Learn the Office 2.14: Lauds Pt 3 - Ferias and feasts

The alleluia that is sung on feast days in commemoration of eternal rejoicing, calls to mind both the joys of the elect and the Lord’s praise….

Amalar of Metz, On the Liturgy

The previous part of this series on Lauds looked at the variant structures of Lauds.

This post looks at when each of those variants are used.

In the 1962 Office,there are four levels of days: Class I (solemnities), Class II, Class III and Class IV (ordinary weekdays).  In addition feasts, Vigils and Octaves can be Class I, II or III.

Sundays

The default level of day for Sundays during the year is Class II.

The standard texts

The standard texts for Sunday Lauds - with the exception of the collect and canticle antiphon - can be found in the psalter section of your Office book.

On Class I Sundays - the Sundays in the special seasons of the year, as well as some feasts - some or all of these standard texts can be displaced by special ones for the feast or season.

Benedictus antiphon

On Sundays the Benedictus antiphon is always of the Sunday of the year or feast, and usually reflects the (EF) Gospel at Mass (and Matins).

Collect

The Collect at Lauds is of the Sunday.

SUMMARY: SUNDAY LAUDS

Page references for Sunday Lauds in the Monastic Diurnal (MD) and Antiphonale Monasticum (AM) are given below.

The psalmody at Sunday Lauds during the year	Notes
Psalm 66 (psalm without an antiphon)	MD 38/AM 25: Sung slowly without antiphon as at   Compline – tone used is sometimes used at Compline
Antiphon: Alleluia, Alleluia	MD 39-46/AM 25-29: Note that there is normally only  one antiphon for the three psalms, as at Prime-None
Psalm 50+ Gloria
Psalm 117+Gloria
Psalm 62+Gloria
Antiphon: Alleluia
Antiphon for the canticle	MD 46-48/AM 29-31
Canticle: Benedicite Domino	Gloria Patri is not said, however everyone stands and bows for the verse ‘Benedicamus Patrem et Filium..’(MD 48/AM 30)
Antiphon for the canticle
Antiphon for the Laudate psalms	MD 49/AM 32
Ps 148+149+150+Gloria	MD 49-52/AM 31-2: The Laudate psalms again have only one antiphon, and are sung with only one Gloria Patri at the end
Antiphon

Weekdays during the year

The standard texts

The basic texts for Lauds - with the exception of the collect  - can be found in the psalter section of your Office book.

OT canticle

There are two options in relation to the Old Testament canticle for Monday to Saturday, the feria or festal canticle.

The ferial canticle is the default option, as this is the set of canticles that were referred to by St Benedict in his Rule.

Up until the reforms of 1911, the ferial canticles were used on all days except major feasts (Class I&II equivalents, and the equivalent to Class III feasts with their own antiphons, when the Sunday canticle was used instead).

This system is still permissible. as the use of the festal canticles of the day of the week is entirely optional (indeed, the use of the festal canticles originally required a special indult from the Holy See).  .

However, many monasteries do use the festal canticles.

If used, there are two systems that can be adopted, namely either:

• use the festal canticle on most days (but not Class I&II feasts or occasions when the festal psalms are used, where the Benedicite is said instead), and keep the ferial for penitential days and seasons (thus mirroring the Roman Office practice); or
• use the festal canticle for feasts (Class III feasts and Saturdays of Our Lady) and the ferial on other days.

Benedictus antiphon

The antiphon for the Benedictus is normally 'of the day of the week' (outside of the more intense liturgical seasons).

Collect

The Collect at Lauds is normally of the Sunday of the week (unless displaced by the day or season).

Office of Our Lady on Saturday

On Saturdays outside of Lent and Advent, unless it is a third class feast or higher, the Office is usually 'of Our Lady on Saturday'.

This affects the chapter, responsory, hymn, versicle, Benedictus antiphon and collect for Lauds.  These can be found on MD (129).

 SUMMARY: WEEKDAYS DURING THE YEAR

LAUDS	‘Default’ texts
Opening prayers – Deus…	MD 1/AM 1
Psalm 66 – Deus miseratur… (psalm without an antiphon)	MD 38, 58/AM 25
Antiphons	of day of the week or feast/season
Antiphon(s), Psalm 50; 2 variable psalms; OT canticle; Laudate psalms Ps 148-150	[Sunday, MD 39/AM 25 Festal (for feasts), MD 44/AM 28] Monday - MD 59/AM 38 Tuesday - start MD 76/AM 45 Wednesday – MD 89/AM 52 Thursday – MD 102/AM 58 Friday - MD 118/AM 66 Saturday - MD 133/AM 73
Chapter	See in psalter as above or for season/feast; On Saturdays of Our Lady, MD (129)/AM 714
Short Responsory
Hymn
Versicle
Antiphon for the Benedictus
Benedictus	MD 56, 73/AM 35
Antiphon for the Benedictus	M-S of the day of the week; Sun of the week in the calendar
Closing prayers	MD 57
-          Collect	Of the week of the liturgical year or day/feast
-          Commemoration of the saint or day	Canticle antiphon, versicle and collect said immediately after the collect of the day

Memorials and commemorations

One of the key features of Lauds is that memorials of saints (the lowest category of feast of saints) are marked at this hour.  If there is a commemoration (memorial) on a particular day, it is said immediately after the collect.

There are basically two types of commemorations.

The first are 'privileged' commemorations, for example of a Sunday when some other feast overrides it, or when a day in a season such as Lent is displaced by a feast. In these cases, a commemoration is usually made both at Lauds and Vespers.

Ordinary commemorations (such as saints days that are memorials) only affect Lauds.

So, the commemoration of the Feast of St George for example, only affects Lauds. At every other hour, you would say the normal collect from Sunday only.

A commemoration consists of:

•  an antiphon (from the Benedictus at Lauds, Magnificat at Vespers);
•  the short verse and response, or versicle that would have been said after it at Lauds or Vespers;
• a prayer (collect). 

The Diurnal sets all these out in the correct order, so you really just need to say what's there.

So on the Feast of St George at Lauds, you say the Sunday collect, then turn to page [112] in the Diurnal and say the antiphon 'Filiae Ierusalem..', then the verse and response (Pretiosa...Mors..), then the prayer (Deus, qui...).

The number of commemorations that can be made on any particular day depends on the level of the day - no commemorations are made on first class Sundays; one commemoration can be made on second class Sundays and days; two commemorations on third or fourth class days.

The special seasons

During the special seasons of the year such as Lent and Advent, some or all of the texts after the psalmody are usually of the season.

This means that you need to ignore the chapter, responsory, hymn and so forth provided in the psalter section of your Office book, and instead use those from the 'temporale'.

In addition, there may be specific antiphons both for the psalms and the Benedictus (canticle) for the day or period of the season.

The effect of feasts

The table below compares the effects of different levels of feasts on Lauds and Vespers.

As for Vespers, Lauds on feasts can use texts either specific to the feast, or from the 'Common' of the type of saint (or feast).

The key difference is that Lauds has only one standard set of festal psalms.

LEVEL OF FEAST	EFFECT ON VESPERS	EFFECT ON LAUDS
Memorial	none	After Collect of the day, say the canticle antiphon, versicle and collect of the memorial
Class III without proper antiphons	Psalms and antiphons of the day;  chapter, responsory, hymn etc from the Common
Class III with proper antiphons	Psalms of Sunday or the Common; antiphons of the feast; chapter etc for the feast (from the proper of the feast or the Common)	Festal Psalms  (under Sunday) – Ps 92, 99, 62; Option of using festal canticle of the day of the week; chapter etc for the feast (from the proper of the feast or the Common)
Class II	All for the feast (or from the Common of Saints or season), including psalms of feast, Sunday or Common	Festal psalms; Benedicite; Chapter etc of feast, season or common
Class I	All for the feast (or from the Common of saints or season) with I Vespers the night before	Festal psalms; Benedicite; Chapter etc of feast, season or common

Learn the Office 2.13: Lauds Pt 2 - The three forms of Lauds

At Lauds on Sunday, let the 66th psalm be said first simply, without an antiphon.

After that let the 50th psalm be said with Alleluia; after this let the 117th and the 62d be said; then the blessing and the praises, one lesson from the Apocalypse, said by heart, a responsory, the Ambrosian hymn, the verse and the canticle from the Gospel, the litany, and it is finished.

Rule of St Benedict chapter 12

On week days let Lauds be celebrated in the following manner, to wit: Let the 66th psalm be said without an antiphon, drawing it out a little as on Sunday, that all may arrive for the 50th, which is to be said with an antiphon.

After this let two other psalms be said according to custom...On the other days, however, let the canticle from the Prophets, each for its proper day...After these let the psalms of praise follow; then one lesson from the Apostle, to be said from memory, the responsory, the Ambrosian hymn, the verse, the canticle from the Gospel, the litany, and it is finished.

Rule of St Benedict chapter 13

The three forms of Lauds

Lauds has a number of variants, for Sundays, weekdays, and major and minor feasts.

The key differences between them relate to:

• how many antiphons are said with the psalms (three or five); 
• the particular psalms said;
• the Old Testament canticle used; and
• the texts and chants for the chapter, responsory, hymn, versicle, and Benedictus antiphon.

The main structural differences, though, relate to the psalm section of the hour, and so this post focuses primarily on how this section works in more detail.

It looks first at the particular psalms used at Lauds, and then looks at how the antiphon structure can change.

The psalms of  Lauds

Psalm without antiphon: Ps 66

In the Benedictine Office, the first psalm of the hour,  Psalm 66, is sung everyday, immediately after the opening prayers, and without an antiphon.

St Benedict specified that it should be sung rather slowly, in order to allow latecomers to sneak into choir without penalty.

The 'Tonus ín directum' (Antiphonale Monasticum pg 1219)  is usually used for this purpose.

Three psalms (with antiphon(s))

Three psalms then follow.

On most days these consist of Psalm 50 (the Miserere) and two variable psalms of the day.

At some times of the year on Sundays, however, as well as on major feasts, the Benedictine Office has adopted the use of Psalms 92, 99 and 62 from the Roman Office as 'festal' psalms.

This group of psalms can be said under one antiphon (on Sundays and during Eastertide), following the pattern used at Prime to None, or with an antiphon for each psalm, following the Vespers pattern (weekdays and feasts).

Old Testament canticle

Lauds also includes a canticle on each day of the week, always with its own antiphon.

The 'ferial' canticles included in Office books are the set St Benedict refers to in his Rule as being the customary set used in the Church of Rome in his time.

The weekday 'festal' canticles were added in the early twentieth century, and can either be used on minor feasts, or at times during the year other than Lent and Advent.

The Old Testament canticle is sung as if it were a psalm (ie initial intonation only, not for each verse as for the New Testament canticles), and with a doxology except for the Sunday canticle (Daniel 3).

The Laudate psalms

The last set of three psalms - Psalms 148-150 - are said under one antiphon and one doxology (Gloria Patri, at the end).

The meaning of the psalms

For links to notes on the psalms and ferial Old Testament canticles of Lauds, see below.

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wed.	Thurs.	Friday	Saturday	Festal
Ps 66
Ps 50							Ps 92
Ps 117	Ps 5	Ps 42	Ps 63	Ps 87	Ps 75	Ps 142	Ps 99
Ps 62	Ps 35	Ps 56	Ps 64	Ps 89	Ps 91		Ps 62
Daniel 3	Isaiah 12	Hezekiah	Anna	Moses	Habbakuk	Deuteronomy	Daniel 3
Ps 148
Ps 149
Ps 150

Note that the 'festal' canticles were an early twentieth century addition, and their use is entirely optional.

The antiphons

One of the key differences between Lauds on Sundays and other days relates to the number of antiphons used: three or five.

Lauds with three antiphons: Sunday Lauds throughout the year and weekday Lauds during Eastertide

On most Sundays throughout the year, Psalm 66 is followed by a group of three psalms - Psalms 50, 117 and 62 - each with a doxology but said under one antiphon.

An Old Testament canticle (which for Sundays is always from Daniel 3, Benedicite omnia) then follows, and is treated as if it were a psalm except that it always has its own (fixed) antiphon, and does not have a doxology.

A third antiphon (Alleluia) is used for the three Laudate psalms that give the hour its name (Psalms 148-150).

This structure of three antiphons is also used on weekdays during Eastertide, but with the psalms of the relevant day of the week.

The basic structure then, is summarised in the table below.

Psalm 66

antiphon 1 (Alleluia) Psalm 50+Gloria Psalm 117+Gloria Psalm 62+Gloria Antiphon 1 repeated

Antiphon 2 (Tres pueri or Surrexit Christus during Eastertide) Canticle: Benedicite omnia opera Domini Antiphon 2 repeated

antiphon 3 (Alleluia) Ps 148+149+150+Gloria Antiphon 3 repeated

Note that some books (such as the Diurnal) include the Lauds festal psalms (Psalm 92&99) in the Sunday section of the psalter, so you need to skip over these as they are only said at certain times of the year and on feasts.

Also, if you are singing Lauds, note that while the Antiphonale Monasticum (AM) only provides the intonation for the antiphon before the psalm, canticle or group of psalms, under the 1962 rubrics the antiphon is sung in full both before and after the psalm(s).  Accordingly, you need to flick to the end of each group of psalms to find it written out in full.

Lauds with five antiphons: weekdays during the year, feasts and Class I Sundays

The second version of Lauds differs from the structure above in that Psalm 50 and the two psalms of the day of the week  each have their own antiphon, used just the way as at Vespers.

The basic structure is:

Psalm 66

antiphon 1+Psalm 50+Gloria+antiphon 1

antiphon 2+psalm of the day+Gloria+antiphon 2

antiphon 3+psalm of the day+Gloria+antiphon 3

antiphon 4+canticle of the day+Gloria+antiphon 4

antiphon 5+Ps 148+149+150+Gloria+antiphon 5

On weekdays, the antiphons normally used are provided in the psalter section.
On Sundays during special seasons (such as Lent) and feasts though, the five antiphons will be found in either the 'temporale' or sanctorale' sections of your Office book, on which more in the next post.

SUMMARY

The table below summarises the three main variants of Lauds.

LAUDS	Sunday (except seasons when festal psalms used)	Weekdays/minor feasts	Festal (Class III feasts with proper antiphons, Class I&II feasts, Sundays in certain seasons)
Opening prayers	As for all the hours
Invitatory psalm	Psalm 66
Antiphon 1		of the day, season or feast	of the feast or from the Common
	Psalm 50		Psalm 92 (MD 44/AM 28)
Antiphon1/Antiphon 2	none	of the day, season or feast	of the feast or from the Common
Psalm	of the day of the week		Ps 99 (MD 44/AM 28)
Antiphon 2/Antiphon3	none	of the day, season or feast	of the feast or from the Common
Psalm	of the day of the week		Ps 62 (MD 44/AM 28)
Antiphon 3/Antiphon 4		of the day, season or feast	of the feast or from the Common
OT Canticle	Canticle of the three young men (Benedicite)	Ferial or festal canticle of the day of the week	Canticle of the three young men
Antiphon 4/Antiphon 5		of the day, season or feast	of the feast or from the Common
Laudate psalms	Psalm 148+Psalm 149+Psalm 150+Gloria
Antiphon 5		of the day, season or feast	of the feast or from the Common

The next and last post in this series focuses on when these three variants of Lauds are used.

Learn the Office 3.12 Lauds Pt 1 - Introduction to Lauds

For we must also pray in the morning, that the Lord's resurrection may be celebrated by morning prayer. And this formerly the Holy Spirit pointed out in the Psalms, saying, My King, and my God, because unto You will I cry; O Lord, in the morning shall You hear my voice; in the morning will I stand before You, and will look up to You. And again, the Lord speaks by the mouth of the prophet: Early in the morning shall they watch for me, saying, Let us go, and return unto the Lord our God....For since Christ is the true sun and the true day...

St Cyprian, Treatise 4 On Prayer

Lauds is easily the longest of the 'day' hours in the Benedictine Office, and in some respects, the most complicated, not least because it comes in three different versions, for Sundays, weekdays and feasts.

St Benedict's Rule makes it clear that Lauds should start at first light, so as to pray in the sunrise, and the coming light is a key theme in its psalms and canticles.

The key theme of the hour, though, is the coming of light of Christ, symbolised by the rising sun, making it a daily mini-celebration of the Resurrection.

The modern rubrics are more flexible though, and most monasteries these days say it at the same time each day, rather than adjusting to meet the time of sunrise.

About Lauds

History of the hour

The origins of Lauds are debated.

One theory (and in my view the most plausible) is that it is one of the oldest of the hours, maintained in continuity with practice in the Jewish temple, where this was one of the two times of the day (with Vespers/evening) when incense was offered.

The other view holds that it was a fourth century invention, designed to keep monks awake to see in the dawn.

Either way, St Benedict tells us that his version of Lauds largely follows the Roman Office of his time (though for reasons I don't entirely understand liturgists have not tended to take seriously his comment that the two variable psalms he uses each day were ones customary in his time).

Regardless, many of the elements of Lauds - such as the use of Psalms 59, 148-150 and some of the Old Testament canticles  - are ancient indeed, with roots in the liturgy of the Jewish temple, and even earlier: the instruction to say the Deuteronomy canticle every Saturday, for example, is recorded as being given to Moses.

The psalmody of Lauds

Lauds can seem quite repetitive at first glance, as several of its psalms are repeated every day.

Each of these repeated psalms, though, contain important messages that shape the hour, and are meant to help form us in the values St Benedict articulates in his Rule.  In particular:

• Psalm 66 asks for God's blessing on the day, and is a prayer for the spread of the Gospel throughout the world; 
• Psalm 50 reminds us of the need for contrition for our sins, and the need to cultivate humility, if we wish to contribute to the task of rebuilding the walls of the Church; and 
• the three Laudate, or 'praising' psalms that give the hour its name call us to rejoice in God's work of creation, and the recreation of the universe through and in Christ.

The two variable psalms each day may well have mostly been chosen primarily for their references to light and its coming.

They also though, share a number of other common themes, not least in setting before us our key goal, namely, to enter heaven.

The Lauds canticles

Lauds is unique in having not one, but two canticles: an Old Testament canticle proper to each day of the week, and a New Testament canticle said each day, the Benedictus.

The 'ferial' Old Testament canticles  - which St Benedict says were customary in the Roman Church of his time - arguably trace out the life of Christ in seven days, an idea St Benedict builds on, I think, in his assignment of psalms to each day of the week.

Sunday, festal and weekday Lauds

Like Matins, Lauds has two basic structures, one for Sundays (RB 12), using three antiphons for the psalms (and Old Testament canticle), and another, using five antiphons, for weekdays (RB 13).

In the Office as it has developed down the centuries, festal versions of the hour, including a fixed set of 'festal' psalms have also been added.

Lauds is also the hour at which 'memorials' of saints, as well as feasts or days that are displaced by higher level days or feats, are recognised in the Office.

The structure of Lauds 

Lauds shares several structural features with Vespers.

In particular, once the psalmody of the hour is done, it contains the same basic Office components (chapter, responsory, hymn, versicle and New Testament canticle) said in the same order.

Like Vespers, Lauds has a New Testament canticle, in this case the song of Zachariah, the Benedictus, from Luke 1.

Where the two hours differ most though, is in the psalm section of the hour, which the next post will explain in more detail.

First though, a brief overview of the components of Lauds.

Opening prayers

Although this is not always spelt out in Office books, Lauds always starts with the standard opening prayers for the day hours, that is Deus in ajutorium.../Gloria Patri.../Alleluia or Lauds tibi Domine...

The psalms and Old Testament canticles of Lauds

The psalm section of Lauds has several features worth being aware of.

First,  Lauds features seven psalms, compared to Vespers four a day, and the three of the other day hours.   Five of these are fixed and are normally said each day of the week.

Lauds also employs several different ways of saying the palms: it includes a psalm said without an antiphon (Psalm 66); groups of psalms said under one antiphon (such as the Laudate psalms); and individual psalms/canticles with their own antiphon.

The number of antiphons used in the psalm section can also vary: Sundays usually use three antiphons; other days five.

Finally, Lauds includes an 'eighth psalm' in the form of a variable Old Testament canticle that is placed in the middle of the psalm section of the hour and treated like a psalm.

Chapter, responsory and versicle

For most of the year, feasts aside, the chapter, short responsory and versicle of Lauds are the same on weekdays, but have different texts on Sundays.

In particular, St Benedictus specified that on Sundays the chapter should be from the Book of Revelation, reflecting the upbeat, Resurrection focus of Sunday.

Capitulum (Apo 7:12) Benedíctio, et claritas, et sapiéntia, et gratiárum actio, honor, virtus, et fortitúdo Deo nostro in sæcula sæculórum. Amen. R. Deo grátias. Responsorium breve R. Inclina cor meum Deus *in testimonia tua. R. Inclina cor meum Deus *in testimonia tua. V. Averte oculos meos, ne videant vanitatem: in via tua vivifica me. R. In testimonia tua. V. Glória Patri, et Fílio, * et Spirítui Sancto. R. Inclina cor meum Deus *in testimonia tua.   [hymnus] Versus V. Dominus regnavit, decorem induit. R. Induit Dominus fortitudinem, et praecinxit se virtute.

Chapter Benediction, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, honour, and power, and strength to our God for ever and ever. Amen. R. Thanks be to God. R Incline my heart, O God, Unto Thy testimonies R Incline my heart, O God, Unto Thy testimonies V Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, enliven me upon thy way. R Unto thy testimonies. V Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. R Incline my heart, O God, Unto Thy testimonies [hymn ] Versicle V. The Lord reigns, he is clothed with beauty. R. The Lord is clothed with strength, and has girded himself.

As at Vespers though, all of these elements can change to reflect feasts and seasons.

The hymn

The hymn varies according to the day of the week.  Sunday actually has two versions, one (much shorter) for summer, and one for winter.  Try the Liber Hymnarius for audio files.

The Benedictus and its antiphon

As for Vespers, the antiphon for the canticle is 'of the Sunday of the year' on Sundays, and has a default text (included in the Diurnal) for weekdays. The text normally picks up some part of the Gospel at Sunday Mass.

The key difference to Vespers is that instead of the Magnificat, the New Testament canticle is the song of Zachariah, the Benedictus.  As at Vespers, it is sung with an intonation for each line of the verse.

Closing prayers

The closing prayers for Lauds follow the same pattern as the other day hours, and the collect is 'of the Sunday' (or day/feast).

As at Vespers, the superior of the community sings the Our Father aloud at Lauds.

A particular feature of Lauds is the inclusion of a commemoration for the lowest level of saints feasts ((memorials).

The hour also generally uses one of the more elaborate options for the 'Benedicamus Domino' (from page 1244 in the Antiphonale Monasticum).

SUMMARY

Lauds Office component	Notes
Opening prayers	As for all the day hours
Psalms and antiphons	7 psalms+OT canticle
Chapter
Short Responsory
Hymn	(default=of the day)
Versicle
Antiphon+NT Canticle	Benedictus
Closing prayers	As for all the hours
Collect	Of the week, day or feast

Lauds is unusual among the hours in that it has three different structures, for Sundays, feasts and weekdays respectively. The next post in this series looks at these in more detail.