A Brief History of the Liturgy of the Hours.

Background

The origin of the Liturgy of the Hours can be traced back to the Old Testament when God commanded Aaron to offer a morning and evening sacrifice. King David is said to have composed many of the Psalms that have been passed down originally as an oral tradition, and later compiled into scripture after the Babylonian Captivity about 500 years before the birth of Jesus. Even to this day fervent Jews pray the Psalms daily at regular hours as they did in the Old Testament times.

Most certainly Jesus prayed the Psalms both alone and with his Apostles during his human life on earth. Several of His Last words were quoted directly from the Psalms.

The earliest Christians were originally practicing Jews and continued the practice of prayer at specified times of the day. There are references in the New Testament to the Apostles praying in the temple at certain times of the day. St. Ambrose describe many ways in which the Psalms bless us: the Psalms distract us from our worries, petition for deliverance from our distress, give praise and thanksgiving to the Lord and gives us a promise of peace and harmony in our lives

St. Benedict was instrumental in formalizing the Liturgy of the Hour in the Monastery environment in the 5^th Century. St. Benedict’s rule for monastics specified the hours of the days the Psalms were to be prayed. From very early in the morning around 2 AM through night prayers, St. Benedict specified which Psalms were to be prayed in such a manner that all 150 Psalms would be prayed over the period of one week. St. Benedict specified eight canonical hours: Matins or Vigils (around 1 AM), Lauds (sunrise), Terce (9 AM), Sext (Noon), None (3 PM), Vespers(sundown) and Compline(bedtime).

Saint Benidict named the prayers Opus Dei or Work of God. When formalized by the whole church the prayers were name the Divine Office. Because the Prayers often used several books, they were compiled in to one set of book called the Breviary, short for Breviarium Romanum, which consisted of portions of other books such as the Bible, The Roman Missal, and writings and sermons of the early Church fathers and other spiritual resources. Today the complete print version consists of four volumes covering the Church Year. A condensed single volume is commonly used today using ribbons to access the Prayers Readings and Psalms, which are used repeatedly throughout the year. There are several online publications of the Liturgy of the Hours.

Ordained clergy and consecrated religious are required to pray the Liturgy of the Hours daily. There is no mandate for the laity, although it is highly encouraged.

More Links:

The Daily Prayer of the Church

General Instruction on the Liturgy of the Hours (2 February 1971)