The Liturgy of the Hours · Prayer

Every day, all over the world, priests, monks, nuns and lay people pray the same psalms at the same hours: at dawn, during the day, at dusk and before sleep. This is the Liturgy of the Hours, also called the Divine Office: the official daily prayer of the Church. The Mass is the centre of the Church's day; the Hours spread its praise and thanksgiving across all of it, so that time itself is offered to God (CCC 1174).

What it is

Scripture asks Christians to "pray constantly" (1 Thessalonians 5:17). The Liturgy of the Hours is the Church's way of doing that together. It is built mainly from the Psalms, the 150 prayer-songs of the Old Testament that Jesus himself prayed, arranged so that they are prayed over a four-week cycle. Around them are hymns, short readings from Scripture, canticles (songs from elsewhere in the Bible), intercessions and the Our Father (CCC 1176–1177).

It is called a liturgy because it is not a private devotion but the public prayer of the Church: when you pray it, even alone in your kitchen, you pray with and in the name of the whole Church, joined to Christ's own prayer to the Father (CCC 1174–1175). The Catechism describes it as a kind of extension of the Eucharist through the day (CCC 1178).

The roots are old. Israel prayed at set times, morning and evening, and the psalmist speaks of praising God "seven times a day" (Psalm 119:164). The first Christians kept the habit (cf. Acts 3:1; 10:9), and monks over the centuries shaped it into a full round of daily prayer.

The hours

Since the reform that followed the Second Vatican Council, the Office has these parts:

Office of Readings. A longer hour that may be prayed at any time of day. Psalms, then a substantial reading from Scripture and a second from the Church Fathers, saints or Church documents.
Morning Prayer, also called Lauds (from the Latin for "praises"). Prayed at the start of the day, in honour of the Resurrection. Its high point is the Song of Zechariah, the Benedictus (Luke 1:68–79).
Daytime Prayer. A short hour for mid-morning, midday or mid-afternoon (traditionally Terce, Sext and None). Most people pray just one of the three.
Evening Prayer, also called Vespers. Prayed as the day ends, giving thanks for it. Its high point is Mary's song, the Magnificat (Luke 1:46–55).
Night Prayer, also called Compline (from the Latin for "completion"). The last prayer before sleep: a brief examination of conscience, one or two psalms, the Song of Simeon, the Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2:29–32), and a closing antiphon to Mary.

Morning and Evening Prayer are the two "hinges" on which the whole day turns, and they matter most.

Who prays it

Bishops, priests and deacons preparing for the priesthood are bound to pray the full Liturgy of the Hours daily, for the Church and the world; they promise to do so when they are ordained deacons. Permanent deacons pray the part set by their bishops' conference, often Morning and Evening Prayer. Many religious communities pray it together in choir as the backbone of their life, as their own rule lays down.

But it was never meant only for clergy and religious. The Church wants it to become the prayer of the whole People of God, and encourages lay people to pray it: with priests, with one another, or on their own (CCC 1175). Some parishes pray Morning or Evening Prayer publicly, often before or after a weekday Mass.

How a beginner can start

The Office can look daunting at first: ribbons, seasons, antiphons, a four-week psalter. Do not start with all of it.

Start with Night Prayer. It is the simplest hour. It follows a one-week cycle, so the same psalms come round every week and soon become familiar. It takes about ten minutes. It ends the day with an honest look back, an act of trust, and the words of old Simeon, who could go in peace because he had seen the Lord.

Or start with Morning and Evening Prayer. If you want to pray the heart of the Office, pray these two. Ten to fifteen minutes each.

Use a guide. The full Office is published in several volumes; single-volume editions containing Morning, Evening and Night Prayer are widely available (in the United States, one is titled Christian Prayer). There are also reliable apps and websites that set out each day's Office in order, which removes the hardest part for beginners: finding the right page. Ask your parish what they recommend.

Pray the psalms as Christ's prayer. Some psalms will not match your mood. A lament on a happy day, or a song of triumph when you are low. Pray them anyway, for someone in the world who is in that place, and with Christ, who prayed them all (CCC 1176–1177).

Going deeper

What prayer is: praise, petition, intercession and thanksgiving, all present in the Office.
Lectio divina: the Office of Readings is a natural place to practise it.
The Mass as prayer: the liturgy the Hours flow from and return to.
In the Catechism: CCC 1174–1178 on the Liturgy of the Hours, and CCC 2585–2589 on the Psalms as the prayer of the assembly.