this planet, the Lord’s Prayer is being said, and obedient worship of Our Father is taking place.  What an honor for us to be a part of that holy undertaking, transcending both time and geography.

To be read: February 15, June 16, October 18

On weekdays let Lauds be celebrated in the following manner: ²Let Psalm 66 be said without an antiphon, drawing it out a little as on Sunday, so that all may be present for Psalm 50, which is to be said with an antiphon. ³After this let two other psalms be said according to custom: ⁴on Monday, Psalms 5 and 35; ⁵Tuesday Psalms 42 and 56; ⁶Wednesday Psalms 63 and 64; ⁷Thursday Psalms 87 and 89; ⁸Friday Psalms 75 and 91; and on Saturday Psalm 142 and the canticle from Deuteronomy, which should be divided into two sections with Gloria after each. ¹⁰On the other days, however, let a canticle from the Prophets, each for its proper day, be said as the Roman Church designates. ¹¹After these let the psalms of praise follow (Psalms 148-150); then one lesson from the Apostle, to be said from memory, the responsory, the Ambrosian hymn, the versicle, the canticle from the Gospel, the litany, and it is finished. 

Benedict did not create his rule from scratch.  He has openly and liberally drawn from many sources.  For example, he instructs that portions of the Daily Offices are to follow the practice of “the Roman Church” (vs. 10), and that the hymns used are from the Ambrosian Hymnal.  He based the entirety of the his rule on the Rule of the Master, and as we shall see later, he commends and acknowledges the influence of “the Conferences of the Fathers, and their Institutes and Lives, and the rule of our holy Father, Basil (St. Basil the Great)” (RB 73:5). 

For those of us who have enrolled in the School for the Lord’s Service, the Rule is not so much prescriptive as instructive.  We can draw from multiple reliable sources for the development of our spiritual disciplines.  Benedict has done so, and has laid a foundation for us in order to establish healthy spiritual habits, not to bind us to an unwavering curriculum with hard and fast rules.  As Benedict says in the statement before the first chapter, “It is called a rule because it regulates the lives of those who obey it.”  It is NOT called a rule because is keeps the followers captive.  The rule is a standard by which we can live and measure our lives.  It is not a legal document which cannot be broken.

So, do we legalistically follow every verse of the Rule of St. Benedict, not missing a Psalm, singing every Ambrosian Hymn, and faithfully reciting the canticles from Old and New Testaments.  What if we miss an hour?  We press on, brothers and sisters.  We follow the tenets of the Rule, and honor the intent.  We do not chain ourselves to a Pharisaical following of every jot and tittle of the Rule.  It is good to let the Rule challenge us to grow into a deeper relationship with Christ and His Church.  But it is a Rule to which we can look for guidance, and grow in the observance of that Rule.  It is a rule, “because it regulates the lives” of those who follow it, in order to help us live those lives in closer harmony with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

To be read: February 14, June 15, October 17

At Lauds on Sunday, let Psalm 66 be said first, without an antiphon. ²After that Psalm 50 is said with Alleluia.  ³After this let Psalms 117 and 62 be said; ⁴then the blessing and the praises (Psalms 148-150), one lesson from the Apocalypse, said by heart, a responsory, an Ambrosian hymn, the versicle and the canticle from the Gospel, the litany, and it is finished. 

Benedict continues his direction for observance of the divine office on Sundays with instruction regarding Lauds.  Again, the focus is on praise.  Even the name of the office is Praise!  The Psalms appointed for the day are all praise Psalms, except Psalm 51.  (Remember that Benedict follows the Vulgate and Septuagint numbering of the Psalms, so they differ from what is in our Psalter and the Masoretic text.  For more information on the Psalms’ numbering see: https://www.cotres.org/fsb-teachings/9-recitation-of-the-psalms/file).  After the opening Psalm of adoration (Psalm 67 “Let the peoples praise thee, O God” [v.5]), the monks offer their confession of sin in Psalm 51.  The acronym ACTS helps us understand the flow of worship in this our morning devotion: Adoration, Confession, Thanksgiving, Supplication.  But even Psalm 51 is recited as a psalm of praise as it “is said with Alleluia.”  

The remaining Psalms are all thanksgivings and praise Psalms.  They are coupled with readings from Revelation, responsories, an Ambrosian hymn, versicle, the Benedictus (Luke 1:68-79), litany, and conclusion.  The heart of the service is to bring “laud” to the Lord.  Our Sunday observance sets the tone not only for the day but for the week.

To be read: February 13, June 13-14, October 16

For Vigils on Sunday the monks should rise earlier.  ²At this office let the following order be observed: after six psalms and the versicle have been sung, and all have been properly seated on the benches in their order, let four lessons with their responsories be read from the book. ³In the fourth responsory only, let the Gloria be said by the chanter, and as soon as he begins to sing let all rise with reverence. ⁴After these lessons let six other psalms with antiphons and the versicle follow in order as before, ⁵and four more lessons with their responsories as above. ⁶After these let there be said three canticles from the Prophets, selected by the Abbot, and chanted with Alleluia. ⁷After the versicle and the Abbot’s blessing, let four other lessons from the New Testament be read in the order as above. ⁸But after the fourth responsory let the Abbot begin the hymn Te Deum laudamus (O God, we praise you). ⁹When this has been sung, let the Abbot read the lesson from the Gospel, all standing with reverence and awe. ¹⁰When the Gospel concludes let all answer Amen, and immediately the Abbot will follow up with the hymn Te decet laus (To You be praise).  After a final blessing, Lauds will begin. ¹¹Let this order of Vigils be observed on Sunday the same way in summer as well as in winter, ¹²unless (God forbid) the monks should rise too late. If that were to happen, part of the lessons or the responsories would have to be shortened. ¹³Let every precaution be taken that this does not occur. If it should happen, let him through whose neglect it came about make due satisfaction for it to God in the oratory. 

Sunday is always a feast of the Resurrection of our Lord.  It is a day of praise.  There is to be no studying, no labor, and the morning hours are to be spent in psalms of praise and attention to the Word.  Special attention is given to the Good News.  As Benedict instructs, “the Abbot [will] read the lesson from the Gospel, all standing with reverence and awe.”  

Some, in our modern society, might complain that no one should tell them what to read, or how many prayers to pray, or how long we need worship.  And yet, the wisdom and direction of those who are practiced in the faith, who have developed a closer walk and more intimate relationship with the Lord, have much to teach us.  Left to our own devices, most of us would default to old habits and familiar patterns of reading Scripture.  We would inevitably avoid those Psalms which are uncomfortable for us, and the Scriptures that are peculiarly foreign to our modern ear.  We would inevitably skip the longer Psalms (e.g. 105, 106, 119), and the more tedious portions of the Old Testament (e.g. Leviticus).  

Benedict is laying a foundation for his disciples which will encourage a pattern of behavior that, once it becomes second nature, will help the follower become more complete in his or her worship and reception of the Word.  The emphasis of this chapter not only focuses on the primacy of Vigils as a service of praise, but of Sunday as being a celebratory day.

Benedict begins the conclusion of this section by saying that “this order of Vigils be observed on Sunday the same way in summer as well as in winter.”  This directive has implications for us about how to live a life of faith.  If we are to keep an order of worship which focuses on praise in both summer and winter, and if we are to “at all times and in all places give thanks” as commended in the Great Thanksgiving of the Eucharist, then we need to develop an attitude not only of gratitude, but of adoration as well.  To live a life of faith is to live at all times in praise and thanksgiving.

To be read: February 12, June 12, October 15

From Easter until the first of November let the whole number of psalms, as explained above, be said. ²However, because of the shortness of the nights, no lessons are read from the book, but instead of these three lessons let one from the Old Testament be said from memory. Let a short responsory follow this. ³And let all the rest be performed as was said, namely, that never fewer than twelve psalms be said at Vigils, in addition to Psalms 3 and 94. 

Benedict did not have the blessing (or is it a curse) of modern time-keeping devices.  So, the good father recognized the need to adjust schedules to fit the seasons.  But regardless of the season, the focus of Vigils was to remain unchanged—a service of praise.  Lessons from the Scriptures and the Fathers are good, but in order to adjust for the work of the community in the Summer sun, the service must be shortened to take advantage of cool mornings.  Nevertheless, the heart of the community must continue to be turned toward God in worship and praise at the beginning of the day.  

The Opus Dei, the Work of God or the Divine Office, begins with praise, whether that is inclusive of readings or not.  Benedict recognized that for the work of the community to thrive, we must give back to God, first our praise and thanks, and only then to ask for His blessing and aid.  We are called to give a sacrifice of praise.  As the Psalmist says, “He who brings thanksgiving as his sacrifice honors me…” (Psalm 50:23). It is far better to begin our day in thanksgiving and praise rather than seeking gifts from His hand or consuming more knowledge from the readings.  St. Paul reminds us of what Jesus said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35).

If your work requires an early start, you too can adjust your morning devotions.  But recognize that omitting those morning devotions is not an adjustment, it is an abdication.  If your discipline has not previously included morning devotions, there is no better time than the present to begin.  Start slowly and work up.  To dive into the recitation of twelve psalms and four lessons, with versicles and responsories could be daunting for even the most saintly of worshipers.  Let God guide you in your worship of Him.  It is His party, let Him show you the way.

To be read: February 11, June 11, October 14

During the winter season, Vigils begins with the verse: O Lord open my lips; and my mouth shall declare Your praise (Ps 50[51]:17).  This is to be said three times. ²After this Psalm 3 and the Gloria are to be added, ³and Psalm 94 [95] with its antiphon is to be said or chanted. ⁴Then let an Ambrosian hymn follow, and after that six psalms with antiphons. ⁵When these and the versicle have been said, let the Abbot give the blessing. All being seated on the benches, let three lessons be read by the brothers from the book on the lectern, and between each let a responsory be said or sung. ⁶Let two of the responsories be said without the Gloria, but after the third lesson let him who is chanting say the Gloria. ⁷When the cantor begins to sing, let all rise at once from their seats in honor and reverence of the Blessed Trinity.  ⁸Besides the inspired books of the Old and the New Testaments to be read at Vigils, also the expositions of the Scriptures which have been made by reputable orthodox and Catholic Fathers should be included. ⁹After these three lessons with their responsories, let six other psalms follow, together with a sung Alleluia. ¹⁰After these let the lessons from the Apostle follow, to be said by heart, then the versicle and the litany, that is, Kyrie eleison (Lord, have mercy). ¹¹And the service of Vigils is thus completed. 

This is the second of four installments in the Rule of Saint Benedict about the service of Vigils, or as it is sometimes called, Matins.  This office garners so much attention because in many ways it is the foundational service of worship for the day.  This chapter details the number of Psalms and lessons to be recited and read at this service, the focus being praise, with a total of 12 Psalms being recited, besides the introductory Psalms (3 and 95).  

To begin one’s day in adoration and praise is a wonderful alternative to most modern practices.  How many modern Americans open their eyes and grab their phone?  They check their social media accounts, or tap into one of the news feeds.  But Benedict offers an alternative.  Roll out of bed and sing praises to the Lord, beginning with the opening acclamation, “O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Your praise.”  And the opening verses of Psalm 95 set the tone for the service and the day:  “O come, let us sing unto the Lord; let us heartily rejoice in the strength of our salvation.  Let us come before His presence with thanksgiving, and show ourselves glad in Him with psalms.”  What a wonderful way to set our hearts aright for the day.

The number of psalms or lessons said during the service is less important than the inclination of the heart to worship.  As the Psalmist said in Psalm 95, “let us heartily rejoice…”  Having visited various Benedictine communities over the years I have yet to find one that pharisaically observes the routine described in this section of the Rule for the office of Vigils.  For example, at Mepkin Abbey, a Trappist Monastery, they recite six psalms (or sections thereof) and read two lessons (the second being from “reputable orthodox and Catholic Fathers”).  They maintain the heart and intent of the Rule, while making the service itself a little less formidable.  Nevertheless, the service is one of praise to the God Who has created the new day.  Ask the Lord to open your lips, that you may “come before His presence with thanksgiving, and show [yourself] glad in Him with psalms.”

To be read: February 10, June 10, October 12-13

The brothers will rise during the winter season, that is, from the first day of November until Easter, making due allowance for circumstances, at the eighth hour of the night; ²so that, having slept until a little after midnight, they may rise refreshed. ³The time, however, which remains after Vigils will be used for study by those of the brothers who still have some parts of the psalms and the lessons to learn.  ⁴But from Easter to the first of November mentioned above, let the hour for celebrating Vigils be arranged so that a very short interval be provided the brothers that they may take care of the necessities of nature. Then Lauds, which is to be said at daybreak, may follow immediately. 

Having dealt with the spiritual life of the community in the first seven chapters of the Rule, Benedict now begins his teaching on the practical aspects of living life in community by addressing the discipline of communal prayer.  Chapters eight through twenty deal with the practice of the Divine Office.  The clear message in this transition from the spiritual to the practice of prayer is that everything done in community must flow from the common prayer of the Divine Office.  We begin and end each day in prayer and praise, and pause throughout the hours of our workday to offer to God our selves in prayerful unity with our brothers and sisters in Christ.  This discipline of prayer is essential to sustaining our communal life whether we live in an enclosed community or in the secular world.  We need to nurture the discipline of prayer.  In the same way as making habits of the steps of humility, so we make habits of the hours of prayer until the habit becomes part of the natural rhythm of life and we find that we are praying constantly.

It is daunting at first to consider the possibility of rising in the middle of the night on a daily basis to pray.  After we were first married, Miranda wanted me to change my pattern of sleep to a more “normal” routine.  But “normal” is what is prescribed as the norm for the community in which you live.  The norms of the world are far different than the norms of the disciplined spiritual life.  Over the four decades that we have been together, Miranda has come to accept, and I believe respect, my somewhat strange sleep schedule in making time for prayer.

It is not mandatory for us, as Benedict instructs, to “rise during the winter season…at the eighth hour of the night”, which is 2:00 AM.  Even Benedict recognizes the need for “making due allowance for circumstances.”  But rising in the quiet, dark hours of the night, or the early morning before our day is upon us, offers opportunity to bore into the silence of the night and close out the distractions of the world.  The removal of the world’s demands gives us the freedom to enter the day in closer communion with God, and to tune into His still, small voice speaking to us through the quiet of our stilled hearts and minds.  This may not work for everyone, but “due allowance for circumstances” is acceptable.  Nevertheless, if your circumstances do allow for pre-dawn prayers, you might want to give it a try. 

Note:  This meditation is designated for both October 12 and 13.  There will be no posting tomorrow.

To be read: February 9, June 9, October 11

Having, therefore, ascended all these steps of humility, the monk will presently arrive at that love of God, which being perfect, casts out fear (1 Jn 4:18). ⁶⁸Through this love, all things which he once performed not without fear, he will now begin to keep without any effort, as it were, naturally by force of habit, ⁶⁹no longer from the fear of hell, but for the love of Christ, from the very habit of good and the pleasure in virtue. ⁷⁰May the Lord be pleased to manifest all this by His Holy Spirit in His laborer now cleansed from vice and sin. 

Benedict is prescribing that we form habits which will both enhance and establish positive patterns of behavior.  If we are truly participating in a school for the Lord’s service, then we are learning the material by repetition.  We study what is included in the curriculum and then practice it.  We become proficient in it through repetition until it becomes second nature.  Thus, as Benedict states in verse 68, “Through this love, all things which he once performed not without fear, he will now begin to keep without any effort, as it were, naturally by force of habit…”  

We will falter in our steps toward true humility.  But the Lord is a lord of redemption and invites us to make repeated new starts.  And so we try again, repeating the steps until we “begin to keep [them] without any effort.”