Lauds and Vespers
Posted by Sr Eleanor on July 18, 2008
Lauds and Vespers, or Morning Praise and Evening Praise, mark key moments in the day, and are of the highest importance.
Morning Praise: Lauds
Lauds is the Hour of sunrise. The new light of the sun, which puts to flight the darkness of night, is for believers a symbol of the resurrection of Christ, the true light of the world. There is, therefore, a strong note of joy and praise in Lauds, including praise for creation. This morning prayer also consecrates the day to God and orients our hearts and minds to God before we begin our daily tasks.
Evening Praise: Vespers
Vespers is celebrated as the sun goes down and the day draws to a close. At this Hour we give thanks for the things that have been given us during the day, and for what we have accomplished. We turn our eyes to Christ, the Sun which never sets, and see in him, in his self-offering on the cross and in the mystery of the Eucharist, the fulfilment of the “evening sacrifice” of the Old Covenant.
Elements of Lauds and Vespers
These two Hours follow the same pattern.
After the opening versicle, a hymn which expresses the themes of the Hour, the season, or the feast, unites us as a worshipping assembly and draws us into the celebration.
Psalms and canticles follow: at Lauds, the first psalm usually has a “morning” theme; this is followed by a canticle from the Old Testament, and another psalm, usually with a theme of praise. At Vespers there are three psalms, followed by a canticle from the New Testament. Each psalm and canticle has its own antiphon, a short sentence taken from the psalm itself or from elsewhere in Scripture, sung before and after the psalm. The antiphons help to illustrate the character of the psalm; they draw our attention to phrases which we might otherwise miss; and they can enable us to approach the psalm more prayerfully.
A short Scripture reading follows, a true proclamation of the Word of God. We ponder it in silence for a few moments, and then respond to it by singing a short responsory.
Next comes a canticle from the Gospels. At Lauds it is the Benedictus, which was sung by Zachary, father of John the Baptist, praising the fulfilment of God’s promises in Christ, “who visits us like the dawn from on high”. At Vespers we sing the Magnificat, the song of the Virigin Mary, glorifying and thanking “the Almighty” who “works marvels” for her, and rejoicing in the mighty acts of God.
After this, some intercessions bring the needs of the world before God, and we venerate the Virgin Mary by an antiphon in her honour.
The Lord’s Prayer follows: St Benedict told his monks to pay special attention to the words “forgive us as we forgive”, because each day there are failures in community living which need to be forgiven.
A concluding prayer sums up and completes the Hour; the abbess pronounces a blessing; and the dismissal is sung.
Ann said
Lauds and vespers are lovely words.This is interesting, Sr Eleanor. As well as giving would-be novices an insight into Cistercian life it also gives the lay person a better understanding of the meaning of contemplative – a word that is bandied about quite a bit these days and used rather loosely at times. I’m curious to know what exactly you mean by intercession for the needs of the world.
Is it like the Poor Clares where people write and ask for prayers or is it a case of you and your community praying in response to media reports?
The Icon of St Paul is beautiful, and I’m wondering if it was written to coincide with the Pauline Year?
Bryan Sherwood said
Sr. Eleanor,
I have a question. I believe it was you who mentioned a few posts ago that each hour has a unique color that’s associated with it. I would assume that is why many breviaries (particularly the Liturgy of the Hours) has red, green, blue, etc. colored ribbons? What color corresponds to what hour of prayer?
Pax.
Sr Eleanor said
Hi Ann. Yes, I think the Latin names for the different Hours have a beauty that is not captured by their English translation. It’s good to know that you find the entries useful.
I mean “interceding for the needs of the world” in a very broad sense. Yes, we certainly pray for the intentions that people write or phone or email us about, and also in response to things that we learn about from the media, but also all the pain and suffering of the world which is expressed so poignantly in the psalms especially. We don’t necessarily have to have a particular person or situation in mind, I think, for the power of the prayer to extend to whatever context it’s needed in.
Sr Paula’s icon is a few years old now, so it wasn’t written especially for this year. But we are giving it special prominence in the cloister at the moment!
Sr Eleanor said
Hi Bryan,
I can’t remember where I got the word “colour” from (or even color without the “u”!), but anyway it’s meant more in a poetic than a literal way – just saying that each Hour is a bit different in its spirituality or thrust. I guess the different colo[u]r ribbons in Breviaries are more for ease of use, making it handy to find a particular section. In fact, in the large psalters that we use, there are seven or eight ribbons – and they are all brown!
Bryan Sherwood said
Thanks Sr. Eleanor. I had thought perhaps the ribbon colors were associated with a particular office. However, you’ve clarified that for me! Now, I don’t need to concern myself what color ribbon I’m using when!
Peace.
Ann said
Sr Eleanor – I think I used the word contemplative rather loosely myself in my last comment since your Order is in fact monastic!
I’m learning as I go along, and thanks for your reply.
I really love coming here and reading about your day and the connections between the time and the chosen prayer or psalm.
All the information is a revelation in many ways because although I would have had some understanding of what monasticism is about this website actually provides a window onto a way of life that is in one sense removed from the world, but has in fact the needs of the world at its very heart, bringing them to God in prayer.
May God further the work.