The Offices of Terce, Sext and None are to be performed in the same way [as Prime]; that is, Deus in adjutorium, proper hymn, three psalms, lesson, versicle, Kyrie eleison and concluding prayers. If the community be a large one, let the psalms be sung with antiphons, but if small let them be sung straightforward.
Rule of St Benedict, Ch 17
So far we have dealt with the two hours that don't change much with the seasons and feasts.
To say Terce, Sext and None correctly though, you need to know at least a little about how the 1962 calendar works (at least so far as these hours go).
Accordingly, this post provides a first dip into the arcane mysteries of the classification of days and feasts.
First though, a little look at the structure and spirituality of these three 'little hours'.
About the 'little hours'
Terce, Sext and None can be found in the Diurnal on pages in the Monastic Diurnal on pages 151-203, and the Antiphonale Monasticum on pages 84-123 (immediately after Saturday Lauds and Sunday Prime, reflecting the numerical sequencing of the psalter section of these books).
Their names literally mean third, sixth and ninth hours respectively - that is mid-morning, midday and mid-afternoon.
Although there is some academic debate on this, it seems probable that Terce, Sext and None are the oldest of the hours.
Many of the Church Fathers, for example, traced the origin of Terce, Sext and None back to the Old Testament, pointing to Daniel and the three children (Daniel 6:10), and pointed to references to various temple prayers and sacrifices at these times.
The Fathers also 'Christianised' these hours, though, seeing them as:
- amongst the hours when the Master recruited workers for the vineyard;
- associated with the times of key events of Good Friday;
- referred to as times of prayer and visions recorded in the book of Acts; and
- honouring the Trinity in their threefold number and structure.
St Benedict's take on these hours
Against Arianism
The Trinitiarian explanation for Terce, Sext and None was surely important to St Benedict, perhaps because of the Arianism (denial of the divinity of Christ) rife at the time (and common again today).
Not only did he adopt the three psalms at each hour structure lauded for this reason by St Cyprian, but he also provides only three sets of psalms for use at them, in contrast to the seven day schema for all the other hours bar Compline.
The shared psalm sequence of these hours
But these hours are also unusual in the Benedictine Office in that Psalms 118-127 are said in order through the day at them, rather than having 'horizontal' sequences particular to each hour as at Matins, Lauds, Prime and Vespers.
It is possible that this vertical sequencing is in part a legacy of the older monastic custom of saying the psalms in sequence rather than allocating psalms to specific hours, or perhaps of a pre-existing Roman custom of saying Psalm 118 each day at Prime to None.
The better explanation though, I think, particularly in the absence of any hard evidence for either of these propositions, goes to the clear design intention behind the saint's choices, not least in his maintenance of the 'vertical' number sequence at Vespers and Compline on Tuesdays, so that all of the Gradual Psalms (bar Psalm 128) are said on that day.
The law and grace
St Benedict starts the sequence for these hours with Psalm 118 (on Sundays and Mondays), a long psalm in praise of the law, representing, I think, our essential foundation.
This essential foundation, though needs to be built up and made to live by grace, represented by the nine 'gradual' or psalms of ascent, said each day for the rest of the week.
This set of pilgrim songs long been held to symbolise that in this life we are all pilgrims, attempting to leave behind our sins and travel towards the promised land, the holy city of Jerusalem.
The ascent through self-abasement and humility
How do we reach the heavenly Jerusalem? There is a long Patristic tradition associating each of the hours of Terce, Sext and None with the events of Good Friday, more or less following St Mark's Gospel: Terce is the hour at which Christ was condemned by Pilate; at Sext he ascended the cross; at None he died on the cross.
In the Gradual psalms, which St Benedict explicitly references in his discussion of humility in chapter 7 of the Rule, we are daily urged, I think, to the imitation of Christ's humility and obedience even unto death.
Structure of the little hours
The basic structure of Terce, Sext and None is identical to Prime. The table below provides links to more detailed notes on the relevant office components that make up these hours, and brief notes on the rubrics for them.
PART OF THE HOUR
|
COMMENT/RUBRICS
|
|
|
Same as for all of the day hours (MD 1); stand, make sign of cross
|
|
|
Same each day for that hour; said standing, bow for last verse
|
|
|
Note that the antiphon can change according to season, day of week, feasts etc
|
Psalm+Gloria Patri
Psalm+Gloria Patri
Psalm+Gloria Patri
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Of the day(s) of the week; sit for psalm, stand for Gloria Patri
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Antiphon
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Repeat earlier antiphon
|
|
|
For the hour, can change according to day of week, season, feasts etc. Said standing
|
|
|
For the hour, can change according to day of week, season, feasts etc. Said standing
|
|
|
Basic structure as for all day hours, said standing, bow for Our Father
|
|
|
Of the week, day or feast
|
The calendar and the little hours
As for Prime, there is no special set of psalms used for feasts; instead those for the relevant day of the week are always used (a few special days aside).
The key difference to Prime, though, is that where Prime has only two moving parts (the psalms and antiphons), at Terce, Sext and None, not only the antiphon, but also the chapter, versicle and collect can vary according to the season, week, feast and/or day.
The seasons
Antiphon, chapter and versicle: The psalter section of most Office books provides 'default' antiphons, chapters and versicles for the key seasons of the liturgical year.
Those for the special seasons of the year also appear in the 'temporale' section of Office books, which also contains some additional seasonal texts (such as the weekly antiphons for use at each hour during Advent).
The relevant first pages for the Little Hours in the Monastic Diurnal (MD) and Antiphonale Monasticum (AM) are:
- Advent, MD 12*/AM 185;
- Octave of the Nativity, MD 54*/AM 244;
- Nativitytide, MD 122*;
- Epiphanytide, MD 136*/AM 29;
- Lent (Ash Wednesday), MD 192*/AM 339 and Passiontide, MD 242*/AM 387;
- Octave of Easter, MD 331*/AM 457
- Eastertide, MD 348*/AM 471
- Ascensiontide, MD 382*/AM 511
- Octave of Pentecost, MD 400*/AM 523
- time after Pentecost (in the psalter section of the books only), starts with the Feast of the Most Holy Trinity.
Collects: The collect at Terce, Sext and None is normally that of the Sunday, which is used throughout the week at Matins, Lauds, and Terce to Vespers, an are found in the 'Ordinary of time' section of Office books.
During some seasons, however, such as Lent, collects may be of the day of the week (ie Monday in the first week of Lent, etc). Where there are two collects set for each day, Terce to None use the collect set for Lauds.
An Ordo such as that on Saints Will Arise is your best guide as to which collect to use.
Our Lady on Saturday
On normal Saturdays (Class IV ferias) the Office is that of Our Lady on Saturday, which consists of an antiphon, chapter, versicle and collect of Our Lady at each of these hours.
Higher level days and feasts
In the 1962 calendar there are basically four levels of days and feasts - Class I (class one, equivalent to solemnities in the 1970 calendar), Class II (class two), Class III (class three) and Class IV (class four, ferial or ordinary days).
A key distinction to keep in mind is between 'days' and 'feasts'.
Higher level days without special antiphons: On many higher level days, such as Vigils (days of preparation before certain feasts) and Ember Days, only the collect changes to reflect the particular day.
Higher level days with proper antiphons: Where a day has one or more sets of antiphons specific to it, though, these are used at the Little Hours.
On the most solemn days of Advent, for example (December 17-23, which are 'Class II days', there is a set of antiphons for use each day of the week, set out for use at Lauds, but also used at Prime to None as follows:
Antiphon 1 of Lauds = antiphon of Prime
Antiphon 2 of Lauds= antiphon of Terce
Antiphon 3 of Lauds=antiphon of Sext
Antiphon
5 of Lauds=antiphon of None
Feasts: In contrast to 'days', the feasts of a saint normally affect not only the collect, but also the antiphon, chapter and versicle at Terce, Sext and None.
Where a feast has its own antiphons, the pattern set out above for higher level days is is also the standard pattern for most feasts, although on one some occasions, an alternative set of antiphons are provided for Prime to None.
The chapter at Terce is invariably that used at Lauds and Vespers; alternative chapters are normally provided for Sext and None, along with the versicles for each hour.
Feasts without proper antiphons: Where a feast doesn't have its own specific antiphons, chapters and versicles, those from the 'Commons' of types of saint or feast are normally used at Terce to None on Class III and above feasts.
SUMMARY
The table below summarises the impact of the different level of days and feasts on Terce, Sext and None. Note however that there are some exceptions to these rules, so follow your Ordo and/or the instructions in your Office book carefully!
LEVEL OF DAY/TYPE OF FEAST
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EFFECT ON LITTLE HOURS
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Class IV day, Monday-Friday
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Antiphon, chapter and versicle of
the day of the week/season;
Collect of the Sunday of the week
|
Class IV day, memorial (of a
saint)
|
As above – the memorial has no
effect on these hours.
|
Class IV day, Saturday
|
Antiphon, chapter, versicle and
collect of the Office of Our Lady on Saturday
|
Class III day (Advent, Lent)
|
Antiphon of the season or week.
Chapter and versicle of the
season.
Collect of the week or day.
|
Class II or III Vigil or Ember Day
|
Antiphon, chapter and versicle of
the day and season.
Collect of Vigil or Ember Day.
|
Class II days of Advent
|
Antiphon of the day; chapter and versicle
of the season.
Collect of the Advent week (or
Ember Day)
|
Class I, II or III feast
|
Antiphon, chapter, versicle,
collect of the feast or from the Common.
|
