From the desk of the Tar Heel disciple:
March 11, 2026 (#83)
The Legacy of St. Benedict-Part III: The Divine Office
Approximately 1/4 of the Rule of Saint Benedict consists of instructions regarding the principal work of any Benedictine community, namely the Opus Dei (“Work of God”), that is, the Liturgy of the Hours. This continuous cycle of prayer has also been called the Divine Office and consists of prayers recited throughout the day and night, principally taken from the Book of Psalms, and includes other canticles and lessons selected from both the Old and New Testaments as well as hymns and other prayers. This cycle of prayer, usually chanted in monastic settings, now consists of 7 “hours”: the Office of Readings (traditionally known as Matins), Morning Prayer (Lauds), Midmorning Prayer (Terce), Midday Prayer (Sext), Midafternoon Prayer (None), Evening Prayer (Vespers), and Night Prayer (Compline).
In addition to the commitment of monastic communities to consecrate the various times of the day and night by means of the Liturgy of the Hours, all priests and bishops are required to pray the official version of the Divine Office, as reformed after Vatican Council II (published in the U.S. in 1975) each day. In the ancient Church, Morning Prayer and Evening Prayer were often prayed in the cathedral and many parish churches, and lay people are still encouraged to pray all or part of the Divine Office with the Universal Church each day, either alone, in family, or in a faith community of some sort. Many people have been introduced to the structure of the Liturgy of the Hours through the abbreviated editions of the hours (especially Morning and Evening Prayers) in the monthly Magnificat publication.
After a 13-year process of review and retranslation, it has recently (November 2025) been announced that the Holy See has approved a new edition of the Liturgy of the Hours for use in the United States. Ascension Press and Word on Fire Publishing have been selected to print the new edition, which should be available before Ash Wednesday of 2027 (February 10, 2027), when those obliged to pray the Liturgy of the Hours should begin using the new edition. In the meantime, if someone were interested in beginning to explore and/or pray all or part of this cycle of prayer but would hesitate to buy a copy of the edition that will soon be superseded, they might consider using the online site, ibreviary, or it's telephone app, which is free (see link below).
The Book of Psalms is the foundational prayer book of the Church, and in the current edition of the Divine Office, the Psalms are distributed over a 4-week period. In addition, there are a multitude of selections from the Bible as well as readings from the Church Fathers and many saints. In joining our voices to the voice of the whole Church by means of the Divine Office/Liturgy of the Hours, we not only offer the daily sacrifice of praise to God, but also immerse ourselves in the Word of God. Thus, this venerable form of prayer helps to form us as Christians. If you're not familiar with it, why not take a look now?
Reading materials on St. Benedict and related devotional items can be found at:
https://inhisname.com/search?options%5Bprefix%5D=last&q=St.+Benedict
Current editions of the Liturgy of the Hours and related materials can be found at:
https://inhisname.com/search?options%5Bprefix%5D=last&q=liturgy+of+the+hours
On-line link to the current Liturgy of the Hours, via ibreviary:
