THE
DIVINE OFFICE
The Divine Office is not a place, it is an action. It is
the act of giving thanks and praise to God at the turning points of the day and
of the night.
Service
Times at the Priory -- Praying the Office
by Yourself.
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The Office: Divine Service God needs nothing any human being can offer him, but because of his great love for us, he wants us each to have a relationship with himself. One of the ways we can express this is by what our founder, Fr. Huntington, called "affections of heart"--affections we express in words. The words in question are those of Holy Scripture, especially those of the book of Psalms. Reciting portions of the psalms throughout the day is the core of the Divine Office. The purpose of the other parts of the Office--antiphons, hymns, or readings from the Bible--is to support and embellish this central core. |
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Originally
St. Benedict established seven short offices throughout the day, and a much
longer one during the night. His monks were literally to fulfill the Scripture
that says, "Seven times a day do I praise you", and, "At
midnight I will rise to give you thanks" (Ps. 119:164, 62). Under
modern circumstances that is often impossible, so at Incarnation Priory we
offer the Office at the principal turning points of each day: Morning, Mid-day,
Early Evening, and Bed-time. The Offices offered at those times are: Matins,
Diurnum, Vespers, and Compline. At Matins on weekdays we
also celebrate the Holy Eucharist. Currently, our service times are as
follows:
Matins (and Eucharist): 7:00 a.m. daily (Sunday is Matins only)
Diurnum: noon daily except Sunday (please note new time)
Vespers: *5:00
p.m. daily except Thursday while CDSP is in session
Compline: *8:00
p.m.
* on Thursdays in term the
community worships at CDSP.
Visitors are always welcome at the Divine Office. If you want to attend, please
come to the Chapel Door about five minutes before the Service. One of
the brothers will be there to open the door and show you how to find your place
in the service-book.
The Chapel Door is the (glass) door furthest away from Oxford Street on
the Cedar Street side of the building.
PRAYING THE OFFICE BY YOURSELF
The Divine Office is the prayer of the whole Christian Community, and not just
of any one individual. Christians of all kinds, therefore, lay and ordained,
are encouraged to join in this prayer wherever they are. To make that easier
the services are found in different forms to meet the needs of different
people.
At Incarnation Priory we use the Monastic Breviary published by our
Order. For Episcopalians who wish to pray the Office, the easiest place to find
it is in the (American) Book of Common Prayer, pp. 36-135. This is the
full form which contains many options and may be confusing to use. A much
simpler form for people with less time is found in the Prayer Book on pp.
136-140. No one has to do all of them. Pick the ones that fit your schedule the
best.
The psalms and lessons appointed for each day are found in the Daily Office
Lectionary which begins on p. 936. There are two cycles printed on facing pages
with lessons and psalms appointed for each day. This year we are using Cycle
1 (on the left-hand page). There are three lessons (one from the Old
Testament, one from the New Testament outside the Gospels, and one from the
Gospels). You may use one or all of them, but if don't use them all, you should
choose to read one consistently because they are arranged in order and that
makes it easier to follow the "plot". You can find a more detailed
explanation of the Office on the internet by going to a site named "The Daily Office". where you will find the
psalms, lessons, and canticles for each day printed out.
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