Office of Readings at Night Instead of Morning
  • rjgrigaitisrjgrigaitis
    Posts: 46
    For years, I've been praying the Office of Readings, beginning with the Invitatory, in the morning before praying Morning Prayer. I've been reading, however, that the Office of Readings comes from the tradition of praying at night, so I've started praying the Office of Readings for the next day (the next day beginning at midnight, by which I hope to be asleep), beginning with the Invitatory, after Night Prayer and just before going to bed.

    I like this arrangement much better. However, am I keeping with the spirit of accepted liturgical practices? It makes more sense to me, but much of this information is new to me, and I may be misinterpreting things.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    In monastic usage, Compline is followed by the Great Silence, so praying another office immediately after it, and anticipating the next day, seems odd.

    Of course you could just pray the Office of Readings of the day before Compline; then put the Invitatory before Morning Prayer.
    Thanked by 1rjgrigaitis
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 944
    I've been reading, however, that the Office of Readings comes from the tradition of praying at night,

    I could be wrong about this (my confidence is about 50/50), but I believe the tradition was to pray the Office of Readings immediately preceding the dawn (it was formerly known as Matins). I believe some communities would get up near dawn and pray Matins (Office of Readings) and Lauds (Morning Prayer) in succession.

    According to the current General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours, the Office of Readings may be said at any time of the day. It encourages people to "retain the character of this office as a night office of praise (either by saying it at night or very early in the morning and before morning prayer)."

    All that said, the Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy says that the office of readings "shall be adapted so that it may be recited at any hour of the day."
    Thanked by 1rjgrigaitis
  • rjgrigaitisrjgrigaitis
    Posts: 46
    Maybe I should start start getting up in the middel of the night and pray the Office of Readings, go back to bed, and pray Morning Prayer when I get up in the morning. ;-) Don't tell my fiancée this.

  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    Just plan on two 4-hour shifts of sleep. Apparently people lived that way for ages until the Industrial Revolution put us all on clock time.
  • Liam
    Posts: 4,944
    Don't use artificial light between sunset and sunrise. Eventually, you will naturally break your sleep into two parts: probably about three sleep cycles (4.5 hrs, say) and then awaken for a sleep cycle, and then return to sleep for a couple of more cycles. (And your sleep will tend to vary with the duration of night by season, of course...) "Great" or "first" sleep, then "Lesser" or "second" sleep. The night office goes in between naturally. Btw, as you get older, your body will want to do this anyway...

    Otherwise, do what you feel like. Modernity rendered the natural sleep pattern unnatural, and so the pattern of prayer that developed around the natural pattern was made flexible for a good reason.
  • tomjaw
    Posts: 2,704
    The Office of Matins on certain days was not always sung during the night.

    Matins of Christmas was sung before Midnight Mass.

    Tenebrae (Matins and Lauds of Maunday Thursday / Good Friday / Holy Saturday) was anticipated to the evening before. It is now more commonly sung in the morning (10pm at the London Oratory)

    Matins of Easter Sunday has also been anticipated...

    It may be better to start singing Lauds in the morning rather than the much longer Matins.
  • Protasius
    Posts: 468
    It is a practice in some monastic houses to anticipate Matins a hour or so after Compline. In fact the anticipation of Matins was a very common practice in the 19th and 20th century for Tenebrae and Christmas Matins.
  • chonakchonak
    Posts: 9,160
    It's done currently? That's interesting. Do you know where, offhand?
  • Andrew Motyka
    Posts: 944
    I don't think it can be done that way in the OF, anyway; I'm not sure what the EF regulations are. One of the reasons Tenebrae is so different in the OF is because Morning Prayer is only done in the morning, and Tenebrae includes Morning Prayer.
  • Protasius
    Posts: 468
    A few benedictine monasteries who do so are Kloster Thyrnau (Cistercian nuns), the benedictine nun monastery in Cologne, Königsmünster abbey in Meschede on the eve of Solemnities.

    I am sure there are many more outside Germany, but googling vigil compline I get almost exclusively byzantine results.
  • Chris AllenChris Allen
    Posts: 150
    Andrew M.: The rubrics for the EF Divine Office allow Matins to be taken at any time after 2 PM on the previous day.
  • Protasius
    Posts: 468
    Until the revision of the rubrics in the 50s Matins as well as Lauds could be anticipated. This made Tenebrae a frequented service as it was celebrated in the evening or late afternoon.
  • SkirpRSkirpR
    Posts: 854
    I don't think it can be done that way in the OF, anyway; I'm not sure what the EF regulations are. One of the reasons Tenebrae is so different in the OF is because Morning Prayer is only done in the morning, and Tenebrae includes Morning Prayer.


    OF Office of Readings (more or less Matins) can be anticipated at any point in the night before and can be celebrated at any time. Only the other hours are tied to specific times of the day in the OF. Read the General Instruction of the Liturgy of the Hours.
  • JahazaJahaza
    Posts: 468
    SkirpR, the point is that even if you anticipate the Office of Readings, you can't match the former Tenebrae because you can't anticipate Morning prayer and Tenebrae was the two together.

    In fact, this problem also exists in the 1960 General Rubrics of the breviary, which allows the anticipation of Matins the previous afternoon/evening, but not Lauds.
    Thanked by 1Andrew Motyka
  • SkirpRSkirpR
    Posts: 854
    Jahaza, that's right, I misread the comments too quickly.
  • hartleymartin
    Posts: 1,447
    At the one religious community where I remember this office, it was said immediately after morning prayer.
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